Mick Clifford: That Ian Bailey has not faced murder charge in Ireland shows our justice system is robust

That Ian Bailey has never been charged in Ireland with the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier is a vindication of how we prosecute crime in this country and of the independence of institutions that underpin our democracy

Jim Sheridan and Ian Bailey.

Last Sunday, Murder At The Cottage - The Search For Justice For Sophie debuted on Sky TV. The series does as it says on the tin, examines the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in west Cork in 1996 and its aftermath. It is well put together, well shot, engaging and, in places, riveting. Made by award winning film maker Jim Sheridan, you might expect no less.

Sheridan is also front and centre on screen, at times ambling around west Cork as a latter-day Columbo-type figure, working it all out beneath a shambling veneer of faux confusion. He is, you are invited to conclude, searching for justice for Sophie, going where dozens of police from two jurisdictions went before, picking up the clues that they may have missed, filtering the case through his own personal lens which could solve the mystery. In the end, well, let’s not spoil it.