It looks like this will finally be the end of Ireland’s most high-profile murder cases. Ian Bailey was convicted by a French court for the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier in absence but his extradition to France was blocked by the Irish high court for a third time.
The Englishman has long been the main suspect in a murder that took place over 24 years ago. The case is complex partly because of the eccentric nature of Ian Bailey who turned the investigation into a conspiracy against the Gardaí (local Irish police force) who failed in their role to find the killer and put together enough evidence to bring a credible case against Mr Bailey.
Instead of leaving the tiny Cork village and moving back home, Ian Bailey dug in his heels. He continued living in the area with his partner Jules, earning a living by selling homemade goods at a local market.
The family of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier are still convinced that Mr Bailey played a role in her death. The case has gone onto to become the subject of a hugely popular podcast on Audible, called West Cork. The podcast delves into Ian Baileys background and portrays an accurate picture of what West Cork was like during that time. Going into detail on how the local Gardai were out of their depth in how they dealt with the case. They seemed adamant from day one Ian Bailey was guilty and they didn’t appear to make an effort to find other suspects.
The complex legal considerations surrounding the case found that his extradition was prevented because the law in Ireland and France dealing with crimes committed outside their territories were not the same at the time, Bailey being English and Toscan Du Plantier being French.
The West Cork podcast is an excellent place to learn more about the case in greater detail. It’s well produced, gripping and unbiased, with interviews with Bailey himself who appears to relish his bizarre celebrity infamy.