A man in a ditch close to the area where Irish teacher Ashling Murphy was killed told a woman to “get away”, and appeared to be crouched over someone else who was kicking “like she was crying for help”, a witness has told a court.

Ms Murphy, 23, was killed while she was out exercising along a canal in Tullamore, County Offaly, last January.

Jozef Puska, 33, from Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, has pleaded not guilty to killing her.

Speaking on the second day of evidence in the trial, Jenna Stack said she was out for a run with her friend around 3.15pm on 12 January 2022.

She noticed a bike in the ditch and heard “a lot of noise” coming from the nearby hedge, Ms Stack told the court, and said “it was like someone was struggling, to be honest”, adding she first believed someone had fallen off their bike.

Ms Stack also told the court she stepped in closer and could see someone’s back, and they were wearing what appeared to be a “navy bombed padded jacket” with an emblem.

She said she saw someone who looked to be crouched over someone else, and appeared to be “holding her down”.

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“His face, his teeth were grinding, and he shouted ‘get away’,” Ms Stack told the court.

“The girl, she was lying on the ground, and she was kicking so hard, like she was crying out for help.

“She was moving whatever part of her body she could to get help,” she said, adding that she had made no sound.

Ms Stack said she was scared he was going to rape her, and told him she would call the Gardai, telling the court the interaction lasted around 30 seconds.

Defence barrister Michael Bowman SC suggested the person seen crouching on the day of Ms Murphy’s death may have been trying to “assist”, telling the court Puska can recall an interaction with Ms Stack but could not hear what she was saying.

Mr Bowman also said his client had not aggressively called out, but instead was in pain, after cutting his legs on thorny bushes.

He also suggested to the witness Ms Murphy’s hands could have been on Puska’s arms, while he tried to stop the bleeding. She replied she did not see that, and that the woman was kicking her legs.

“That was her cry for help,” she told the court.

Ms Stack also said while she did not choose Puska from a suspect line-up, the person she picked looked “similar”.

Mr Bowman said several aspects were accepted by Puska, including that Ms Murphy was brought from the canal walkway to hospital until she was identified, and that he accepted the cause of death conclusion.

The trial continues.

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