MONSTER WATCH

Jozef Puska refuses to apologise for Ashling Murphy’s murder as he’s left in isolation cell for own safety

• Published: 14:24, 21 Nov 2023
• Updated: 16:10, 21 Nov 2023

THE monster who killed Aisling Murphy has refused to apologise for her brutal death and is still being detained in Cloverhill Prison.

Jozef Puska, 33, is in a cell on his own and is getting 24 hour protection for his own safety.

No final decision has been made yet as to where he will serve his life sentence.

He claims he should be held along with sex offenders at the Midlands or Arbour Hill prisons since he was convicted as a minor for having under age sex with a girl in his native Slovakia years ago.

However he got the Probation Act and never went to jail for the offence.

Some prison bosses believe he should not be treated as a sex offender since he was only a minor at the time and should serve his time in Mountjoy.

The operational staff in the Irish Prison Service hope to sort the issue out over the coming weeks.

Under Irish Prison rules sex offenders have to be kept away from the rest of the general prison population.

A prison source said: “Puska has not used the word sorry once since his conviction last week.

“He still maintains he is innocent when all the evidence proves otherwise.

“He is being watched around the clock so that he does not try to take his own life.

“Cloverhill is technically a remand prison although there are a few lifers here who work in the jail.

“They are regarded as ‘enhanced’ prisoners because of their good behaviour.

“If I were a betting man I’d say he will end up in Mountjoy at some stage, which is the last place in the world he wants to be.

“He is terrified he will be attacked there and would prefer to serve his time among the sex offenders who are all much older and less of a danger to him.

“He is a far more clever guy than what everyone thinks.

“He has yet to tell anyone what his motivation was for killing that poor girl in the first place let alone apologise.”

It is understood Puska will be kept on suicide watch for several months.

He is allowed to exercise on his own everyday accompanied by a prison guard.

The Irish Prison Service does not comment on individual prisoners.