Ian Bailey was 'probably 100% innocent', director of du Plantier murder drama says
Film director Jim Sheridan has said that the late Ian Bailey 'probably was 100 per cent innocent' of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork.
The battered body of the 39-year-old French film producer was found near her holiday home in Toormore on the outskirts of Schull in West Cork on December 23rd, 2006.
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In an interview with Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Sheridan said he believes the case is a "double injustice.
'I feel Sophie's murderer has never been found, her death has never been avenged.
'A man who probably was 100 per cent innocent has been castigated through life; he lived a horrible life and died a horrible death and has a horrible name.
'I don't think he killed her, and there's not a shred of evidence to say he did.'
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Mr Sheridan's new drama, Re Creation, about the murder, recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Starring Colm Meaney, Aidan Gilles and Vicky Krieps, it imagines what could have unfolded if the unresolved murder had gone before a jury in Ireland.
Ian Bailey, who died in January 2024 at the age of 66, was the self-confessed chief suspect in the case. He was on two occasions detained by gardaí for questioning in relation to the murder.
Mr Bailey was convicted in absentia after a trial in France in 2015. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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However, officials in France were unable to extradite him to Paris to serve the sentence handed down by the courts.
Mr Sheridan said that Mr Bailey's conviction in Paris was a 'farce.' He said that he 'of course' knew he risked causing upset to the family of Toscan du Plantier with his new drama.
'You can't say because you're upset that you can ruin another man's life,' he said. "There's no evidence.'
Mr Sheridan acknowledged that Mr Bailey's history of violence with his former partner, Jules Thomas, was 'not good.'
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He said that there was no doubt of the suffering experienced by the family of Ms Toscan du Plantier. However, Mr Sheridan stressed that the family of Mr Bailey have also suffered over the years.
'I'm sure Ian Bailey's sister was upset that there was nobody at his funeral and that he had to die that ignominious way. I'm sure she's upset.'
During a defamation trial in 2014, Mr Bailey admitted that he had been "seriously violent" towards his partner on three occasions.
Newstalk Breakfast also heard from Alain Spilliaert, a lawyer for Ms Toscan du Plantier's family. He has not seen the film yet, but has expressed concern about its potential content.
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'Mr Jean-Pierre Gazeau, the uncle of Sophie and President of the Association, raised the issue of questionable ethics,' he said.
'We feel that it is not relevant to show a fictional movie at this point of time of the criminal investigation.
'This is such a large, sensitive case in Ireland… and it's not finished.'
Mr Spilliaert added that it would have been better to wait until the cold case review concludes before any drama about the case goes into the public domain.
Meanwhile, the elderly father of Ms Toscan Du Plantier died in December of last year, just days after the 28th anniversary of her murder.
Georges Bouniol, who was 98, passed away in Paris after spending close to three decades seeking justice for the murder of his daughter. Mr Bouniol died in hospital with his family at his bedside.
For many years, Georges and his wife Marguerite travelled to west Cork at Christmas to attend an anniversary mass for Sophie with their son Bertrand and Sophie's son Pierre-Louis.
In 2022, Sophie's uncle Jean Pierre Gazeau said it was the final wish of her parents to see a conviction in the case.
He told the Irish Daily Mail that the family had waited too long for justice.
'They are so heartbroken that they still cannot move on with their lives. They've been waiting so long for justice and know they will not be around forever.
It's their wish that they will see a successful end to this investigation so they can live the rest of their lives in peace.'
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