Old thread seems to be permanently locked. It will be interesting if anything can come of this at last.
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Shirley Foster must have been eager to get away from West Cork, this story has dominated her life for so long…
I believe Shirley lives in England now.
Does Shirley still live in the area?
Shirley sold it a couple of years ago, shortly after Alfie died for around 250k I believe. The shed had changed hands around 2016 I think.
It seems to have had a lot of work done on it since it was for sale last.
Is it being sold by a new owner or is Shirley still trying to sell it?
Alfie and Shirley's house back up for sale 425k.
Minus the shed;
I've wondered if the block and over the top destruction was a distraction from the immediate cause of death and perhaps the exact location? I mean was the blood spread around to lead to a certain conclusion. Were all surrounding buildings in the area searched at the time?
Or maybe the person who killed Sophie told Jules?
Or that the details of the murder scene were already local gossip.
I'd say that we would have been made aware by now that Jules knew details of the murder scene that had not been released to the public.
It's more likely local gossip.
Some time later after she allegedly told other of the injuries inflicted on Sophie.
Again, this is nearly 30yrs ago.. People's time line may have dimmed with exact regards to dates and times.
"Jools told others of the horrific injuries to Sophies head before the details were released"
When were the details of her injuries released, do you know?
I think you mean Jules not Jools ?
People always talk in small villages and rural communities. I would doubt if even half of this is true what is talked about....
If Jules knew something, she must have heard it from somebody else, that is unless she committed the murder, but in that case, I doubt very much that she would speak about those details. Having said that, she doesn't have any motive, none that I could think of.
So, Bailey has been served his eviction papers, apparently his landlord wishes to sell the residence Bailey has been occupying.
His Twitter account is infested with Trolls, why he doesn't use his block button is a mystery to me...
The general overview of his tormentors is that he was caught 'defacating' in a lacal business and urinating in a cup elsewhere.. (charming you will agree?)
If the posts are to be believed, where ever Bailey finds an address, there will be petitions generated to move him along..
A lot of posters are suggesting that Sheridan and Jools are more than good friends, recent pictures of them may support this theory.
Furthermore, there is mounting speculation that Jools told others of the horrific injuries to Sophies head before the details were released, therefore hinting that she may have seen or heard about them in advance the general media.
Weird stuff.....
It just doesn't only look that it was poor and ineffective policing, but it was clearly corrupt policing. Offering drugs to get close to Bailey or coercing a witness is a bit strong, not to mention the Bandon Garda tapes.
Proof is needed beyond reasonable doubt to get a conviction for murder. Garda never had that, and neither did the French.
Apparently during the cold case review there were conversations with a few people in Ireland as well as in France. To date no results were delivered, and I doubt it ever will.
Sunday paper saying Bailey is going to be evicted as his apartment is to be sold. Jules quoted as saying she will not take him in as they do not speak now.
Conviction was not mentioned. It’s about eliminating impossible suspects and actions until all that’s left is a suspect on which to build a case to convict.
The Kerry baby mentioned above is a classic example of an impossible suspect.
There seems no indication that DNA of the culprit was retrieved.
I'd imagine with the Kerry baby case they could use familial DNA based on his parents, who would have a lot of explaining to do.
Hard to hang a conviction on that theory in this case, or any case for that matter.
But you can “eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth” Arthur Conan Doyle ·
It could be but as previous post points out you can't manufacture proof if it isn't there. If people (families or friends) won't talk what can be done?
Proof can be missed by the police for sure. But then again, it's very possible to commit crimes and leave no proof whatsoever behind, i.e. no physical evidence and no witnesses.
Even though the Gardai screwed up and appear to have lost/disposed of item(s) relating to the crime scene and items belonging to Bailey etc., or they let people drive away from the crime scene and go to the dump, there's no 100% guarantee that their negligence resulted in proof that 'x named person' did the crime was lost. We don't know if the lost items/people being allowed to leave the scene would have resulted in the crime being solved and we'll probably never know at this stage. We can speculate, but that's about it.
But yeah, it does look like there was poor/ineffective policing.
And yeah, you can't get a conviction without PROOF, unless of course you are tried in France (in your absence).
i accept what you are saying. there are a few missing persons cases, where the girl or her remains has never been found. in these cases the dogs in the street know the circumstances of her disappearance. eg married man impregnates young girl, and decides easiest thing is to make her disappear. the guy has then gone back to the bosom of his family as if nothing has happened. the missing ingredient appears to be PROOF. could this be down to poor/ineffective policing?
To be fair it can be very hard to crack a case if there is no/little evidence left, people come forward with information that is wrong or retracted and those that have relevant information won't come forward.
like many of these "cold" cases my belief is the Gardaí don't have a clue, and are just hoping beyond hope someone comes forward. they just upgraded the Annie McCarrick case to murder after 40 years ffs. Kerry babies is another example. DNA might point them in the right direction, but whatever witnesses, clues, etc. will be long gone by now. with every passing year the chances of a satisfactory resolution diminishes.
Unless Jules talks if she knows something
Can't see how any DNA would be admissible
That case is a reminder of how Gardai acted on an assumption with no actual evidence to make someone accountable for something they had no actual evidence of involvement in.
DNA may be harder to find and match in the Sophia case, but it's the only slim possible hope of solving this case.
Just saw that there is a breakthrough on the 'Kerry Babies' case in 1984. Two arrested. I'd say that DNA matchiing was a key in narrowing down the suspects. Makes you wonder if something similar could happen in Sophie's case.
There are two routes Sophie could have used to get to the bottom of the lane, where her body was discovered.
The first, down the lane way,
The second, down through the field
The second is a distinct posability as the slated brick used to attack her is similiar to the brickwork on the wall outside her front door
Maybe they did. But I suppose the Guards only knocked at the door, looked if there were any visible signs of occupation, and relied on the statement by Alfie and Shirley that the empty house owned by the Richardson's was empty. I suppose if somebody wanted to hide, or pick a lock, stay there without getting noticed would have been possible. However I think the killer would have left the area quickly after the murder. Too much risk getting discovered, plus he would have had a good 3 hour head start to get away.
An interesting read. I would also be inclined to think Sophie was killed in the early hours of the morning rather than at night. However, there is no conclusive evidence known to me which would support either. I think forensics mentioned that she most likely consumed food typical for breakfast or something like that? As to your description of the murder it doesn't sound to be something quiet you're describing. This always gives the surprise why Shirley and Alfie didn't hear anything at all, - that is unless they did the killing themselves or she was at first really strangled and then bludgeoned. But even if she was running for her life and chased, she would hardly have been quiet. And then, did she really run? If seeking help, I suppose she would rather have run to Shirley and Alfie than rather the gates, no matter if she liked the neighbours or not?
As to the suitcases, pls remember that airlines were more liberal back then on what you could take either on board or as checked luggage. It was the pre-no-frills-internet-booking era. And after all, she wanted to be back with the family for Christmas, maybe the suitcases were to be left at the house for a future trip?
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