Bailey: I did not tell teenager I killed du Plantier

JOURNALIST Ian Bailey denied telling a teenager shortly after the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier: “I went up there with a rock one night and bashed her f***king brains in.”

Mr Bailey denied yesterday that he said that to Malachi Reed, who was 14 at the time. Describing a conversation he had with the teenager to whom he gave a lift, he recalled: “He asked me how things were going. I said, things were going fine until newspapers started to say I committed the murder.”

Ian Bailey admitted yesterday that he assaulted his partner Jules Thomas three times — once because she elbowed him in a single bed which they were sharing.

Tom Creed senior counsel led Mr Bailey through the three assaults as he told Mr Justice Brian McGovern he was keen to present a picture of the plaintiff, “warts and all”.

He assaulted her in 1993. “We were staying in Cork, sleeping in a single bed. Because we were in such confined space her elbow caught my nose, I had a nose bleed.

“I pushed her out of the bed. She injured herself, it was more shock than injury,” he said, accepting that his behaviour was appalling.

Mr Bailey assaulted her again in 1996.

“We were in the car driving back from a party. She was driving. I took over the driving. She tried to grab me. I forced her away. I hurt her mouth and hurt her eye,” he said.

After that assault, Ms Thomas obtained a protection order against Mr Bailey and he moved away for a time.

“It was shameful behaviour. I did have drink taken. I am ashamed of it, I live with that shame,” he said.

The third assault in 2001 resulted in Mr Bailey being prosecuted and convicted of the offence.

“On a Saturday night in August, I was asleep on the couch. My Achilles tendon was severed playing tennis. I was in plaster. The pain was absolutely unreal. I woke to hear Jules shouting ‘Find somewhere else to sleep.’ I was angry. I had a crutch behind the couch. I reached for it.

“She grabbed the crutch which didn’t help,” he said. “With what did you hurt her?” Mr Creed asked. “I think it was with the crutch,” Mr Bailey said. “How many times did you hit her with the crutch?” Mr Creed asked.

“I am prepared to accept she was struck with the crutch. My leg was in plaster. I was just trying to get out of the situation and into another room,” he said. Asked if she had a black eye after that he said she might have had. He said that Jules Thomas complained to the gardaí following that assault because she was under pressure to do so from Detective Garda Bart O’Leary.