The Bantry Garda theory is as relevant and circumstantial as the Ian Bailey theory. The gards are already badly damaged by this case, can you imagine if one of their own had killed her & then some members covered up for him. It would be a scandal of the likes we havent seen before in this country. There's a lot at stake here especially if the perpetrator is a Gard.
Why is the Garda theory relevant, well, lets look at this
The list goes on and on. Imo, alot more evidence points to a garda coverup involving one of their own than it ever did Bailey. And for anyone thinking this is unlikely, look at the numerous scandals they have been involved in over the years. The kerry babies scandal, implicating Maurice McCabe as a pedophile just because he was a whistleblower in the force, the resignation of the last two garda commissioners involving corruption, the penalty points scandal, the list goes on and on.
People need to open their eyes here especially with this case and not be listening to certain posters who have a clear agenda & are trying to obviously deflect away from the distinct possibility that one of their own is most likely involved.
I'm sure anybody staring the rest of their lives in prison wood deem all aspects of the their respective case relevant.
Another explanation is that she was terrified to be the witness who identified the person who seems to have crushed another woman’s head with a rock. It’s possible she made up the story about a man being in the car as an excuse to stay anonymous. Maybe she was having an affair but was on the way home from the man’s house on her own? She couldn’t really drag a man into it when he was probably at home snoring at the time.
They're clearly much more likely to be poor attempts at humour than confessions. You're basically saying a man who is intelligent enough to get away with a horrific murder is actually stupid enough to confess to people not particularly close to him.
Ritchie and Rosie Shelley also went to the pub with him the next day and only left the house that night because they weren't happy with sleeping arrangements. Ritchie Shelley also didn't go to the police, they went to him.
No relevance? They were his legal right, as were all the French files.
How would you explain IB agreeing the conversations took place? Richie and Rosie Shelley for example, Bailey said he was repeating what the Gardai had ‘brainwashed’ him with. The witnesses said he was crying, put his arms around Richie and was repeating ‘I did it, I did it, I did it’ when Richie asked him what he was talking about he said ‘I went too far’. They were in the process of leaving after becoming uncomfortable with Bailey going through all his press clippings and discussions the case.
Bailey later said he said ‘they are saying I did it, I did it’.
Neither of the two witnesses agreed that is what he said or meant.
Malachi Reed said he asked IB how things were going and he replied with words to the effect of ‘it was going fine until I went up there and bashed her head in with a rock’. Bailey said he said something like ‘things were going fine until they said I went up there with a rock and bashed her head in with a rock’.
Do you think the gardai somehow planned these conversations in advance? How does that work? The witness approached the gardai because they were concerned about what they had heard, the gardai did not approach them.
The doc Martin theory is í believe based on the pathology report which I believe suggested it could have been, but also could have been from the block being dragged across her neck.
Not certain now, just heard that from a source.
It has no relevance to him at all.
It's local speculation. Unless a cover up is actually exposed, this is unlikely to be proven. It's quite possibly the connection, but I'm pretty sure he can't at this point prove it (and therefore tweeting it wasn't the best idea)
The Virgin Media interview is on again tonight at 11.
Bailey was able to see all statements relevant to his arrest - Its called disclosure.
The Gards will have been bound to hand over what ever they had on him to his Solicitor(s)
There is in fact, an entire witness statement by Martin O Sullivan. There were earlier statements, since "lost" where he apparently gave more detail, but the one in I think 2001 is what is out there.
To see people on this thread earlier actually contest this witness was crazy. Some have apparently never heard of it. It was NEVER chased up, likely because it doesn't fit the night time narrative the Gardaí clung to, and likely because the owner of this (let's just speculate but not really) unmarked garda car was well known to them, and it must be said, lots of locals.
Spend some time searching other forums, and listen to what local people have to say. This "theory" is actually an open secret in west cork and I just hope to God people finally start talking and it will come to light.
There. I said it.
Because thats the only way he could know that?
Nonsense.
Maybe Sophie told him
On twitter.
How would Bailey know that? According to him he didn`t even know Sophie.
Where/when did Bailey say that?
These are also all very good questions which should have been investigated back then. However I know that a Fiesta was really common to have back then, but it could narrow down the suspects as well. I didn't know that Sophie had a Doc Marten boot imprint on her neck? Also something which should have been followed up on.
Bailey has said he was the cop dealing with Sophie regarding her complaints about drugs being grown or smuggled nearby. So there's a connection there.
The blue fiesta was worthy of further investigation, although I'm lukewarm on the "Bantry Garda" theory. ( because, other than gossip, there's nothing to implicate him)
What is interesting though is the imprint of a Doc Marten boot on her neck.
😁😁
Would be like a stress test for the machine
I don't really agree with that. I couldn't see this was just the result of an argument getting out of hand, over whatever subject they argued about. I think the murderer went there with intent to murder. However, I also don't think that the planning of the murder was planned long ahead. Firing a gun could be heard by neighbours, especially if a silencer wasn't used, using a knife would bear the risk that she starts screaming, strangulation is probably too complicated at night, plus hard to do unexpected for the victim. Bashing her head in would have come totally unexpected to Sophy plus she would have been unconscious and quiet from the beginning.
Focusing on the Blue Fiesta for a moment -
It's easy to conclude that the driver may have been in a heightened state of panic, fleeing the scene as quickly as possible.
Alternatively, the driver may have been calm and simply driving as fast as possible so as not to be suspiciously late arriving home, or indeed, work.
Perhaps the witness could expand further on the competency of the driving.
What direction was the car travelling? Who might be required to work the next morning?
Could the gate have been opened for the Blue Fiesta?
How long did it take for things to escalate?
Was wine found close to a field's entrance gate, where a car could have been parked?
Yes, this person, if he did, indeed, exist at all, would be a critically important witness.
That’s assuming that the person who murdered Sophie went there with the intention of murdering her, I think that is unlikely.
Not "forced" but you'd think they'd be able to do a bit of digging and at least get a list of potential candidates pretty quickly.
She had associates and friends surely.
At the end of the day there's a key witness, possibly even a suspect, that the gardai didn't seem to try and identify.
They should have done everything they could to find out who this person was.
Instead they had tunnel vision regarding Bailey.
Theres really two scenarios here. First is that there never ever was a 2nd individual in the car. Second is that for all those years there's been someone out there who was in the area at the time and they were never found and never came forward despite gardai knowing that this person existed.
Seems like you are saying that it's hypocritical to moan that gardai forced MF to lie about IB and then demand that they force her to reveal this mystery person's identity.
That might be the case but it doesn't change the fact that this person should have been identified somehow. To allow them to remain anonymous and hidden is completely insane.
MF gets dropped off by this person but he gets lost trying to find his way home. Tries to get directions from a local cottage and something goes wrong.
What if she had named someone with a documented violent past or someone who's wife testifies that he came straight home and washed all his clothes and sold the car asap.
The difference between solving and not solving the case could have been the identity of that person.
I`m not necessarily saying he drove there. However, the location is very secluded. The chance of somebody driving up Sophie`s road at that time of night and spotting his car would be almost nil. It would be likely that he had blood on his shoes and probably blood on his outer garments, although not certain. It would all depend on how incapacitated she was after the initial blow to her head and if she ran away after that. But let`s say he had blood on his shoes and clothes and had the cop on to understand the consequences of contaminating the car. He had options. Walk to where there was water and clean up. Alternatively, take off the shoes and pants, wrap them up in the coat and drive home. He bought bleach the next day and had his bonfire on the 26th. There were shoes or boots burned in the bonfire.
If Bailey would have been the murderer he would have walked. The chances of his car getting recognized and then having blood all over inside the car, was simply too risky.
If it was the French hitman or the bent Guard, I'd say they would have arrived in either a rented or private car.
Who knows? Just because it's the middle of nowhere doesn't mean someone can't pay by.
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