Bailey case witness claims gardaí threatened her if she withdrew statements

Marie Farrell has said gardaí threatened to prosecute her if she withdrew statements placing Ian Bailey near the scene of Sophie Toscan du Plantier's murder.

The Schull shopkeeper earlier claimed a detective investigating the killing in West Cork stripped naked and asked her for sex.

She is giving evidence in Ian Bailey's wrongful arrest action against the State.

Marie Farrell's evidence is that she believed gardaí when they told her in 1997 that they knew Ian Bailey killed French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

She said she agreed to lie and place the journalist at Kealfadda Bridge near the murder scene, however years later she withdrew what she now says were false statements.

Today, she told the court detectives had threatened that she would be charged with wasting garda time if she changed her story.

Earlier the shopkeeper told the court that a detective who had helped her make false statements against Ian Bailey on one occasion stripped naked and asked her for sex.

Her evidence continues tomorrow.