Man (31) appears in court charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy

A 31-year-old man has appeared in court in Tullamore after being charged with the murder of primary school teacher Ashling Murphy in the town last week.

Jozef Puska, with an address of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, was brought before a special sitting of the town's district court earlier tonight.

Following a brief hearing, he was remanded in custody to appear at a sitting of Cloverhill District Court next week.

A second male who was arrested under the provisions of Section 30 Offences Against the State Act 1939 has been released without charge from garda custody, and a file is to be prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A large crowd gathered outside the court in Tullamore before and after this evening's hearing, and Puska was heckled as he was being escorted by gardai at the building.

Ashling Murphy's funeral took place yesterday after she was fatally assaulted on Wednesday last, January 12.