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Jozef Puska has abandoned the appeal against his conviction for the murder of Ashling Murphy.
Puska appeared before the Court of Appeal this morning in anticipation of a hearing of the appeal of his life sentence for the murder of Ms Murphy, which was scheduled to take place on the 15th of July.
Puska previously discharged certain members of his legal team, causing delays which led to the abandonment of an earlier date for the hearing.
This morning, prosecuting counsel Anne-Marie Lawlor SC told Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy that on the last occasion the DPP had expressed that, should Puska move to discharge his counsel again, the hearing of the appeal should not be further delayed as a result.
She added that Puska “has been represented by excellent counsel throughout” the legal proceedings “and so remains”.
Last week, the Court of Appeal heard that the “ambit of the appeal” might change.
Mr John Berry SC, defending, told Justice Kennedy that he had received “an indication of an instruction” from his client.
The court heard that Puska’s solicitor had visited him in prison last Tuesday to confirm this instruction but had instead received a different instruction and that there was now a need to confirm with him which of the two instructions he wished to advance.
Puska was produced from the Midlands Prison and was aided in court by a Slovakian interpreter.
After the court gave counsel time to confirm the correct instructions, it was clarified that Puska wished to withdraw the appeal of his conviction for the murder of Ms Murphy and would pursue an appeal of his sentence.
Mr Berry said that the appeal would focus on the decision of the sentencing judge not to backdate his life sentence to reflect the time he had already spent in custody while on remand.
The hearing of the sentence appeal will be heard on the 15th of July, the date reserved for the now-abandoned conviction appeal.
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