'I'm not far right and I didn't incite violence... I stand over my statement'

Ryan Casey speaks out after settling BBC defamation case | He tells of seeing her for last ever time

- PAUL HEALY

THE boyfriend of murder victim Ashling Murphy insists: "I'm not far right and I didn't incite violence.

Ryan Casey, 27, feels he has been censored and silenced ever since having to take a defamation case against the BBC over comments that were made about his victim impact statement on their programme The View by journalist Kitty Holland back in 2023.

Speaking for the first time after settling his case against the broadcaster, Ryan opened up to us about:

Being labelled as "far right" and having the powerful victim impact statement he delivered in court in November 2022 be censored and misinterpreted by others.

The horrific murder of his soulmate Ashling, 23, who was attacked in broad daylight by monster Jozef Puska while she was out for a run at the Grand Canal Way in Cappincur, near Tullamore Co Offaly on January 12, 2022.

His regret over his final meeting with Ashling two days prior and the harrowing moment when he rushed to the scene, and realised the horror of what had happened.

How then Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and the justice system let him down over a promise to give judges the power to introduce minimum sentences before Puska was to be sentenced.

Ryan told us he felt he needed to take the case against the BBC after comments made by Ms Holland asserting that aspects of his victim impact statement, read out in court during Puska's sentencing in November 2022, were "not good" and were "incitement to hatred".

Speaking yesterday from his family home in an exclusive Shattered Lives podcast out today Ryan told us: "I don't think there's a word of it that is incitement to hatred or appealing to any of this far right stuff that everyone likes to call everyone nowadays that has an opposing opinion or any concerns about the safety of the country and stuff."