We will never get confession now says Sophie son
Bailey always avoided telling the truth
VICTIM’S SON YESTERDAY IN VIDEO STATEMENT
THE son of murdered Sophie Toscan du Plantier vowed his family will continue to fight for truth and justice, despite the death of chief suspect Ian Bailey.
However, Pierre-louis Baudey-vignaud admitted that following his death they will never hear a confession from him.
In a video statement to RTE News from France, he said Mr Bailey “always avoided telling the truth about this murder, of which beyond any reasonable doubt he knew every detail”.
Ms Toscan du Plantier was found murdered outside her west holiday home near Schull, Co Cork, on the morning of December 23, 1996.
Mr Baudey-vignaud said: “An investigation is still under way in Ireland and we are confident that with the discovery of new elements, the hearing of new witnesses and revelations of possible complicity will enable Irish police to close the case finally.”
He added Mr Bailey refused to answer questions from French investigators “entangling himself in lies and contradiction, provoking and taunting the police, the judiciary and the media”.
Mr Bailey, 66, a former journalist, was convicted in his absence of the murder by a French court in 2020 and a 25-year sentence was imposed on him.
However, the High Court in Ireland ruled he should not be extradited to France to face that jail term.
Mr Baudey-vignaud said despite the trial in France and repeated requests for his extradition “Ian Bailey remained free, never facing charges from the Irish justice system.
“Irish judicial authorities never wanted to charge him or extradite him to France in disregard of European commitments based on the principal of mutual trust between states which Ireland signed and ratified,” he said.
It comes as The French filmmaker’s uncle Jeanpierre Gazeau revealed he was “shocked” at Bailey’s death but said he had “expected it” because the Englishman was in “extremely bad health”.