Cold Case Review of Sophie Tuscan du Plantier murder to proceed. **Threadbans in OP**

Every single account I've ever read mentions the Richardson's place as being unoccupied at the time.

I wonder if it was searched, or checked out in any detail? (It must have been!)

The blue fiesta seen speeding away the morning of the murder - surely that can’t have been that difficult to track down? Does anyone know who saw that car?

It was probably tracked down and a simple valid explanation given to the Gardai about it and thus was no longer a line of enquiry.

That's possible but unlikely. Just to examine the possibility:

• If hypothetically speaking Shirley was to be killed, and the killer mistook Shirley for Sophie, the killer would have learned his mistake soon after when the victim was named in the media.

• The killer would certainly have tried to return to kill Shirley once he learned he killed the wrong woman, the killer would certainly not have been "paid" by whomever for killing the wrong woman either.

• The killer was most likely not a local, if he mistook Sophie's house for Alfie and Shirley. It's also a relatively easy instruction to describe the very last house, past another house with a certain description.

• If Shirley was the intended victim to be killed, Shirley must have been involved with something, but she wasn't, as far as we know. It's only known that Alfie was a drug user, maybe doing a bit more we don't know about, but not Shirley.

Hello,

Is there anything in the file re: Martin O’Sullivan and his statement of what he thought was a Ford Fiesta being driven dangerously on the morning of Sophie's body being discovered?

Thank you

But it was Shirley who found the body. If she herself were the intended victim, wouldn't she know that someone had a murderous intention towards her? A hostile ex, a former colleague, maybe a family feud or whatever…surely she would immediately have told the Guards.

As it is, she seems to have conducted herself exactly as you would expect a horrified innocent bystander to do: shock, summon nearest help, phone the police.

She probably drove over whatever traces there may have been of tyre tracks or footprints in the lane, but nobody seems to have thought about that at the time.

There seems to be very little out there about this which is interesting in itself.

There is no real evidence that it was the "randy Guard" who killed Sophie.

It is just one of many theories.

The only indication that it was the "randy Guard" is the way the Garda coerced witnesses, or gave drugs to transients to get close to Bailey, evidence gone missing, maybe deliberately? If that was ordered from above within the police force, it could have come from the "randy Guard" who was apparently from Bantry.

The "randy Guard" from Bantry certainly would have a way stronger sexual motive than Bailey.

But all "could" and "would", - hypothetically speaking.

Some locals in Bantry seemed to think it was true.

Is there evidence? No, nothing.

Nothing really.

One single person is said to have seen a blue Ford Fiesta speeding in the area. There is no license plate number known, also no idea where the car really came from, where it was going or who was behind the wheel.

Only the "randy Guard" from Bantry is known to own such a car, one owner out of many, there are / were probably lot's of Ford Fiestas registered to lot's of people in the whole area at the time.

Nothing to go on, nothing to present as evidence in court.

A red number plate so probably older model. ( or foreign)

That one I don't know.

I am sure there is also a story about that. A speeding car almost 30 years ago won't ever be enough evidence for a killer. The reasons for speeding could be anything as well.

I've also heard from locals in Bantry about some relative of the "randy Guard" and a death bed confession to this relative.

There is no evidence which can be verified on that one as well. Quite possible local talk, or maybe not.

The problem is that there are too many lose ends, and too much focus on things we all don't have any answers to:

• A man loitering in a dark coat or a dark alleyway, unshaven, looking at Sophie going somewhere or her entering a shop.
• An expensive bottle of French wine
• A car speeding in the area
• A man sitting in the car with Sophie.
• Sophie may or may not having had a conversation with somebody in the bar / pub with friends before the murder.
• A close friend of Sophie's husband visiting Ireland during that particular time.
• Bailey having or not having had contact with Sophie prior to her visiting that Christmas.
• An argument with the neighbours about encroachment or who owns what, and where one parks the car or whether the gates are to be closed or not.

Suppose we had definite answers to all that, it wouldn't prove anything in a court of law.

Suppose they find DNA on the cavity block or on the gates, ( suppose the gates were never lost as evidence ), suppose they can identify the DNA on Sophie's boot, it all doesn't prove who done it.

Neither the cavity block nor the gates are exclusive to anybody, as anybody could have entered, come and gone.

All the suspects and theories we have could have been the killer.

Regardless if it was the ex-husband sending someone, some lover whom she rejected, or something drug related, one story is as good or bad as the other.

The only real thing that stands out, is to what lengths the Guards went to coerce witnesses to false statements in court, collude and intimidate. The evidence in form of the Bandon garda station tapes does exist, and never an excuse why they gave drugs to transients, etc….

Further to that:

Come to think of it, what also stands out is that any physician should have been able to diagnose the time of death to narrow it down at least to around midnight or the morning. ( no need to wait for a pathologist for an approximate time )

I also disagree to the idea the killer "must have been a local" just because the house is remote or apparently "difficult to find". Anybody with any sense of directions, somebody who can follow instructions or has a map can find it. - I found it with ease not being a local.

Well, I didn't mean Dr. Harbison, who travelled there from Dublin, but any local physician who would have been on the scene say 1 or 2 hours after the police arrived should have given you an definite answer as to whether we're speaking about around midnight or 6 to maybe 8 am in the morning.

Also the fact that the police harassed Bailey relentlessly and failed to look into other directions would sadly imply some police involvement and corruption regarding the murder.

Apparently they also knew they couldn't or wouldn't "pin it on anybody else" so they picked the unpopular Englishman with a drinking habit and priors of beating his partner and thought it would be easy.

Indeed, I was wondering if we could at least confirm a statement was actually made to the guards. That would then leave one wondering what, if anything, was done about identifying the vehicle.

I was always aware of this article by Gemma O'Doherty and always believed this would be one of the most likely theories.

Again, we have no prove and no evidence.

However, what we do know with utter certainty is the length the Guards went to pin things on Bailey, and to coerce and collude. One automatically asks why would the Guards be doing this? What is their motivation? Automatic answer: It was one of theirs, they needed to protect. Denial is also futile, it's all on the Bandon Garda station tapes. It's probably the only thing that is proven in this case.

Under any normal circumstances in any police investigation:

• the police can't intimidate or coerce witnesses to make false statements in a court of law
• the police can't make evidence of a murder scene just disappear without any trace, even as large as a gate
• the police cant' give drugs to transients to get close to a possible suspect, not having any kind of evidence against this suspect

It is sadly proven beyond reasonable doubt that the Guards did all that.

Purely on that behaviour the Guards portrayed it would lead to suggest it was one of their own rather than anybody else.

If the motive of the killer being the Guard was sexual, or his complex sexual desires and his violent outbursts, or they were in it with drugs, possibly with Alfie Lyons or Leo Bulger, we don't know.