Judge says jury have two key issues to decide in Bailey case

A verdict is expected on Monday in the long-running civil action for damages by Ian Bailey over the conduct of the Garda investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

Mr Justice John Hedigan yesterday told the High Court jury they have to decide two key issues on the balance of probabilities.

The first is whether three gardaí — Det Garda Jim Fitzgerald, Det Garda Jim Slattery and Garda Kevin Kelleher, or any combination of them — conspired together to implicate Mr Bailey in the murder of Ms du Plantier by obtaining statements from Marie Farrell, by threats, inducement or intimidation, which purportedly identified him as the man she saw near the scene of the murder at Kealfada Bridge in the early hours of the morning of December 23, 1996, when they knew they were false.