Du Plantier case police to carry out DNA tests
Two teams of French investigators, including three police interviewers, two forensic scientists and one police supervisor, will also interview up to 30 people when they arrive in 10 days.
One team will travel to Dublin, where they will be given access to material and bloodstained clothing gathered at the murder scene nearly 15 years ago, something long sought by the French.
They will conduct DNA tests on the clothing using the LCN or low-copy number method. This was developed in 1999 and has rarely been used in Irish criminal cases, but is more established in France. It was used on the body of Ms du Plantier when it was exhumed for the third time in 2008.
A second team will travel to Cork where witnesses are to be interviewed.
Alain Spilliaert, the Paris-based lawyer for the du Plantier family, said: “For the family this is very important because they have waited for this moment a long, long time.”
The arrival of the police on October 3 is the latest step in the French drive to find the killer of the mother of one who was beaten to death at her Schull holiday home in December 1996. The case, led by investigative magistrate judge Patrick Gachon, gained momentum in 2008 after the DPP accepted the killer would never be brought to justice in Ireland.
A senior source within the team said 27 people have confirmed they will definitely keep their appointments to be interviewed. A further three people are still considering their responses.
The teams expect to be in Ireland until October 8 at least and each of the Cork interviews will be supervised by gardaí.
The chances of a fresh forensic breakthrough are “tiny”, according to the senior source from the investigating team, but Mr Spilliaert said it is important that the methods used by gardaí and the state pathologist in 1996 are examined.
“Frankly, it has always been a mystery why DNA didn’t reveal something at the time, because Sophie defended herself. The people who are coming there are some of the top experts from Paris.”
Separately, the self-confessed prime suspect in the case, Ian Bailey, who is fighting extradition to France as ordered by the High Court in March, will not be one of those interviewed by the French team.
The state’s case for Mr Bailey’s appeal to the Supreme Court is taking some time to prepare and a date for the hearing has not been set.
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