Indeed....if he peered in that window on the night of the murder, now he has photographic proof to explain why his prints might be there.
Forensics probably long done and dusted by then,
I wonder how many sods of turf in that holdall?
Well yes....but did he know what they found? Was he printed at that stage?
I find it hard to see how a bottle of wine would have been missed at that crime scene. The vegetation is shredded. It`s a large piece of evidence to miss.
Neither the Guards, nor forensics did a good job. I would largely presume that the Guards were most likely totally unable to deal with murder, as murder would also be very rare in this area of Ireland back in 1996.
Also evidence went missing, like the gate and the blood on them.
It would also have made sense to understand why there was so little DNA evidence, why it wasn't collected or even presented. In the end, he was sentenced in France just on hearsay.
I also don't think that the exact scene of the crime is to date not known. Could she have been killed inside the house, the scene then cleaned up, and the body later on been dumped outside?
Also, why didn't the neighbours hear anything? It's not that the next house is that far away. A women screaming for her life would certainly be heard.
It's either frighteningly negligent or was deliberately a pretty quick search. It's almost hard to believe either explanation.
My understanding is that the bottle of wine was found some time later. It probably has no connection to the murder.
The gardai investigation and preservation of the location was very poor. Im guessing the time of year didnt help either - it being the 23rd December all wanted to be out of there asap and be at home for christmas. Their inexperience of murder investigation of course didnt help either. Proper procedures were not followed.
Well back in 1996 they would not have been looking for DNA cells, but they did appear to thoroughly look for fingerprints, blood, hair, fibers etc
All the blood on the stone, block, gate, door, hair in her hands and under her fingernails was found to be Sophie's own.
The Guards also checked the briars in the vicinity - where they believed Bailey received scratches - for hair, blood, clothes fibers... nothing was found.
Given that Bailey was supposed to have carried out this attack at night, in a frenzy with alcohol consumed... well it doesn't add up to Bailey being the killer for me, and was one of the main considerations in the DPP's assessment of the case.
Probably a silly question buf if that person was blind, how did they know what time it was?
There are those clocks for blind people where they can tell the time with their fingers.
But again, this is something the Guards should have followed up back then. If there was the possibility of a car, then there could have been the possibility of tire tracks, etc...
Also, I missed some kind of re-enactment, some re-tracing of events that evening.
How long would it have taken Bailey to walk on foot from his house to Sophie's and how long by car?
How do you suppose an expensive bottle of French wines finds itself unopened in a ditch close to where she's murdered?
Incidentally, have you ever bought a bottle of expensive wine and gone on to loose it?
Quite a while afterwards I'd say ,
gate was already gone and replaced, pier on the left and post box repaired.
I had an alarm clock where you press button and it speaks the time... I got it so could know time without having to use any light / brightness.
Possibly this person had something similar.
It could be connected.
Or there were reports of holiday homes in the area being broken into and drinks cabinets raided... could be connected to that angle.
I also think that if Ian did it, his partner Jules Thomas would have to have been an accessory of some sort, helping disposing of blood stained clothes, and knowing what had happened. It's hard to imagine Ian returning totally blood stained, and possibly wet from washing at Kealfadda bridge and hiding this from Jules and the daughters. I mean, it would have been different if Ian would have been a loner, also living alone. We also know from his partner Jules Thomas that Ian had a drinking habit and known to be violent at times towards her. So she could easily have freed herself of a violent relationship with him by talking to the Guards, but that didn't happen as well.
Just apropos of this, but as a theoretical question, how would a 'plea bargain' work in this sort of case? Could the 'accessory' approach the guards and say "I'll shop the killer and plead guilty to 'perverting the court of justice' or whatever myself if you guarantee I won't do any jail time" or would they just have to throw themselves on the mercy of the justice system and hope for the best.
The wine bottle is a red herring, it was found months later and the lane had been cleared in the early days of the investigation.
I don't know how this would have worked, as I don't fully know the legal system in this matter, but I guess this kind of 'plea bargain" could have been an option for Jules. However, I think that, let's suppose, if Jules Thomas wanted to get out of an abusive relationship or at times abusive with a man who drinks or on occasions drinks excessively, Jules could have had an option as well as a motive and reason to do exactly that, back then and there. So why and for what reason didn't she? ( Let's not forget, that she was also arrested by the Guards, but never charged... )
It's a question that still would linger today and would have to be asked and answered as well.
An article I read said he went back up with Briquettes to Alfie Lyons 4 days after the murder, whether that is the time from the photo im not sure. I can't seem to make any briquettes out in the photo.
Was it ever specified where it was found but? Most articles mention a field nearby rather than Sophies Garden.
There was skidmarks pictured outside her house in the crime scene photos, when they were placed there we don't know.
Radio or TV perhaps?
The time of year most likely contributed to the investigation too. Her body was found at 10am on the 23rd of December. The pathologist didn't come until the 24th. I would guess that many aspects of the case that are time dependant, were affected. Everything stops here for Christmas. We saw even recently, vaccines for COVID19 were delivered in Ireland Dec 2020... they didn't start rolling them out until mid january. If something like a global pandemic doesn't stop the general go-slow for christmas, a murder in west cork won't either.
We know that people's memories fade, evidence degrades, weather washes away tracks over time. The sooner you gather statements and evidence, the higher the chance it is solved.
off topic I know, but I bought my mam one of them clocks when she lost her sight and had to be registered blind, it broke my heart having to buy it for her, she needed it but hated the fact that she had to use it..
Who shot the photos, Jules? And where were they published? I have not see that photo before. i have read of it
Edit: I see one is from LE PARISIEN WEEK-END. Maybe they shot it
Re Jules, I had great sympathy for her after watching the Jim Sheridan documentary and feel she came across very vulnerable and sincere. But a brief look at her background shows her to be a far more complicated character. Of her previous partners, at least one, the father of the girls, was abusive and was jailed for making, possessing and distributing child pornography, he was still working in Schull at the time of the murder, (the local 'ring' some people refer to on social media is not a drugs 'ring').
The point is, Jules is that character who, for whatever psychological reason, bounces from one abusive relationship to another. She stayed with Bailey after he assaulted her several times.
Is she capable of keeping a guilty secret for 25 years? I don't know but I wouldn't rule it out.
According to this it is Bailey, scroll down at https://www.leparisien.fr/week-end/affaire-toscan-du-plantier-le-suspect-n-1-va-t-il-enfin-etre-juge-08-11-2017-7381737.php
The text under the photo translates to
January 1997 Ian Bailey, on the path leading to Sophie Toscan du Plantier's cottage. Journalist, he then covers the investigation for the local press.
Well this is why I'm asking about a 'plea bargain' (not even sure that's the right technical term in this case). But is she is implicated in a cover-up and runs the risk of jail time herself if she fesses up, I can fully understand why she would stick to her 'Ian is innocent" line for the rest of her days.
It may have been a favourite of Sophie`s, left at the scene by a family member of friend in the months after the murder.
Thanks, perhaps the photo is a seperate time to the briquettes story. The dates could be wrong also, but if its listed as January I think an article I read said he was up there with Briquettes around the 27th.
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