logo
Jim Sheridan's Sophie Toscan du Plantier film ‘Re-Creation' debuts in New York: How case against Ian Bailey unravels and some fictional elements veer towards implausible

Jim Sheridan's Sophie Toscan du Plantier film ‘Re-Creation' debuts in New York: How case against Ian Bailey unravels and some fictional elements veer towards implausible

The 1996 murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier at her holiday home in west Cork remains one of Ireland's most haunting and controversial unsolved crimes. Nearly 30 years on, the case continues to cast a long shadow.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Austrian police find makeshift bomb at home of school shooting suspect
Austrian police find makeshift bomb at home of school shooting suspect

The Journal

timea day ago

  • The Journal

Austrian police find makeshift bomb at home of school shooting suspect

AUSTRIA BEGAN THREE days of mourning today for the 10 people killed in a school shooting as investigators revealed they found a makeshift bomb at the home of the suspect. The 21-year-old former pupil at the Dreierschuetzengasse secondary school in the second city of Graz shot dead 10 people yesterday in an unprecedented rampage that stunned the Alpine country. Police said that he acted alone and took his own life in the toilet at the school. A 'non-functional homemade bomb' was also found during a search at the suspect's home, police said Wednesday. They also found a goodbye letter to the suspect's parents, but it included no clues about his motive. Locals hugged each other and cried as they left flowers, candles and letters to the victims outside the city centre school, which has around 400 students aged between 14 and 18. 'It is truly shocking… We will always think back on this,' Mariam Fayz, a 22-year-old student, said, adding that she feared for younger brother when she heard the news. Chancellor Christian Stocker – who described the shooting as 'a national tragedy' — announced three days of national mourning, while a minute's silence was observed across the country at 10.00 am (9am Irish time) this morning. Nine victims were immediately confirmed and a woman died later in hospital from her wounds, an official said. A 17-year-old French student was among the victims, his father told AFP. Twelve people suffered serious injuries. 'Shocked' Police said the alleged perpetrator was an Austrian from the Graz region who used two legally owned weapons. He was a former pupil at the secondary school, but never finished his studies there, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters. Some Austrian media claimed that the suspect had been bullied, while television stations discussed the ease with which Austrians can acquire firearms and the number in circulation in the country. Advertisement Ennio, a student at the school, said 'there are stories from classmates who were often harassed, and in a situation like this, it's indescribably difficult. 'We ask that we be left in peace today so that we can mourn together and try to understand the situation.' One resident, originally from the United States, whose children attend a nearby primary school and nursery school, said she was 'shocked'. 'In my home country it happens more often as we know, but that it happens here is unheard of,' she said, declining to give her name. 'Graz is a safe city,' said Roman Klug, 55, who said he lived close to the school that he said was 'known for its openness and diversity'. Rare attack Condolences poured in from across European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Gun violence is rare in Austria, which is home to almost 9.2 million people and ranks among the 10 safest countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. Europe has been shaken by attacks at schools and universities in recent years that were not connected to terrorism, although they are still less common than in the United States. In France, a teaching assistant was killed in a knife attack at a school in the eastern town of Nogent on Tuesday. In January, an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a secondary school pupil and a teacher in northeastern Slovakia. And in December, a 19-year-old man stabbed to death a seven-year-old pupil and injured several others at a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia. In December 2023, an attack by a student at a university in central Prague left 14 people dead and 25 injured. A few months earlier, a 13-year-old gunned down nine fellow classmates and a security guard at a primary school in Belgrade. - © AFP 2025

Jim Sheridan: 'Not one shred of evidence to say Bailey did it'
Jim Sheridan: 'Not one shred of evidence to say Bailey did it'

Extra.ie​

timea day ago

  • Extra.ie​

Jim Sheridan: 'Not one shred of evidence to say Bailey did it'

Oscar-nominated film director Jim Sheridan has said there is 'not one shred of evidence' to convict Ian Bailey of the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier. Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Oscar nominated Sheridan said he believes Ian Bailey is 'probably innocent' of the murder of the French film-maker, who was bludgeoned to death outside her holiday home in Schull in West Cork in December 1996. Sheridan, probably best known for the Oscar nominated movie My Left Foot, has released a new docudrama entitled Re-Creation, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York recently. Pic: REX/Shutterstock (442642m) SOPHIE TOSCAN DU PLANTIER SOPHIE TOSCAN DU PLANTIER RETROSPECTIVE The drama promises to show new evidence in the unsolved case, which Jim Sheridan described as a 'double injustice' Explaining what he meant, he said 'I feel Sophie's murderer has never been found and her death has never been avenged'. 'A man who probably was 100% 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.' Jim Sheridan. Pic: JuanIan Bailey was convicted of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, by a court in Paris, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, a conviction Jim Sheridan described as a 'farce' but Ian Bailey did not serve any prison time as the French authorities were unable to extradite him from Ireland to France. When he was asked about how the Toscan du Plantier family may feel about his new Docudrama, Sheridan said 'of course' he knew there was a risk of upsetting Sophie's family but added, 'You can't say because you're upset, that you can ruin another man's life.' He continued that the family of Mr Bailey have also suffered over the years. Ian Bailey '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,' he said. 'I'm sure she's upset.' When asked about Mr Bailey's history of violence, Mr Sheridan described it as 'not good' Alain Spilliaert, a lawyer for Ms Toscan du Plantier's family, also spoke to Newstalk Breakfast and said that while he has not seen the film yet, he does have some concerns, He added, 'We feel that it is not relevant to show a fictional movie at this point in the criminal investigation.'

Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat
Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat

Irish Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat

A couple planning to start an animal breeding business drunkenly used a chainsaw to behead their Mastiff before the woman stabbed it to "avenge" their cat. The French couple were jailed after police found the dog stabbed to death when they were called out to reports of domestic violence at the couple's home in Levis last May. The woman told the court in Auxerre she stabbed the Argentinian mastiff after finding her partner's cat dead, who she says the dog had killed, Le Parisien reported. The pair, who remain unnamed, said they had wanted to euthanize the "dangerous" dog, with the man saying "decapitation was the only way he could think of" in ending his dog's life. The man told the court that both he and his partner had been drinking heavily - a litre of vodka and two beers each - before the horrific 20-minute assault with a chainsaw unfolded. The man was being treated for drug and alcohol use and admitted to having "finished off the dog to avenge (his) cat". Several other cats and dogs lived in the home as the couple were planning to start a breeding business, the news outlet added. The prosecution denounced the "barbaric act" as "unheard of brutality" and a "first for France" while the defendants' lawyer pleaded that they were under the influence of alcohol and one had a "personality disorder", reports Mirror US. The man, 38, was handed 18 months in prison and the woman, 31, was sentenced to two years. It comes after an adorable dog found wandering the streets after she was a victim of a "heinous act of cruelty" has "America's saddest face," say social media users. Lavender was discovered in April with wounds to her face and ears, injuries so severe one of her ears had to be intentionally cut off at a rescue centre. The pup also had fractured teeth and was also severely underweight. But Mohawk Hudson Humane Society (MHHS), a charity in Menands, New York, has taken care of Lavender, and, when she is well enough, wants to help find her the perfect forever home. It has branded her last owner's acts as "heinous" and "cruel" as law enforcement suspect Lavender was a victim of animal cruelty. Authorities in Menands, which is near the city of Albany, have released fresh information - and upsetting photographs - of the brown dog in an effort to establish exact details about her history. The release was shared on social media this week, where dog lovers have expressed their anger at the previous owner - and adoration for the cute pooch. In the photographs, it is apparent Lavender had suffered injuries at the hands of the "heinous" owner. One Facebook user said: "What a sweet little girl. So sad she has been abused and still looks so sweet!!! Fingers crossed the evil person who did this is punished. Poor baby."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store