SO WHO DID KILL SOPHIE?

A gripping new documentary series made by Jim Sheridan delves into the Schull murder that has baffled detectives for 25 years

The unsolved murder of French documentary-maker Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996 is a story which continues to not only haunt West Cork, but has also been at the centre of a legal battle in the European courts.

It’s a tale of inept policing, prejudice and suspicion of outsiders. At its heart is a family who have never seen justice, and Ian Bailey, who’s been accused of killing Sophie for more than two decades. It is no surprise that this case is under the spotlight again not only this week in Sky’s Murder At The

Cottage, but also in an upcoming Netflix documentary.

Beautiful Parisian Sophie, 39, was the third wife of French director Daniel Toscan du Plantier. He bought her a cottage in Schull in 1993. She would visit throughout the year, either alone or with her teenage son, Pierre-Louis. One year she brought a lover.

On the morning of 23 December 1996 her body was found by a neighbour outside her house. Her skull had been crushed by a large stone which was lying beside her. It was West Cork’s first murder case in a generation and the coroner could not get there until the next day; for 24 hours her body lay in situ.

Gardaí focused on Bailey, who lived locally with his girlfriend Jules Thomas. He was the village eccentric, a journalist who seemed to know details of the murder before they were released. One local said he had scratches on his hand and face while it was claimed a man fitting his description was seen washing his boots nearby at 3am. Bailey had an answer for the allegations and maintains his innocence. But by French law, their authorities can act in cases involving their citizens, and in 2019 a French judge found Bailey guilty of the murder and sentenced him to 25 years, though he was absent. Since then, the courts have been battling over his extradition. The five-part Sky documentary has been made by Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan. He became interested in the story after seeing Ian in a court. ‘I don’t know if he’s been unjustly accused,’ he says. ‘This story is either about a murderer walking freely or a man who has had his life turned over for two decades for no reason.’

– Nicole Lampert Murder At The Cottage: The Search For Justice For Sophie, tonight, 9pm, Sky Crime and Now.