A woman has told the Ashling Murphy murder trial she saw a man crouching over a woman who was kicking her legs in the air on the day the schoolteacher was killed.
33-year-old Jozef Puska, of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, County Offaly, denies murdering the schoolteacher on January 12th, 2022.
Jenna Stack was called as a witness this morning and told the court she was going for a run with her friend along the Grand Canal on the date Ashling Murphy died.
There they saw a bicycle, in a hedgerow, which she thought was an unusual place for a bike to be.
She said that, in close proximity to that, they came across a man crouched over a woman, who was kicking her legs high in the air.
Ms Stack told the court she asked, ‘What are you doing’, and the man said in a foreign accent, ‘Get away'.
She said she then threatened to call the Gardaí despite not having her phone with her.
She said she couldn't see the girl and she ran to get help with her friend – eventually calling into a house to ask for Gardaí to be contacted.
Under cross-examination, Defence barrister Michael Bowman asked if it was possible that Mr Puska was assisting Ms Murphy when Ms Stack saw them.
She said that wasn't her impression, adding that he could have asked for help.
The trial continues this afternoon.
The Ashling Murphy Murder Trial is expected to last for up to five weeks.
Newstalk Courts Correspondent Frank Greaney will be in the courtroom throughout and you can get a full, in-depth account of everything that happens by subscribing to All Rise: The Ashling Murphy Murder Trial.
