This is very interesting information, another in a long list of missing or destroyed evidence from the gards on this case. Three diaries would have been vital information on what her thoughts were in the build up to her murder, who she was speaking to, if she was complaining about something or in dispute with someone?? Absolutely key information.
I highly doubt the killer went through her house in great detail afterwards to look for these & not only managed to find them but didnt leave a single piece of DNA evidence or blood after him either where he must have been covered in blood. Highly improbable, they had to be taken by the gards if what the french report says is true. And I think it is, because she seems like the type that would keep a diary, creative, artistic, documentary maker, big into her reading and writing.
This is one newspaper version ;
"Shirley Foster - the woman who found Sophie's body - remained adamant she met Ian Bailey that lunchtime as he drove up her laneway at speed.
She denied meeting Mr Bailey on the open road - as he claimed - and said he seemed in a hurry as he drove up the lane which had only three houses, including Ms du Plantier's.
Do you know the 'laneway'/boreen? She is adamant it is her laneway which is off the Dunmanus Castle - Kealfadda Bridge road/boreen. Whichever one it is, two cars have to slow to 5mph to pass. So this at speed thing gives the idea that he went past at 50mph.
Now of course Shirley would have a crystal clear recollection in spite of what she'd seen that morning since she and Alfie had had a great night's sleep, undisturbed, windows closed from 10 pm to 9am and no need for the Gardai to bring them in for questioning to ask them what they had been doing the previous day or since they were on such good terms with Sophie (regularly introducing her to their friends) whether they had seen her in the last few days, asked her in for a cuppa and a catch up.
Leo Bolger witnessed Alfie introducing Sophie to Ian, he said they spoke for a 'few minutes' ,which Alfie was only 80-90% sure of. But surely you'd remember something, Ian is a bit of talker and in those days may have been handsome. Wouldn't he have practised a bit of french or recited a bit of poetry or did they stand around in silence looking at each other for a few minutes. Why didn't Garda Fitzgerald bang his fist on the table with Alfie?
Shirley was on her way out to do some last minute shopping when she found the body, so the car was already in the middle of the crime scene .
Sometime after 2 pm ,rightly or wrongly, she was allowed to carry on with her mission driving her car into town.
She met Bailey driving Jule's car in the cul-de-sac on his way to the scene and told him there was a garda roadblock ahead.
He said he was going to the scene as a reporter about his business .
The "lunchtime" in Bamboozle's link was either lazy journalism, or meant to create the impression Bailey was at the scene earlier than 2:30.
The idea that 2 cars could not pass each other in the cul-de-sac or that Shirley was walking is just nonsense.
Bailey's version of the meeting is at odds with Shirley's.
He said he was on his way to Toormore post office and met Shirley on the road before the turn into the cul-de-sac (quite a detour for him)
and asked her if she knew what was going on.
Whether Shirley was allowed to drive back through the scene ,I don't know.
If you've got access to the crime scene photos, you will see the mess it was in while the body was still uncovered by the gate.
tyre marks all over the place and a white estate car backing right up to the gate near the prone body.
The management of the crime scene was atrocious .
You are probably right - she was going out to do what she originally meant to do that morning. After finding a body though I dont think I would have been able to drive let alone do the last minute christmas bits - I would be in shock - I think most people would. She could have asked friends to get what she needed and drop it with the gardai at the end of the lane - Im sure they would have obliged. I do find it odd though that she was allowed pass through the scene so soon after the murder. Also at that stage Shirley and Alfie should have been regarded as suspects.
There is probably an easy explanation for that, like getting basic food supplies, possibly for Christmas. The thing is, the houses are so remote, one needs a car to do basic shopping.
Where was Shirley going and why would she have wanted to leave the house after the shock of discovering a murder victim near her house that morning. I would imagine if I had just found a body I would be pretty shook up and would want to stay at home. I find it odd that she was allowed to pass through the murder scene by the gardai so soon after the murder - the scene should have been sealed off. Surely gardai would have wanted to speak to Alfie and Shirley about Sophie that day - which should'nt have been a quick chat ( which if she was out and about by lunchtime - it was a very quick chat ). Very odd that Shirley discovered the body of her neighbour and then seemed to go about her normal day.
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/french-police-seek-role-in-sophie-murder-probe-26196431.html
Nice theory but the entire house was fingerprinted
I'd say the killer quite possibly went through her house in great detail, taking and removing anything pointing to the motive of the murder. Thus the police didn't find anything.
Suggests whoever took them had working knowledge of the possessions of the house or they were taken with the investigation and hidden.
Interesting website, has some interesting documents from the murder trial in france if you snoop about it.
https://assoph.org/assoph.org/15_offences.html
Some interesting tidbits from that 15 offences page:
1)The almost total inertia of French police and judicial systems in the first hours after the discovery of the body till the end of 2007: A complete absence of actions usually taken (sequestration, call records, personal computer...) since the discovery of an offence, no matter where it is perpetrated.
Says here the French police did nothing until 2007.
3)The total absence of official information to the family by the Irish authorities for more than 12 years.
Irish authorities didn't give any official information to the family for a long time.
10) The loss of the 3 diaries (95-96-97) that Sophie had brought with her to Ireland.
This is a piece of interesting info I've never known before, it says 3 of her diaries that she brought with her were missing from the house.
The domestic violence used against Jules Thomas is a well used rod to beat Bailey with..
And there can be no excuse for it, not in any circumstances or settings.
Why would Jules stay with him after the assaults (at least three, probably five)?
Her former Husband was also 'tarnished' shall we say...
So after several beatings, what did she see in Bailey that allowed her to forgive him..? No woman I know would have tolerated him after the first assault?
She's been in a relationship with him for around 30yrs (correct me if I'm wrong here), she must have seen some good in him to persevere for so long?
As previously stated by many other posters - She could have made life easier for herself and cut the dogs loose on Bailey, she had the perfect opportunity to free herself from him for the rest of her life..
She didn't..?
Instead she stood with him, supported him, campaigned for his innocence for every round.. Even to the point of her being vilified among the community.
Whatever Bailey has done to her over the years, she is still prepared to fight tooth and nail to defend him from the allegation of Murder. And to this day, vehemently states 'I know him, he did not do this'.
Her support is unwavering. Strikes me as odd, considering the abuse she's took over the years.
She would know him better that anybody else wouldn't she???
"To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game"
Bob 'the weirdo' Dylan
Jesus that's a fairly awful read. The poor woman. She's a decent artist too by all accounts. Her life absolutely destroyed.
Old typewriter not a word processor or something with a time record or memory?
Which? I'd believe my own eyes although the maps app is very good
"crowbar onto the discussion". Try 'shoehorn into' the discussion. People seem to get a right laugh out of it. You'll be proud
Which would you believe?
"She denied meeting Mr Bailey on the open road - as he claimed - and said he seemed in a hurry as he drove up the lane which had only three houses, including Ms du Plantier's."
The point is that you can find it on gurgle maps if you don't know the road, there isn't enough room for 2 cars to pass until you do the courteous thing of pulling over, flashing to say come on, and then the other car flashes and says no you come on, and then you're like Mrs. Doyle saying no I'll pay......, you get the drift. Was Shirley walking? Where? Just out on a stroll after only finding a dead body a few hours previously and along comes that boll*x Bailey and nearly knocks her off the road. The cheek
Faxed, I believe. There's records of this.
That article says lunchtime,
that meeting was widely reported.
Bailey said they met on the Kealfada road (nowL8413), but Shirley was adamant she met him half way up the cul-de-sac.
What conversation they had when they met is also contradictory.
That's a new one on me, I thought the whole point was that they're quite placid. What did you do to the poor sheep?
"Shirley Foster - the woman who found Sophie's body - remained adamant she met Ian Bailey that lunchtime as he drove up her laneway at speed." Ralp Riegel 17/12/03 Independent.ie
Now I'm not sure about Jules, maybe Ian had put her in the boot. I'm a little curious about what Shirley says as she would appear to be suggesting that she was walking, since 2 cyclists would have to be careful when passing on this boreen.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bailey-confessed-that-he-killed-sophie-at-home-25918997.html
There was no laptop. The article was hand written (in the kitchen of Jules' house apparently), typed up on a typewriter in the studio and eventually dictated on the phone to the newspaper.
I feel like I'm being attacked by a very angry sheep. No point trying to reason with it, best just to keep walking and hope it gets distracted.
"she was also able to place Jules and Ian at the scene of the crime much earlier than they said they arrived there".
That's interesting, I didn't know that,
what time did Shirley have them at the scene?
I can't seem to be able to find anything on that story.
It happens quite a lot. You're following some "in fairness" merchant until you realise that they're allocating a little too much fairness to the side of an argument that simply doesn't merit it. That should be enough for you since you're switched on
You genuinely don't seem to understand where I'm coming from on this issue, and that's ok.
But it's a crying shame that this pre prepared rant you have been trying so hard to crowbar onto the discussion here all day is completely wasted on me.
"How that effects someone I honestly could not begin to imagine." maybe English isn't your first language
You need to educate yourself a bit
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