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Killer Jozef Puska to be moved to padded cell in the Midlands Prison

Some of Ireland’s most notorious killers are kept in the Midlands including Graham Dwyer.

Today at 08:46

Woman killer Josef Puska is set to serve his life sentence for the brutal murder of teacher Aisling Murphy at the Midlands Prison – half an hour away from where he took her life in Tullamore.

He is expected be moved there later today after being brought back to Cloverhill Prison, Dublin where he had been kept on remand since his original arrest for the shocking crime.

It is believed that Puska has said little to staff as he was checked back into the jail by prison staff.

The 33-year-old father of five is to be kept in a a special protected padded cell at the Midlands Prison, in Portlaoise and put under 24 hour surveillance for the next several weeks .

He previously attempted to take his own life shortly before he was due to take the witness stand, however, staff in Cloverhill intervened and stopped him.

Some of Ireland’s most notorious killers are kept in the Midlands including Graham Dwyer.

It is understood his cell will have a window on the door where warders can keep a round the clock eye on him.

This type of jail cell was first ever used at the Nazi Nurenberg trials when American marines were posted outside each cell door in case Hitler’s henchmen tried to commit suicide before they were convicted and executed for their horror crimes.

Warders will take it in turns to sit outside and keep an eye on Puska at all times.

The special cell is a stand alone unit and has a TV in a secure box which is controlled by the prison officers.

The bed is a block with a mattress on top and there is nothing else in the room.

A prison source said:” He gave very little away when he came in after his day in court.

“He is slowly coming to terms with the fact that he is serving a life sentence and there is little chance of him ever getting back out again on the streets of this country.

“Because of overcrowding in the system he is going to the Midlands and not Mountjoy.

“He will be kept in the special protected area for several weeks and well away from any other prisoners. He will be permitted to exercise but only on his own.

“We believe his life would be seriously at risk if any of the other inmates got a hold of him.”

The shocking murder of 23 year old teacher Aisling while she was out walking in Tullamore, Co Offaly in January last year has caused outrage across the country.

Yesterday, Ashling’s boyfriend Ryan Casey gave an emotional victim impact statement as Puska was sentenced to life in prison.

Ryan Casey said that his relationship with Ashling was “quite simply heaven on earth”, and both of them knew that what they had together was very special.

An emotional and tearful Mr Casey said that he finds himself unable to stop thinking about Ashling and he constantly misses her presence.

Mr Casey said he remembers the last time he saw Ashling, which was on January 10, 2022, after she dropped shopping to his house as he was isolating as there was covid in his family home.

All they wanted to do, he said, was give each other a hug, but they didn’t because they were due to travel to Manchester on January 21.

Mr Casey said he constantly wished that he had given Ashling a hug that day.

Mr Casey described Puska as “an evil, evil description of a human being”.

Speaking directly to Puska, Mr Casey told him he had no idea what he had stolen from them.

“Because of you I have lost my Ashling”, he said.

“Because of you I will never get to marry her”, he said.

“Because of you, I will never hear her voice again.”

“Because of you, I will never see her smile again”.

“Because of you, I will have to carry on without her”.

“Because of you, I will have to remember her longer than I’ve known her.”

Mr Casey said Puska smirked and smiled and showed zero remorse during the trial, and told him he was the “epitomy of pure evil”.