High Court rules against Bailey request for Garda documents

The High Court has today found that it would be inappropriate to release Garda documents to Ian Bailey as part of his legal action against the State in connection with the killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

The journalist who lives in Schull, Co Cork is seeking damages, claiming unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault, battery and trespass to the person.

He requested Garda fax, phone and email records as part of his legal action for damages.

However lawyers for the State argued that it is a live case and if the information became public it would be of great assistance to Ms du Plantier's killer.

President Nicholas Kearns said it would be inappropriate to release the documents in circumstances where the French authorities have secured an order for Mr Bailey's extradition to France to face prosecution.

That case is under appeal to the Supreme Court and the application for discovery may be renewed when a final decision on the journalist's surrender is made.

Mr Bailey alleges that efforts were made by gardaí to demonise him as part of an effort to wrongly implicate him in the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a charge he denies.

He strongly suspects the media were tipped off on the two occasions of his arrest in 1997 and 1998 and he also alleges he was intimidated in custody and that a witness Marie Farrell was pressurised into identifying him as the man she had seen on the bridge shortly after the fatal assault - a claim she later withdrew.