Lawyers representing Jozef Puska in his bid to overturn his conviction for the murder of teacher Ashling Murphy have told a court the “ambit of the appeal” may change.Puska is serving a life sentence for murdering the 23-year-old, whom he attacked and stabbed repeatedly as she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on January 12th, 2022.His appeal against his conviction for murder was originally due to be heard on April 23rd, but this date was vacated after his barristers made an application days beforehand to withdraw from the case as a result of instructions given by Puska to his solicitor.A week later, John Berry confirmed he had come on record to represent Puska. Judge Isobel Kennedy, presiding at the Court of Appeal, then set a hearing date of July 15th for the conviction appeal.The matter was listed for case management at the Court of Appeal on Friday. Jozef Puska stabbed his victim 11 times and was later convicted by a jury of her murder Berry told the court he had received “an indication of an instruction” in the last two days.He said that instruction would have to be confirmed in person, but this could “dramatically reduce down the time needed”. He asked for the matter to be listed again in seven days’ time.The judge asked if this was “simply with a view to decreasing the time needed”.“It may be that the ambit of the appeal will change as well,” Berry said.He said he would discuss the matter with Anne-Marie Lawlor, for the Director of Public Prosecutions. He said that “if what happens comes to pass” then he did not think “the court will be in any way inconvenienced or discommoded”.The judge adjourned the matter to July 10th.Puska, who told detectives he stopped working in 2017 after slipping a disc in his back, has been granted legal aid for his appeal on the same basis as his representation during his trial at the Central Criminal Court, where he was allocated a solicitor, a senior counsel and two junior barristers.The 35-year-old, with a last address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, had denied murdering the teacher at Cappincur, Tullamore, but was convicted by a unanimous jury.Puska stabbed her 11 times in the neck and slashed her once with the edge of a blade before leaving her to die in the thick thorns and brambles by the side of the canal towpath between Tullamore town and Digby Bridge.