Bailey thanks people of West Cork for support

IAN BAILEY thanked the people of West Cork for consistently supporting him as he spectacularly withdrew the appeal of his failed libel action over newspaper coverage of Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s murder.

The newspapers concerned were delighted with the withdrawal of Mr Bailey’s claims and emphasised that the English journalist will not be paid any money in damages arising out his failed libel action.

Mr Bailey’s solicitor Frank Buttimer said: “Mr Bailey hopes that it will enable him and his partner to resume a more normal form of life.

“Mr Bailey is exceptionally grateful to all people, and in particular the good people of West Cork who have consistently supported him throughout these difficult years.

“He is a public persona and he never sought that. He is a regular guy in many ways like anybody else. This disaster was visited upon him without hand, act or part on his side. The last 10 years have been extremely difficult for Mr Bailey and indeed his steadfast partner, Jules Thomas.

“If you look at the issues that have occurred in the recent past, the DPP has no further interest in Mr Bailey. That is on the record.

“The family (of the deceased) have no further interest. The newspapers have given this acknowledgement. These are blocks in the wall that are beingremoved. Now he can concentrate on battles to come. We are initiating proceedings against the State,” Mr Buttimer said.

He described the withdrawal of Mr Bailey’s appeal as honourable compromise.

On the opening day of the appeal on Tuesday, Mr Bailey said the gardaí used an informer to get him to talk about the murder of Ms du Plantier on December 22/23 1996 at Toormore, Co Cork.

This person was described as getting drugs and money for trying to get Mr Bailey to talk, it was claimed bysenior counsel Tom Creed on behalf of Mr Bailey, who made no reference to this alleged episode in his direct evidence and it did not arise in cross-examination.

On Wednesday it was stated that Mr Bailey took it as a “black joke” when a news editor told him the rumour that he murdered Ms du Plantier and he responded to her at the time, “Of course I did, I needed a story.”

He also described the day that Detective Superintendent Dermot Dwyer sat down with him for two hours at his home over coffee and mince pies.

“Mr Dwyer asked me did I play poker; I said I didn’t.

“He said ‘You should. I am going to put you at Kealfadda Bridge (an area near the murder scene) in the early hours of the morning’.

“That was one of the most astonishing things I had ever heard. I told him that was absolute nonsense. He said, ‘We will see’.”

On Thursday, he denied telling teenager Malachi Reed shortly after the murder: “I went up there with a rock one night and bashed her f**king brains in.”

Mr Bailey described it differently: “He asked me how things were going. I said things were going fine until newspapers started to say I committed the murder.”

The libel appeal ended on its fourth day of a case which had been expected to last four weeks or more due to the number of witnesses to be heard and legal arguments to be made.