MFA Has Official Information about Charges Pressed against Slovak in Ireland

Bratislava, January 20 (TASR) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry has official information from a court in Ireland about the charges brought against a Slovak national for committing a murder and about him being taken into custody," TASR learnt from ministry spokesman Juraj Tomaga on Thursday. "The ministry doesn't comment on the identity of the citizen for the purposes of personal data protection," he stated, confirming that neither the man nor his lawyer had yet contacted the embassy in Dublin with a request for consular assistance. The Irish authorities have pressed charges of murder against the man for allegedly killing 23-year-old teacher Ashling Murphy on January 12. The story was reported on Wednesday evening by the domestic media, which also claimed that the man, 31, has denied killing the woman. Currently, the man is said to be in pre-trial detention, with the trial proceedings expected to start on January 26. am/mcs