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'Ashling Murphy's partner had every right to ask why Puska was let into Ireland'

'Ashling Murphy's partner had every right to ask why Puska was let into Ireland'

Irish Daily Mirror12 hours ago
The murder of teacher Ashling Murphy while out jogging was one of the worst crimes ever committed in this country.
Her killer Jozef Puska was an immigrant from another EU country, Slovakia. He did little or no work here and sponged off our social welfare system by being paid disability benefit every week.
He wasn't fit to work apparently, but he was fit to kill.
Puska spent the day in the hours before he stabbed Ashling 11 times in the neck stalking other women in Tullamore, Co Offaly.
Why you and I - who work our butts off all our lives - have to finance a scumbag like him and others like him is one of the great mysteries of our time.
Does our Department of Social Protection not have inspectors to check out these scroungers and to make them earn their keep?
When Ashling's heartbroken boyfriend, Ryan Casey, expressed similar views like I've just written, after Puska was found guilty and jailed for life, he was accused on the BBC of having far-right views.
It was a typical response from left-wing liberal lovies who think they know best in this country and who believe we should welcome every Tom, Dick or Harry into Ireland even when they have a criminal record - like Puska had.
He was a convicted sex offender in his homeland for having sex with an underage girl, and if that was not a warning sign about him then God knows what is.
Ryan Casey had every right to give his opinions on his fiancee's killer in his victim impact statement and question why he was ever let into Ireland in the first place.
The BBC had to pay Ryan damages a few weeks ago after they settled a libel action with him for the right-wing accusation.
I was glad to see Ryan setting the record straight in an interview with the brilliant Paul Healy in The Irish Mirror last week. He again emphasised he is not far-right and neither am I.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
But we both have every right to question why the likes of Puska was let into Ireland when he had a criminal record in the first place.
Successive Irish Governments have been too soft on immigration for far too long, especially in dealing with both EU and non-EU immigrants who have a criminal record.
Anyone from any other country - whether it be Britain, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil or South Africa - should not be let in here if they have a criminal record.
Our new Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan is cracking down on it and there needs to be a purge. We have enough bad guys of our own without importing any from abroad. These foreign criminals should all be rounded up and sent home.
I am all for people coming in, living and working here once they go through the proper visa process.
Ryan's other big issue is the previous Government and specifically Helen McEntee's promise to give our judges the power to impose minimum sentences on evil killers like Puska.
He got a life sentence for murdering Ashling but life here can mean anything from 20 to 25 years jail.
The judges should have the authority to bang them up for 40 years if necessary, depending on the severity of their ghastly crimes.
The power to impose minimum sentences for whatever reason has not happened yet and Mr O Callaghan needs to make it a top priority.
Ryan, like the rest of us, would hate to ever see Jozef Puska back on the streets when poor Ashling is never coming back.
He who lives by the sword, should die by it. If I had my way, Puska would die in an Irish jail for what he did to that beautiful young woman. He should never be freed from prison.
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