Sophie Toscan du Plantier's uncle 'confident' gardaí will close murder case

Despite the death of chief suspect Ian Bailey, Jean-Pierre Gazeau said he was “confident” they will be able to successfully close the case

The uncle of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (pictured), Jean-Pierre Gazeau, said Ian Bailey had spent his life “provoking and taunting the police".

The uncle of Sophie Toscan du Plantier has urged gardaí to continue their murder investigation despite the death of chief suspect Ian Bailey and said he was “confident” they will be able to successfully close the case.

Jean-Pierre Gazeau, president of the Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (ASSOPH), said Bailey had spent his life “provoking and taunting the police".

Various garda sources have said the cold case investigation into the French woman's murder will continue, despite Bailey's death, and that a file will be sent to the DPP.

Bailey, who had previously suffered heart attacks, collapsed in Bantry on Sunday afternoon and died.

The 66-year-old was convicted of the murder in 1996 of Ms du Plantier near her remote home in Schull, West Cork, in a 2019 trial in France. Bailey did not attend the trial and had no legal representation at it and described it at the time as a farce.

The Paris court imposed a 25-year-sentence, but his extradition to France was blocked by the Irish High Court in October 2020. Bailey, who was twice arrested but never charged, always denied he murdered Ms du Plantier.

In January 2022, gardaí completed a “scoping review” of the murder investigation, following requests from Bailey to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris for a cold case investigation. That June, a full cold case investigation by the Serious Crime Review Team was launched.

Jean-Pierre Gazeau's statement

In a statement by ASSOPH, Mr Gazeau said: “Throughout these years, Ian Bailey refused to answer the questions of French investigators, entangling himself in lies and contradictions.

“Provoking and taunting the police, the judiciary, and the media, Ian Bailey always avoided telling the truth about this murder, of which, beyond any reasonable doubt, he knew every detail.” 

He claimed the Irish courts never wanted to charge him or extradite him to France and alleged this was “in disregard” of EU commitments based on mutual trust between States, which Ireland signed.

Mr Gazeau said that with his death, Sophie’s family and the association will never be able to obtain a confession from Ian Bailey.

But he said: “We continue our efforts for truth and justice. 

An investigation is underway in Ireland, and we are confident that the discovery of new elements, the hearing of new witnesses, and the revelation of possible complicity will enable Irish police to close the case, 27 years after the murder. 

Mr Gazeau urged the cold case team’s investigation to continue, saying there was a strong possibility of new evidence from DNA. It is understood that some DNA material from the case could not be processed previously, but sources said there have been significant advances in technology.

It is not known if this has provided investigators with fresh evidence. Detectives would have wanted to have any and all new evidence completed before putting it to Bailey in an interview, but that had not happened before his death.

Sources said the team also had to exhaust all other lines of inquiry, including "conspiratorial theories".