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18th Jan 2022

Gardaí are planning to make an arrest in Ashling Murphy murder case

Ellen Fitzpatrick

They are waiting to speak to him.

Gardaí are currently awaiting to speak to a man they suspect of having involvement in Ashling Murphy’s murder and now plan to arrest him as soon as possible.

The man is currently in a Dublin hospital with severe wounds and Gardaí are waiting until he is deemed mentally and physically well enough to question and arrest him, the Irish Times believes.

The man has been in hospital in Dublin since last Thursday and Gardaí suspect he arrived from Tullamore to Dublin last Wednesday before presenting himself in hospital.

Gardaí have issued a fresh appeal for information about a man in a black tracksuit with a white stripe or writing on the side in an attempt to find the answer to who killed the school teacher as she went for a jog last Wednesday.

Gardaí are also asking people to resist from sharing information about the case on social media and in messages as they say much of the information circling was “misinformed, inaccurate and dangerous” as well as “unhelpful to the criminal investigation”.

The motive for the attack still remains unknown but is believed to be random.

Looking to hear from anyone who saw a man “dressed in black tracksuit top [with] no hood, black tracksuit bottoms with a large white stripe or white writing on the side and black runners”, they are urging anyone in the Tullamore area last Wednesday or may have given him a lift to come forward.

Gardaí believe the man ran from the murder scene and left his Falcon Storm mountain bike behind, before driving or getting a lift to Dublin.

Gardaí are also looking to international law enforcement agencies for information on the man in hospital as he has previously lived in other countries and is looking to gather information about his mental health and possible crime involvement.

While they plan to make an arrest, sources for The Irish Times stressed that Gardaí view the man as a suspect and making the arrest was not proof he had committed the crime.

The appeal comes as Ashling’s family prepare for her funeral later this morning at St Brigid’s Church in Mountbolus, close to her home in Cully, Blueball, Co Offaly.