Gardaí ordered to return Bailey’s personal items

A COURT application by Ian Bailey, a self-confessed suspect in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier killing, to have gardaí return personal items seized from him during the investigation took an unexpected turn yesterday.

English-born Mr Bailey has been seeking the return of 150 items, including clothing, footwear, photographs and diaries, which had been seized from him, following the 1986 murder of Ms du Plantier at her holiday home in West Cork.

At a special midweek sitting of Bandon District Court, last Wednesday it had been indicated to Mr Bailey’s solicitor, Frank Buttimer, that gardaí investigating the killing were willing to return the belongings.