'Puska has taken so much from you all... don't let him take any more'

THE boyfriend of murder victim Ashling Murphy has told how he had to fight hard to find his “inner resilience” as he battled through his grief after losing his girlfriend.

- BY PAUL HEALY Crime Reporter

In the third and final part of our exclusive podcast interview which we are serialising today, Ryan Casey revealed he's thought about entering politics.

The grieving young man also told of advice his father gave him in the early days after the horror killing.

Ryan said he told him: “That guy [Jozef Puska] is after taking so much from you and from all of us. Don't let him take any more.”

The 27-year-old is also mulling over his future following a legal battle with the BBC over remarks made about his victim impact statement.

Ryan said: “I've always been interested in politics. Always have been since a very young age.

“I was always obsessed with American politics and then going to a little more Irish politics as time went on, I started realising what's going on.

“Did I ever see myself doing it? No. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it for the last election cycle.”

Ryan last week settled a defamation case against the BBC, which issued a statement did not consider to be “racist” someone who was being held up as a “hero of the far right” through his victim impact statement.

It also stated it was “happy to clarify” it does not consider Mr Casey to be “someone guilty of, or attempting to, incite hatred.” The statement came after journalist Kitty Holland was a guest on the BBC's The View programme and stated she believed some elements of his victim impact statement were “incitement to hatred” and Ryan was “being held up as a hero of the far right”.