Ian Bailey: I had given up smoking and drinking to prepare for heart surgery
Final revelations from the murder suspect a month before his death
IAN Bailey had given up alcohol and smoking in a last-ditch effort to save his life, he said during his final interview.
The former journalist, who would have turned 67 on Saturday, said on December 19 – almost exactly a month before he died – that he had ‘high hopes’ for this year.
He had made drastic changes to his lifestyle in order to continue campaigning to clear his name, which will be forever linked to the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier, for which he was the chief suspect.
However, Bailey, who suffered two heart attacks last year, acknowledged he was still very ill, but said he was hoping he would be fit enough to undergo a major operation in the spring.
‘I’m 67 next month and I’m getting older,’ he said. ‘The thing is that I had a double heart attack a while ago and I’m still undergoing medical attention and treatment.
‘My heart is quite severely damaged and I’m taking tablets and following instructions. I have stopped smoking and drinking.
‘I will also probably have to undergo bypass surgery in the New Year.’
Asked if he would ever be exonerated, Bailey replied: ‘My prayer has always been that it will [be proved] that I had nothing to do with this crime. All I have is hopes, dreams and aspirations. I hope that the truth will come out and the true identity of the murderer could be established.
‘As we know, there was alien DNA found on the victim’s clothing… It wasn’t mine.’
He continued: ‘I gave hair samples to the gardaí prior to my first arrest and when I was arrested, I gave a blood sample because I had nothing got to do with it.’
Asked if he was ever tempted to leave West Cork, Bailey replied: ‘Not at all.
‘We have a thing called fight or flight – a chemical reaction within us. I’m a fighter.
‘I’m lucky that I have my own creativity and I practise meditation. I’m a Christian and I forgive those who trespass against me and I think that’s what’s allowed me to persevere for over a quarter of a century.’
He added: ‘I fell in love with West Cork, the people and culture and I get a lot of support and my longterm solicitor [Frank Buttimer]. He’s been hugely brilliant.’
Bailey said that he remained sympathetic to the family of Ms Toscan du Plantier, who adamantly believe he was responsible for the 39-year-old’s death.
He said: ‘For 27 years my life has been seriously damaged by a false accusation. I’m still sympathetic to her family who believe I had something to do with it, and I can’t change that.
‘There’s a cold-case review going on, which I called for when I wrote a letter to Drew Harris. I can only hope and pray that this will ultimately prove I had nothing to do with what happened. ‘
Bailey said he was indifferent to the Christmas holidays, but fondly recalled the work they gave him as a freelance journalist.
He said: ‘I used to like Christmas as a freelance journalist because I got a lot of extra work, because newspapers are short of copy.
‘When I was freelancing in my prime, I used to be able to come up with stories.’
In a previous conversation with the Irish Daily Mail, Mr Bailey was asked if he would consider doing a tell-all interview to be published only after his death.
However, he declined on the basis that he would ‘never actually see’ the article in print.
On Friday, Garda detectives conducted a search – under warrant – at the flat in Bantry, Co. Cork, where Bailey had been living at the time of his death.
A large quantity of items were seized, including a laptop, memory sticks and notebooks, along with personal items from which a DNA profile could be built.
The search was carried out by local detectives and officers from the Serious Crime Review Team, who are conducting the cold-case review of the original investigation into the murder.
The items taken will be further examined to establish if they can be of evidential value.
In a statement, a Garda spokes
‘My heart is quite severely damaged’ ‘Gardaí conducted a search’
man said last week: ‘As part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996, gardaí conducted a search under warrant of a residential property in Bantry, Co. Cork.’
The spokesman added: ‘As this is an ongoing investigation, An Garda Síochána will not be commenting further at this time.’
Ms Toscan du Plantier was found dead outside her home near Schull, Co. Cork, in the early hours of December 23, 1996.
Bailey was arrested twice by gardaí investigating her death, but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided no charge was to be brought to him in relation to her murder.
However, he was convicted of the murder in his absence by a French court in 2020. A 25-year sentence was imposed on him, but the High Court in Ireland ruled he should not be extradited to France to face that jail term.