‘We’ll catch killer’
They said they would do their utmost to shed light on who killed the filmmaker.
The three detectives and two forensic experts from Paris visited her West Cork holiday home yesterday to examine the site where her battered body was found almost 15 years ago.
They were briefed on the case by Chief Superintendent Tom Hayes at Bandon Garda Station before they travelled to Toormore, near Schull.
They spent about 40 minutes at the site and spent several minutes examining the area around the laneway below the house where Ms du Plantier’s body was found on December 23, 1996.
They also walked around the house and took photographs before two French officers walked the route between the house and the laneway where it is believed Sophie ran in a bid to flee her attacker.
French police officer Eric Battesti, the home affairs attaché at the French embassy in London, who is liaising between the team and gardaí, said the investigators are “quite hopeful” they will uncover new evidence that will lead them to Ms du Plantier’s killer.
“Yes, we are confident. We are not quite sure of the outcome but we will do our utmost to shed light and discover the killer of Sophie Toscan du Plantier,” he said.
The team expects to spend up to 14 days in Ireland conducting inquiries, interviewing witnesses and examining forensic material.
Three French police officers — including a captain and chief inspector — will today begin interviewing the first of up to 27 witnesses who have agreed to meet them.
Mr Battesti said the French officers will examine in great detail the witness statements given to the original Garda investigators.
The team’s two forensic scientists, drawn from the Laboratoire de Police Technique et Scientifique in Paris, are expected to travel to Dublin on Sunday to examine certain exhibits relating to the case.
Mr Battesti declined to comment on what material will be examined but he said samples from the material will be sent to Paris for analysis.
“This is not a competition between the French system and the Irish system. It’s not a team playing against a team,” Mr Battesti said.
“It’s about two teams, playing together for the same purpose. We are seeking to combine our efforts, to uncover some new clues.
“The message of the French team is we are in the same boat, on the same sheet as the gardaí. We will combine our efforts, and add our strength to shed light on this murder.”
The investigation is expected to take several months. Mr Battesti paid tribute to the gardaí for their work on the case which he said has helped the French team’s inquiry.
No one has ever been charged in connection with the murder of Ms du Plantier.
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