Ex-garda denies that he asked for sex

A former detective garda involved in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder investigation has told the High Court he “totally refutes” claims by Marie Farrell he stripped naked in a holiday home and asked her for sex.

Jim Fitzgerald, now retired, also rejected suggestions he was a general “Jim’ll fix it” for Ms Farrell who had “fixed up” a range of matters for her and her family. In evidence during the civil action by journalist Ian Bailey over the investigation, Mr Fitzgerald yesterday said he was never in the holiday home where Ms Farrell alleged he was naked and he did not know where it was.

If Ms Farrell had given any details of precisely when this was supposed to have happened, he was sure he could produce detailed refutation, he said. The first time he heard this allegation was in court and he had never been in such a situation as that described by Ms Farrell, he told Paul O’Higgins SC, for the State.