Ian Bailey ‘knew about evidence in Sophie murder case before it became public’

Ian Bailey arriving at the district court in Bandon, Co Cork with his solicitor Frank Buttimer in 2006. A new book by journalist Senan Molony claims that Bailey tried to pin the blame for Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s murder on a man in east Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Ian Bailey tried to pin the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier on a man charged in East Cork in connection with the possession of two hatchets — two weeks before it was known that such a weapon was missing from the Frenchwoman’s home.

The claim is contained in a new book on the murder by journalist Senan Molony, Sophie: The Final Verdict.