Gardaí To Review Sophie Toscan du Plantier Murder Case

Thursday, 30 June 2022 10:24

By Caoimhe Harney

Ian Bailey has said he hopes a cold case review will finally clear him of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

Improvements in DNA testing and new witness statements have prompted a dramatic Garda statement last night that keeps alive the prospect of a trial in the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

A review of the file formerly submitted to the DPP has found clear new avenues for investigation with the result that a full-scale reassessment will be undertaken.

Detectives have examined potential new evidence over the past year and also interviewed a number of potential witnesses, many in the wake of two high-profile documentaries on the case screened by Sky TV and Netflix.

Gardaí are about to conduct a full review of the case file, it's the third time a review of this type has been conducted in 20 years.

The development of M-Vac technology that can extract DNA lying deep in rock surfaces that cannot be detected through the ordinary swabbing technology that was in place 25 years ago, it's thought to be key to the new investigation.

Ian Bailey has said he hopes a cold case review will finally clear him of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

Mr Bailey was never charged with the murder of the French film-maker who was killed near Schull in west Cork, but was convicted in his absence in Paris.

The former journalist has said he'll co-operate with the review - and hopes it makes progress.

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