Thomas to hand over medical records

Ian Bailey’s partner Jules Thomas has to hand over all medical records spanning a 20-year period as part of her action over alleged wrongful arrest against the State, a judge has ruled.

Mr Justice John Hedigan yesterday directed the medical records, including GP and hospital records, should be handed over to the legal team for the Garda commissioner and the State.

Ms Thomas initiated proceedings in 2007 seeking damages against the Garda commissioner and State arising from the investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork in late 1996. Her claim was brought on grounds including alleged wrongful arrest and false imprisonment on dates in 1997 and 2000.

Ms Thomas, the High Court heard this week, has already indicated she was willing to give certain GP, counselling, and psychiatric notes and records, but the State had applied for all records from 1993.

Giving his ruling, Mr Justice Hedigan said it was in everybody’s interest to get the case before the High Court as soon as possible. The judge gave the Thomas side eight weeks to produce the records. The case will be before the court in June.

Ms Thomas previously sought to be permitted amend her claim to make additional claims concerning her psychological capacity to instruct lawyers before 2007.

In a report previously read in court, a psychiatrist who assessed Ms Thomas said he believed she has been affected by depressive illness from 1996 until at least 2011, which was likely to have caused an impediment in her mental state, affecting her ability to instruct lawyers. He said she was subject to “massively stressful” circumstances.

On foot of this, the State side applied to the court for an order requiring Ms Thomas to hand over all doctor notes from the 1990s to the present date

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