The Irish Mail on Sunday

Ian Bailey: I’ll swear an aff idavit for Jules’s case

His ex is suing Netf lix over her portrayal in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier crime series

- By Niamh Walsh

IAN BAILEY has vowed to support his ex Jules Thomas in her legal action against Netflix.

It’s been reported she is suing over her portrayal in the series, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork, about the 1996 killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 39.

‘I sent her a text saying that if she needed an affidavit, I am happy to give her that,’ said Bailey, who has repeatedly denied any involvemen­t in the filmmaker’s death.

IAN BAILEY has pledged to support his former partner Jules Thomas in her legal action against streaming giants Netflix.

Mr Bailey, who is not party to the legal proceeding­s, yesterday said he had made contact with his ex to offer any support she needs.

‘That’s funny you called – I have just sent her a text this very morning,’ Mr Bailey told the Irish Mail on Sunday.

‘If she needs anything from me, she’ll get it’

‘First of all, I have the greatest of respect for Jules. I think she’s amazing and terrific. I sent her a text saying that if, in her legal action, she needed an affidavit from me to support her action, I am perfectly happy to give her that.

‘If she needs my support or needs anything from me, she will get it.’

This week it was reported that Ms Thomas, a landscape artist who lives in Schull, Co Cork, is suing Netflix over her portrayal in the series, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork, which began streaming last year. She is also suing the production company and the writer-director behind the documentar­y.

The body of the French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, 39, was found at the gate of her remote home near Schull on Christmas Eve 1996 after she was brutally bludgeoned to death.

Mr Bailey, who still lives in West Cork, said he has not yet received a response from Jules regarding his offer to act on her behalf.

But while he is prepared to step back inside a courtroom to support his former partner, the former journalist says has no intention to involve himself in any personal litigation, saying: ‘I’ve taken too many legal actions in the past. My life has been consumed by legal actions. My plan is to get on with things.’

Mr Bailey has repeatedly denied any involvemen­t in Ms Toscan du Plantier’s death. He was convicted of the murder in his absence by a court in France in 2019, but he has dismissed the case as a show trial designed to find him guilty.

In 2020, the High Court ruled Mr Bailey could not be extradited to France. It was the third time French authoritie­s had tried, and failed, to have him extradited.

 ?? ?? FORMER PARTNERS: Ian Bailey and Jules Thomas at Four Courts in 2016
FORMER PARTNERS: Ian Bailey and Jules Thomas at Four Courts in 2016
 ?? ?? NETFLIX HIT: Sophie documentar­y
NETFLIX HIT: Sophie documentar­y

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