Detective denies ‘corrupt’ practices

A former detective garda in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder investigation has said he does not believe the reason a superior officer wanted a Garda statement “chopped up” was because it might have been seen as favourable to Ian Bailey.

The statement was made by Detective Garda Liam Leahy after he interviewed Jules Thomas, Mr Bailey’s partner. Det Leahy said in his statement that he believed Ms Thomas was doing her best to recall the events of the weekend prior to the discovery of Ms du Plantier’s body on December 23, 1996.

During a recorded phone call on June 23, 1997, Sergeant Liam Hogan, then preparing the Garda file on the investigation for the DPP, told Detective Garda Jim Fitzgerald he believed Det Leahy’s statement was “very damaging to have in there... it doesn’t do himself any good...”