Although I find myself with cynical views about the possible discovery of DNA evidence, and the length of time the cold case review is taking, there is dramatic new information.
It might be added that the chance of an unconnected bystander discovering Sophie's body at 6am in the dark in the middle of nowhere is virtually inconceivable.
Thanks for reading! This blog started 5 years ago as a neutral investigation but coverage elsewhere has become so anti Bailey that I believe it's jeopardising the investigation. I'm not going to say Bailey was a nice chap but he was no killer.
I agree. Ian Bailey didn't help himself really, but I've been more convinced over time he didn't commit the murder.
Three decades have gone by since, and there has never been any strong physical trace of him having been there evidence wise, I'm convinced he didn't do it personally.
I'm still figuring out ,I did think at one stage AL was involved as he was so near the scene but not sure anymore ,I still think the blue ford speeding from the keelfada road area that morning towards bantry at 7.30am that was never followed up by the Gardai may have something to do with it ? They say that the certain Garda from bantry drove same type of car too , is that why the Gardai covered up alot ? Did she phone the Gardai that night about a disturbance or something bothering her especially as her house was broken into previously,perhaps that named Garda drove to her house that night , I think her phone records weren't available from her house phone so it wouldn't be clear who else she phoned that evening /night ....
I heard those rumours of a policeman driving in the area that morning. A few of us really dug into it but couldn't corroborate anything. I tend to think there's no cover up as such, just a very flawed investigation.
I watched murder in the cottage a few times & it shows the first superintendent on the scene that morning besides the two local guards that attended to the scene when Alfie Lyons rang was a JP twomey as far as I know he's originally from Kerry ,also the detective dywer was a Kerry man & the Garda in question rumoured to be in the area that morning from bantry was also originally from Kerry that seemingly drove a blue ford, same car seen erratically driving away from the area of toormore , I still think a cover could have being done especially as no evidence left at scene & I'm sure a gaurd would be well able to cover his tracks especially if it happened during the night & their was prints of a tyre seen at the scene & Dr harbinson reckons prints of a boot similar to a doc Martin.The Kerry babies case was much similar in ways , also last night I was reading an article from Ian Bailey's civil case I think in 2015 & detective Fitzgerald was in the witness box as Marie Farrell accused him of striping off asking her for sex in some holiday home she cleaned he denied it all ,he was questioned as to why he never wrote anything about Marie farrells sightings of a strange looking man ,she later said this man wasnt Ian bailey but a french looking man that seemingly a french man did try to book flights from a travel agency in Galway the day after the murder but no name was taken from him at the time but the travel agency said he was french & had travelled from cork this was supposedly followed up ),it was mad stuff really whatever was going on with the gardai back then ,alot of pages missing from the Garda jobs book also alot of original statements burnt in a fire not to mind the Bandon tapes the gardai trying Their best to pin it on bailey ,the Martin Graham feasco of giving him hash etc ... I also read today Shirley foster passed away,I just really hope that this case will be solved it really is mind boggling stuff .....
The article does not exonerate Ian Bailey, quite the opposite if you're aware of the alleged facts. The phone call in question is said to have originated from the Prairie by Fenella Thomas to her father Chris Thomas. At 6am approx on the day Sophies body was found it is believed Fenella rang her father to collect her from the house as something dreadful had happened. Chris Thomas was apparently "too sick" to collect her. For those who might not be aware, Chris Thomas lived in Clonakilty when Sophie was murdered. Clonakilty phone operations transitioned from analog to digital in the mid 80s, meaning from the mid 80s there would be a record of any call made or received to or from a landline there. When the Gardaí say they know where the call came from, I'm sure they don't say it lightly. It was the digital system that was able to pinpoint the exact time Ian Bailey recieved a phone call from Eddie Cassidy on the 23rd. While the Prairie phone was analog, the number was picked up and on record at Eddie Cassidys end. As for the man "long dead", it's not Bailey they're referring to. The witness in question apparently also corroborated a vital piece of evidence which, if true, I have no doubt will strengthen the case for An Garda Síochana. It isn't public, and likely won't be until the cold case team is finally ready to come forward. As for your opinion on Michael Sheridan, he's a well respected and reputable journalist, he only ever goes on facts. He's respected as a journalist for a reason. What you say about him coming from a platform of Ian Bailey being guilty is essentially double standards. You grasp at straws to get any inkling of potential innocence. I've followed your blogs on Sophies case to date, you're working from very few facts, your blogs are heavily opinionated and tend to repeat what others say who are also equally ignorant of the facts of this case.
It's wishful thinking. Make it make sense. He was never charged in Ireland for good reason. It's because the evidence never existed. It's baffling that you'd still think Ian Bailey did this. They've gone international to identify the male DNA, explicitly not Bailey's.
There's no way there ever going to name Ian Bailey now, people became obsessed with him carrying out this murder and never really looked for real answers. It's staring you in the face that he wasn't the killer, I guess when more news breaks we'll find out for sure. The DPP were right all along I think, you're way off here, seriously.
I have a question as an Englishman living in Ireland... if that's right? Do you think Bailey's Englishness contributed to his vilification? Or was it just because he was unlikeable?
I think so, it played a massive part I believe. He had a particular strangeness about him, physically he looked very capable too, which hurt him also I believe. He didn't appear an individual with any empathy, most were convinced, but I'm at that stage where I'm almost certain he never commit the murder.
Thanks for this reply! My views have become less objective over the years, no doubt. It is irritating that the original investigation was so poor. Michael's updated books on the case are indeed full of his opinions. Unfortunately for the millions of people following this case, we can only go on what other people say, or do not say. I have a number of detailed documents, including contemporaneous witness statements, and as none of them were recorded and they have all been typed up by third parties, I still find them untrustworthy. Your most interesting point is obviously the names of the people in question - Sheridan did not name anybody. How sure are you that these are the people involved? I have long understood that the Thomas daughters and Jules exonerated Bailey in all their statements.
You would be incorrect in saying Jules and her daughters exonerated him in their statements. Saffron Thomas in fact puts her mother and Bailey at the crimescene before lunchtime, hours before they state they heard of the murder from Eddie Cassidy. She made a statement to the Gardaí stating this, and to the French in which case the interview with the French was recorded with her permission. In the French statement she also retracts being a witness to Bailey killing the turkeys. It's amazing how things change when one knows they're being held accountable, on camera, for their statements.
Fenella Thomas refused to retract her statement that Jules and Bailey left the house that morning at around 10.30-11am. Even when pressured by her mother and Bailey to do so. Her husband wrote to the French and explained the intimidation coming from them. She just wanted to be left alone.
As for how sure I am, the information came from a very strong and reliable source but I still used the term alleged. Only time will tell if it's correct or not.
I have a considerable amount of files on the case, which ironically came indirectly from Bailey himself.
Thank you. Please do keep on commenting. This site works best as a debate. Nobody has so far presented any evidence that Ian Bailey was anywhere near Sophie's that night, or any night. If anything Crime Guy a very rare resource for the few who are not convinced of Bailey's guilt. But that does not mean I think he is innocent, I just don't know. All I know is that he has never been charged or tried for murder and that there must be reasons for that.
He should have been tried at the very least. The DPP, for reasons unknown, did not look at the facts objectively in this case. They picked and chose the evidence that suited their own narrative. I believe it's something they will be criticised for down the road, and rightly so imo. Can I recommend the book Case Closed: The murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier by Paul Morgan. The author presents the facts and arguments in an unbiased logical way, and a good portion of the book dissects the DPP report. Yes, the author concludes that Bailey is guilty but every point he makes is backed up by evidence, something you're looking for. If you're genuinely looking for evidence, and if you're willing to keep an open mind then I think you will at least respect the book and the author. I'm not here to plug a book, but this book is as close you're going to get to dealing with the case and specifically the DPP report.
I'd like to clarify a point after checking the record. Fenellas husband wrote the email to ASSOPH in 2014, and not the French investigation team as I stated above. He was hoping ASSOPH might convince the Gardaí to make a move on the "illegal actions" of intimidation of Bailey and Jules Thomas of his wife. He had already made a statement to the Gardaí and he stated the Gardaí classed it as a "criminal offence".
The police are appealing for international help to identify the DNA found on Sophie's boot. Of course Ian Bailey is exonerated at this stage, it's not his DNA. There has never been any physical trace of him at the crime scene, in an outdoor brutal murder like that, that's not likely. Not a shred of credible evidence, that's why he was never put on trial in Ireland, nothing evidentiary ever held up against him.
They have so far failed to find a match. They have not completed testing of individuals here in Ireland who would have been in close contact with Sophies body after the murder. He is not exonerated, just because it's not his DNA. It could have been there since before Sophie was murdered, we have no way of knowing that yet. What if it belonged to Harbison, would you consider him the murderer if it was his DNA left there by accident?Suppose it belongs to someone who has a watertight alibi, unlike Baileys. There has never been a physical trace of anyone found at the scene, so as it stands, Bailey is still a suspect.
He's been a suspect for 30 years, even though the evidence pointed away from him. Even immediately when first arrested, Bailey gave hair and blood samples, it was indicative of his innocence really. It's just not believable, that he carried out the attack, it's illogical to think he did.
You'd have to believe he took a midnight ramble, walked two miles to her home seemingly not credibly witnessed by anyone, carried out a horrific murder, and left the scene to walk home presumably very bloodied never been noticed. How could one really leave no trace? Even the story alleging that he had scratches, I mean, they were so incompetent at the time they never took a picture of these scratches. He was basically framed, he was odd and not a likeable person, and even without considerable proof that he did this they destroyed his life.
We will have to agree to disagree on this. My experience in this case is we could go back and forth for hours and it won't change anyone's mind. The time will come when the Cold Case team are ready to name the murderer and produce even more evidence. Bailey will be named, and you'll likely still argue he is being framed. There will be arrests.
I really value your perspectives as someone who believes in Bailey's guilt. I'm sure you're in the majority. But who are you suggesting might get arrested if Bailey did it, now he's dead?
I believe Jules might be arrested, and Saffron or Fenella, or both. You have to understand I have read so much information about this case that is not in the public domain. It's what brought me to where I am now, my belief that Bailey is guilty. My introduction to this case was the documentary Murder at the cottage, and I genuinely thought it was possible Bailey was innocent, I at least gave him the benefit of the doubt then. Fenellas situation saddens me, she was fourteen at the time of the murder and for the few years previous to the murder she lived in a house filled with violence, where alcohol was abused regularly and the man who should have been a stand in father figure was a predator. This is not alleged, he wrote about it in great detail in his diaries. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult her formative years were. Her older sisters eventually away at college. On the flip side, you have Sophies family who have been fighting for justice for almost 30 years, they deserve answers. It's a very sad case.
Oh, I think I heard some controversy about this. Interesting I wonder if some of the new evidence coming out is just to quel people who are getting anxious
It might be added that the chance of an unconnected bystander discovering Sophie's body at 6am in the dark in the middle of nowhere is virtually inconceivable.
It's become absolutely clear that Ian Bailey didn't commit the murder.
They accused him of a horrific murder, they had no proof, no credible evidence against him, and they ruined his life completely.
Thanks for reading! This blog started 5 years ago as a neutral investigation but coverage elsewhere has become so anti Bailey that I believe it's jeopardising the investigation. I'm not going to say Bailey was a nice chap but he was no killer.
I agree. Ian Bailey didn't help himself really, but I've been more convinced over time he didn't commit the murder.
Three decades have gone by since, and there has never been any strong physical trace of him having been there evidence wise, I'm convinced he didn't do it personally.
I'm still figuring out ,I did think at one stage AL was involved as he was so near the scene but not sure anymore ,I still think the blue ford speeding from the keelfada road area that morning towards bantry at 7.30am that was never followed up by the Gardai may have something to do with it ? They say that the certain Garda from bantry drove same type of car too , is that why the Gardai covered up alot ? Did she phone the Gardai that night about a disturbance or something bothering her especially as her house was broken into previously,perhaps that named Garda drove to her house that night , I think her phone records weren't available from her house phone so it wouldn't be clear who else she phoned that evening /night ....
I heard those rumours of a policeman driving in the area that morning. A few of us really dug into it but couldn't corroborate anything. I tend to think there's no cover up as such, just a very flawed investigation.
I watched murder in the cottage a few times & it shows the first superintendent on the scene that morning besides the two local guards that attended to the scene when Alfie Lyons rang was a JP twomey as far as I know he's originally from Kerry ,also the detective dywer was a Kerry man & the Garda in question rumoured to be in the area that morning from bantry was also originally from Kerry that seemingly drove a blue ford, same car seen erratically driving away from the area of toormore , I still think a cover could have being done especially as no evidence left at scene & I'm sure a gaurd would be well able to cover his tracks especially if it happened during the night & their was prints of a tyre seen at the scene & Dr harbinson reckons prints of a boot similar to a doc Martin.The Kerry babies case was much similar in ways , also last night I was reading an article from Ian Bailey's civil case I think in 2015 & detective Fitzgerald was in the witness box as Marie Farrell accused him of striping off asking her for sex in some holiday home she cleaned he denied it all ,he was questioned as to why he never wrote anything about Marie farrells sightings of a strange looking man ,she later said this man wasnt Ian bailey but a french looking man that seemingly a french man did try to book flights from a travel agency in Galway the day after the murder but no name was taken from him at the time but the travel agency said he was french & had travelled from cork this was supposedly followed up ),it was mad stuff really whatever was going on with the gardai back then ,alot of pages missing from the Garda jobs book also alot of original statements burnt in a fire not to mind the Bandon tapes the gardai trying Their best to pin it on bailey ,the Martin Graham feasco of giving him hash etc ... I also read today Shirley foster passed away,I just really hope that this case will be solved it really is mind boggling stuff .....
Interesting development but patiently awaiting results of DNA evidence
Thanks Martin as always! I hope you are not disappointed.
The article does not exonerate Ian Bailey, quite the opposite if you're aware of the alleged facts. The phone call in question is said to have originated from the Prairie by Fenella Thomas to her father Chris Thomas. At 6am approx on the day Sophies body was found it is believed Fenella rang her father to collect her from the house as something dreadful had happened. Chris Thomas was apparently "too sick" to collect her. For those who might not be aware, Chris Thomas lived in Clonakilty when Sophie was murdered. Clonakilty phone operations transitioned from analog to digital in the mid 80s, meaning from the mid 80s there would be a record of any call made or received to or from a landline there. When the Gardaí say they know where the call came from, I'm sure they don't say it lightly. It was the digital system that was able to pinpoint the exact time Ian Bailey recieved a phone call from Eddie Cassidy on the 23rd. While the Prairie phone was analog, the number was picked up and on record at Eddie Cassidys end. As for the man "long dead", it's not Bailey they're referring to. The witness in question apparently also corroborated a vital piece of evidence which, if true, I have no doubt will strengthen the case for An Garda Síochana. It isn't public, and likely won't be until the cold case team is finally ready to come forward. As for your opinion on Michael Sheridan, he's a well respected and reputable journalist, he only ever goes on facts. He's respected as a journalist for a reason. What you say about him coming from a platform of Ian Bailey being guilty is essentially double standards. You grasp at straws to get any inkling of potential innocence. I've followed your blogs on Sophies case to date, you're working from very few facts, your blogs are heavily opinionated and tend to repeat what others say who are also equally ignorant of the facts of this case.
It's wishful thinking. Make it make sense. He was never charged in Ireland for good reason. It's because the evidence never existed. It's baffling that you'd still think Ian Bailey did this. They've gone international to identify the male DNA, explicitly not Bailey's.
There's no way there ever going to name Ian Bailey now, people became obsessed with him carrying out this murder and never really looked for real answers. It's staring you in the face that he wasn't the killer, I guess when more news breaks we'll find out for sure. The DPP were right all along I think, you're way off here, seriously.
I have a question as an Englishman living in Ireland... if that's right? Do you think Bailey's Englishness contributed to his vilification? Or was it just because he was unlikeable?
I think so, it played a massive part I believe. He had a particular strangeness about him, physically he looked very capable too, which hurt him also I believe. He didn't appear an individual with any empathy, most were convinced, but I'm at that stage where I'm almost certain he never commit the murder.
Thanks for this reply! My views have become less objective over the years, no doubt. It is irritating that the original investigation was so poor. Michael's updated books on the case are indeed full of his opinions. Unfortunately for the millions of people following this case, we can only go on what other people say, or do not say. I have a number of detailed documents, including contemporaneous witness statements, and as none of them were recorded and they have all been typed up by third parties, I still find them untrustworthy. Your most interesting point is obviously the names of the people in question - Sheridan did not name anybody. How sure are you that these are the people involved? I have long understood that the Thomas daughters and Jules exonerated Bailey in all their statements.
You would be incorrect in saying Jules and her daughters exonerated him in their statements. Saffron Thomas in fact puts her mother and Bailey at the crimescene before lunchtime, hours before they state they heard of the murder from Eddie Cassidy. She made a statement to the Gardaí stating this, and to the French in which case the interview with the French was recorded with her permission. In the French statement she also retracts being a witness to Bailey killing the turkeys. It's amazing how things change when one knows they're being held accountable, on camera, for their statements.
Fenella Thomas refused to retract her statement that Jules and Bailey left the house that morning at around 10.30-11am. Even when pressured by her mother and Bailey to do so. Her husband wrote to the French and explained the intimidation coming from them. She just wanted to be left alone.
As for how sure I am, the information came from a very strong and reliable source but I still used the term alleged. Only time will tell if it's correct or not.
I have a considerable amount of files on the case, which ironically came indirectly from Bailey himself.
Thank you. Please do keep on commenting. This site works best as a debate. Nobody has so far presented any evidence that Ian Bailey was anywhere near Sophie's that night, or any night. If anything Crime Guy a very rare resource for the few who are not convinced of Bailey's guilt. But that does not mean I think he is innocent, I just don't know. All I know is that he has never been charged or tried for murder and that there must be reasons for that.
He should have been tried at the very least. The DPP, for reasons unknown, did not look at the facts objectively in this case. They picked and chose the evidence that suited their own narrative. I believe it's something they will be criticised for down the road, and rightly so imo. Can I recommend the book Case Closed: The murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier by Paul Morgan. The author presents the facts and arguments in an unbiased logical way, and a good portion of the book dissects the DPP report. Yes, the author concludes that Bailey is guilty but every point he makes is backed up by evidence, something you're looking for. If you're genuinely looking for evidence, and if you're willing to keep an open mind then I think you will at least respect the book and the author. I'm not here to plug a book, but this book is as close you're going to get to dealing with the case and specifically the DPP report.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Case-Closed-Bailey-Murder-Plantier/dp/B0DGX42GDV
I'd like to clarify a point after checking the record. Fenellas husband wrote the email to ASSOPH in 2014, and not the French investigation team as I stated above. He was hoping ASSOPH might convince the Gardaí to make a move on the "illegal actions" of intimidation of Bailey and Jules Thomas of his wife. He had already made a statement to the Gardaí and he stated the Gardaí classed it as a "criminal offence".
The police are appealing for international help to identify the DNA found on Sophie's boot. Of course Ian Bailey is exonerated at this stage, it's not his DNA. There has never been any physical trace of him at the crime scene, in an outdoor brutal murder like that, that's not likely. Not a shred of credible evidence, that's why he was never put on trial in Ireland, nothing evidentiary ever held up against him.
They have so far failed to find a match. They have not completed testing of individuals here in Ireland who would have been in close contact with Sophies body after the murder. He is not exonerated, just because it's not his DNA. It could have been there since before Sophie was murdered, we have no way of knowing that yet. What if it belonged to Harbison, would you consider him the murderer if it was his DNA left there by accident?Suppose it belongs to someone who has a watertight alibi, unlike Baileys. There has never been a physical trace of anyone found at the scene, so as it stands, Bailey is still a suspect.
He's been a suspect for 30 years, even though the evidence pointed away from him. Even immediately when first arrested, Bailey gave hair and blood samples, it was indicative of his innocence really. It's just not believable, that he carried out the attack, it's illogical to think he did.
You'd have to believe he took a midnight ramble, walked two miles to her home seemingly not credibly witnessed by anyone, carried out a horrific murder, and left the scene to walk home presumably very bloodied never been noticed. How could one really leave no trace? Even the story alleging that he had scratches, I mean, they were so incompetent at the time they never took a picture of these scratches. He was basically framed, he was odd and not a likeable person, and even without considerable proof that he did this they destroyed his life.
We will have to agree to disagree on this. My experience in this case is we could go back and forth for hours and it won't change anyone's mind. The time will come when the Cold Case team are ready to name the murderer and produce even more evidence. Bailey will be named, and you'll likely still argue he is being framed. There will be arrests.
I really value your perspectives as someone who believes in Bailey's guilt. I'm sure you're in the majority. But who are you suggesting might get arrested if Bailey did it, now he's dead?
I believe Jules might be arrested, and Saffron or Fenella, or both. You have to understand I have read so much information about this case that is not in the public domain. It's what brought me to where I am now, my belief that Bailey is guilty. My introduction to this case was the documentary Murder at the cottage, and I genuinely thought it was possible Bailey was innocent, I at least gave him the benefit of the doubt then. Fenellas situation saddens me, she was fourteen at the time of the murder and for the few years previous to the murder she lived in a house filled with violence, where alcohol was abused regularly and the man who should have been a stand in father figure was a predator. This is not alleged, he wrote about it in great detail in his diaries. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult her formative years were. Her older sisters eventually away at college. On the flip side, you have Sophies family who have been fighting for justice for almost 30 years, they deserve answers. It's a very sad case.
Very intriguing.
Oh, I think I heard some controversy about this. Interesting I wonder if some of the new evidence coming out is just to quel people who are getting anxious