Woman's life imploded when her 'loving partner' and 'devoted father' Jozef Puska became a killer, court told

Also, lawyers for Puska's brothers and their wives pointed to the difficulties faced by foreigners in Irish prisons as factors for the court to consider before sentencing

The court was told that Lucia Istokova (pictured), the partner of Joesf Puska, was always motivated by a desire to safeguard her children. Photo: Collins Courts

When Jozef Puska's partner withheld information from gardaí about the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, her life had "imploded" as the man she believed to be a loving partner and devoted father was revealed to be a killer, her barrister has told the Central Criminal Court while asking to spare her jail.

At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Colman Fitzgerald SC for Puska's partner and mother of his children, Lucia Istokova (aged 36), said his client was always motivated by a desire to safeguard her children. While she accepts that she has committed an offence and that her actions were wrong, Mr Fitzgerald asked Ms Justice Caroline Biggs to consider a fully suspended sentence for his client.