Ireland Ireland - Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 39, murdered, County Cork, 23 Dec 1996

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Here is an update from the BBC. Looks like he is going to be extradited.

High Court endorses Ian Bailey extradition arrest

Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder: Ian Bailey extradition arrest approved
  • 16 December 2019

_110166263_bailey.png
Image copyrightPA
Image captionIan Bailey was convicted in absentia of murdering Sophie Toscan du Plantier
A man convicted of murdering a French film producer in Ireland in 1996 has been arrested after a court endorsed a European Arrest Warrant.

The High Court has approved his arrest in relation to the matter, which means the extradition process will now begin.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered while on holiday in the west of County Cork in December 1996.

It is the third time French authorities have sought Ian Bailey's extradition in relation to her death.

He was convicted in absentia of her murderearlier this year and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Mr Bailey, who was in the High Court in Dublin on Monday, is expected to be released on bail pending a full hearing of the extradition proceedings.

He denies any involvement in her murder, and his extradition has been twice previously been refused.

_107023543_duplantier.jpg
Image copyrightPA
Image captionSophie Toscan du Plantier was found beaten to death near her cottage in County Cork in 1996
Ms du Plantier's was staying at a holiday home her husband had bought near Schull.

Her body was found by neighbours in a lane near the house on 23 December 1996.
 
tresir2012 said:
Here is an update from the BBC. Looks like he is going to be extradited.

High Court endorses Ian Bailey extradition arrest

Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder: Ian Bailey extradition arrest approved
  • 16 December 2019
_110166263_bailey.png
Image copyrightPA
Image captionIan Bailey was convicted in absentia of murdering Sophie Toscan du Plantier
A man convicted of murdering a French film producer in Ireland in 1996 has been arrested after a court endorsed a European Arrest Warrant.

The High Court has approved his arrest in relation to the matter, which means the extradition process will now begin.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered while on holiday in the west of County Cork in December 1996.

It is the third time French authorities have sought Ian Bailey's extradition in relation to her death.

He was convicted in absentia of her murderearlier this year and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Mr Bailey, who was in the High Court in Dublin on Monday, is expected to be released on bail pending a full hearing of the extradition proceedings.

He denies any involvement in her murder, and his extradition has been twice previously been refused.

_107023543_duplantier.jpg
Image copyrightPA
Image captionSophie Toscan du Plantier was found beaten to death near her cottage in County Cork in 1996
Ms du Plantier's was staying at a holiday home her husband had bought near Schull.

Her body was found by neighbours in a lane near the house on 23 December 1996.
Click to expand...

Here is a report about media interest in the case Sophie Toscan du Palntier:

https://evoke.ie/2020/01/27/showbiz/west-cork-murder-sophie-toscan-du-plantier
 
tresir2012 said:
Here is an update from the BBC. Looks like he is going to be extradited.

High Court endorses Ian Bailey extradition arrest

Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder: Ian Bailey extradition arrest approved
  • 16 December 2019
_110166263_bailey.png
Image copyrightPA
Image captionIan Bailey was convicted in absentia of murdering Sophie Toscan du Plantier
A man convicted of murdering a French film producer in Ireland in 1996 has been arrested after a court endorsed a European Arrest Warrant.

The High Court has approved his arrest in relation to the matter, which means the extradition process will now begin.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered while on holiday in the west of County Cork in December 1996.

It is the third time French authorities have sought Ian Bailey's extradition in relation to her death.

He was convicted in absentia of her murderearlier this year and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Mr Bailey, who was in the High Court in Dublin on Monday, is expected to be released on bail pending a full hearing of the extradition proceedings.

He denies any involvement in her murder, and his extradition has been twice previously been refused.

_107023543_duplantier.jpg
Image copyrightPA
Image captionSophie Toscan du Plantier was found beaten to death near her cottage in County Cork in 1996
Ms du Plantier's was staying at a holiday home her husband had bought near Schull.

Her body was found by neighbours in a lane near the house on 23 December 1996.
Click to expand...

Nov 16 2020
Sky TV to air documentary on killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier
''JIM Sheridan’s no-holds-barred documentary series on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier is to be released next year by Sky TV.

Produced by former Sunday World journalist Donal MacIntyre, Murder at the Cottage: The search for justice for Sophie, will examine the circumstances surrounding the killing of the young French TV producer in Schull, Co. Cork in 1996.

This will be the first television project to forensically examine the now infamous cold case and will feature interviews with both Ian Bailey and the family members of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier.''

“It’s a murder that carries implications for the meaning of justice in Ireland, in France and in the UK... that calls into question the meaning of Europe, as the convicted man in France is free in Ireland.''
 
Episode 24: The Sophie Toscan Du Plantier murder - the suspects, the mystery and the myths

It reads like a script from an Agatha Christie murder mystery – a beautiful young French woman bludgeoned to death at her idyllic holiday home, a shocked community who fear there is a killer amongst them and a struggling police force who find more questions than answers.

Twenty-five years since the body of Sophie Toscan du Plantier was discovered discarded in the rural Cork village of Schull, two major documentary series are being released.

'Murder at the Cottage', directed by award winning Jim Sheridan and produced by investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre, will be shown on Sky next month and will detail the twists and turns in the case.
 
Murder at the Cottage: return to West Cork | Culture | The Sunday Times


Sophie Toscan du Plantier was a 39-year-old French television producer, married to Daniel, a renowned film producer 16 years older than her. They were a starry couple and had a life of glamour in Paris. But she also loved the rugged solitude of Ireland and had a holiday cottage in Drinane, near Schull in West Cork.

It was here, at the end of a lane leading to the farmhouse, that du Plantier’s body, wearing nightclothes and partially laced boots, was discovered by a neighbour just after 10am on a cold Monday two days before Christmas in 1996. A blood-soaked concrete block lay near by. A rock too. Du Plantier was due to return to Paris that day.
 
There is a current resurgence of interest in this case.
There is a suspect who has been tried and convicted in absentia, but the story does not end there.
We have started this new thread since there was none for this victim, and we will move over some previous posts in a another thread that refer to this crime.
 
Last edited:
Three new suspects in the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier have been identified in a new documentary.

One is Irish but has moved away from the scene of the horror crime, the other two are foreigners.

There is no hard evidence Ian Bailey, whose name has long been linked to the crime, was involved in the killing of the 38-year-old TV producer 25 years ago.

But he became a suspect because he had assaulted his partner Jules Thomas. He was also English, acted strange, was very much an outsider and was disliked by some in the bohemian community of Schull, West Cork.


New suspects in Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder identified in new documentary
 
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THE brother of murdered Frenchwoman Sophie Toscan du Plantier has spoken about the family’s difficulty in trying to understand the Irish criminal justice system following the death of his sister.

Bertrand Buoniol said that it was the family’s first time being confronted with such a crime and investigations, as well as media and the justice system, when 39-year-old Sophie’s body was discovered near her holiday home in Toormore, near Schull in west Cork, on December 23, 1996.

Nobody has ever been charged in Ireland with her killing, with many twists and turns in the investigation since 1996.

'Leaving the body more than 24 hours before moving —what a mess': Du Plantier family say there were some technical issues with Irish justice system
 
Mirror Books has scooped the “powerful and compelling” true story Murder at Roaringwater by journalist and author Nick Foster.

The publisher acquired world rights to the book from Ben Clark at the Soho Agency for publication on 13th May 2021.

Murder at Roaringwater is the inside story of the unresolved 1996 murder of a young Frenchwoman, Sophie Toscan du Plantier, in West Cork, where the victim seemed to have a premonition of her own terrible end.

The synopsis explains: “This story is as fascinating as it is tragic. It follows Nick in Paris and Ireland during his dedicated investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sophie’s murder, his quest to reveal her killer and efforts to understand what the motive could have been for such a terrible crime.”

Mirror Books scoops Foster's Murder at Roaringwater | The Bookseller
 
Six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan is determined to uncover the truth behind the murder of a French TV producer at her holiday home in Ireland 25 years ago.

In his new documentary the director hopes to finally discover what happened to Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Schull, Co Cork, and free the town from the sinister crime.

The My Left Foot director is to make his documentary series debut with Murder At The Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie later this year.

Jim has been working on the documentary for more than seven years and has recorded hundreds of hours of footage, previously revealed his fascination with the case has spanned for much longer.

He added: “This is a story that has fascinated me for over two decades.

“It is a murder that carries implications for the meaning of justice in Ireland, in France and in the UK.

"It is a murder that calls into question the meaning of Europe, as the convicted man in France is free in Ireland. It is a story that calls into question the meaning and process of the police and the legal system.

“It is a story that shines a light on domestic violence. It is a story about primal fear. About a devil in the hills. About the existence of evil among us.”

Irish director determined to uncover truth in new Sophie Toscan du Plantier doc
 
MsMiniSleuth said:
Mirror Books has scooped the “powerful and compelling” true story Murder at Roaringwater by journalist and author Nick Foster.

The publisher acquired world rights to the book from Ben Clark at the Soho Agency for publication on 13th May 2021.

Murder at Roaringwater is the inside story of the unresolved 1996 murder of a young Frenchwoman, Sophie Toscan du Plantier, in West Cork, where the victim seemed to have a premonition of her own terrible end.

The synopsis explains: “This story is as fascinating as it is tragic. It follows Nick in Paris and Ireland during his dedicated investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sophie’s murder, his quest to reveal her killer and efforts to understand what the motive could have been for such a terrible crime.”

Mirror Books scoops Foster's Murder at Roaringwater | The Bookseller
Click to expand...
Just read it. Definitely worth a read. I think he has solved it! JMO
 
An author has left a hidden message in his latest book telling the suspected killer of a French filmmaker that he knows the truth.

Like a plot twist from an Agatha Christie whodunit, Nick Foster said it was a reference that only he and the alleged murderer will spot.

The battered body of French film-producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 39, was found near her holiday home in rural west Cork on December 23, 1996.

Poet and former journalist Ian Bailey, 64, was one of the first on the crime scene near Roaring Water Bay after being sent to cover the story for English, French and Irish newspapers.

Weeks later the Englishman was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Foster spent six years researching his book on the killing which is published this month, called Murder At Roaringwater, and got to know Bailey.

0_Screen-Shot-2021-05-21-at-203358.png

But the pair have not spoken since Foster told him he thought he was guilty last year while filming a documentary to go with the book.

Nick said: “ I asked him why he killed her and he hung up on me.

“I want Bailey to know I'm still on his case so I've put in the book a clue to one piece of evidence that only he will recognise.

“Yes, really. It sounds like something out of Agatha Christie, but this is for real..."

Author leaves message in his book telling a suspected killer he knows the truth
 
Ian Bailey may be facing homelessness following the recent breakdown of his relationship with his long-term partner Jules Thomas.

The former chief suspect for the murder of Frenchwoman Sophie Toscan du Plantier said he remained living with his former partner, who has been “understanding” of his predicament.

The housing crisis has meant he has few options to secure rented accommodation, he added.

“Yes, being left homeless is a fear I now have. I’m currently still living at Jules’ home. She is understanding of my predicament and situation. But I can’t stay here forever. I am doing my best to find a new home,” the 64-year-old told the Sunday Independent.

“At the moment, because of my change in circumstances, I’m looking for suitable alternative accommodation in west Cork. But because of Covid and people relocating back to the countryside, there is a severe housing shortage in west Cork.

"I’m constantly looking to find somewhere I can be creative, with my writing and carving.

"I also know there are lots of other people, for different reasons, who are in similar circumstances to me.”

Ian Bailey is in fear of becoming homeless
 
Ian Bailey has pleaded for a new Garda probe into Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s murder after it emerged the DNA of a man was found on her body.

A French forensic scientist uncovered the crucial new evidence 10 years ago after Irish detectives invited him to help out in the case in 2011.

But gardai said nothing about the blood sample found on Sophie’s boot and it was only revealed publicly in the last few days by investigators from the West Cork podcast.

It is understood new technology helped find the DNA sample, which wasn’t available for the original post mortem.

But no one knows who the blood belongs to and it has not been run through the Interpol DNA database.

Last night a furious Ian Bailey, the main suspect in the murder case who has always insisted he is innocent, wrote to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris over the DNA revelations.

Ian Bailey pleads for new Garda probe into Sophie's murder
 
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