The passing of former journalist Ian Bailey earlier this year marked the end of his potential involvement in assisting the gardaí with their investigation of a murder that had occurred in west Cork 27 years ago. The victim was Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a Frenchwoman visiting the area, and Bailey had been the sole and main suspect in this case for years.
Bailey was previously arrested twice by the gardaí to be questioned about the murder, but was never charged until 2019 when he was tried and convicted in absentia in France and sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. The murder of Toscan du Plantier took place two days before Christmas in 1996 at her holiday home near Schull.
Her violent death was one among 19 women who suffered a similar fate in Ireland in the year 1996, an unsettling average of one woman every 19 days. Her case has been scrutinised through numerous books, television shows across RTÉ, Sky, and Netflix, and three podcasts dedicated to true crime events. The first book that has considered the case since Bailey’s death was published after he collapsed and died on Barrack Street, Bantry, at the age of 66, thereby evading prosecution in Ireland and extradition to France.
One of the first reporters to arrive on scene in west Cork following the discovery of Toscan du Plantier’s brutalized corpse was Senan Molony, dispatched by a national news outlet. He was initially captivated by the local ‘fixer’ hired by his newspaper, the Star. This was none other than Bailey, an English expatriate residing in the neighbouring town, who later appeared to possess more knowledge about the crime than the gardaí, with a previous history of assaulting women.
Molony has stated that there is a surplus of evidence implicating Bailey and advocating for his prosecution. For the past 30 years, Molony’s career has been deeply affected by this case. He wasn’t able to fully narrate his experience and involvement due to Ireland’s defamation laws that often belay the actions of many criminals.
Ex-prime minister Micheál Martin has labelled the murder of Toscan du Plantier as a significant blemish on our nation. While this account doesn’t claim to offer the ultimate conclusion on Bailey or her, it serves as an encompassing and persuasive compilation of circumstantial evidence related to her homicide. Ray Burke was once at the helm of the news department at RTÉ.