Ian Bailey's ashes scattered in west Cork
A sister of Ian Bailey said innocent victim Sophie Toscan du Plantier's family is 'misguided' for believing that he killed her.
Kay Reynolds was speaking on Friday when she scattered her brother's ashes near the 1996 death site in west Cork, as he requested.
Bailey, who died 16 months ago, was found guilty of French filmmaker Sophie's murder in a trial in France in 2019 without his attendance.
Ms Reynolds spoke of how Bailey cherished the area, which he was tied to for legal reasons, and claimed the murder probe impacted his health.
She said her sibling 'had nothing to hide' and she expressed sympathy for the family of Sophie. She told Cork's 96fm Opinion Line with PJ Coogan: 'He absolutely loved West Cork with a passion.
'I know there was the warrant that meant he couldn't leave the country and he used to say, 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else'.'
When producer Paul Byrne asked Kay if 'pressure' from the 'murder investigation' contributed to 'his already ill health?', she said: 'Without question.' She added: 'I think if he'd have kept quiet, it would have been better. But that wasn't Ian's style. He felt he didn't need to hide.
'He had nothing to hide. And so he confronted his challenges face on.
'I think it came out very close to the time that there were things, I think, that the gardai felt only someone involved in the crime would have known. I don't think that helped. But as a family, we never thought that he'd done these things because that was his style of journalism.
'When he lived in Gloucester, we were near GCHQ, and he found out all sorts of things that other journalists didn't.
'He thought outside the box and he came up with things that no one else had thought about. And I think that's really what had to happen there and in the end became his downfall, really. He came up with all sorts of ideas around what had happened and that's how he became a suspect.'
Kay stated she never questioned her brother's innocence and vowed: 'Never for a second.'
She added: 'We never doubted him that he'd been involved in this.' She also expressed sympathy with Sophie's relatives and said: 'A very young mother was brutally murdered.
'I feel so sorry for the family because I think because of their misguided belief that Ian committed the murder, they've just had so many years of torture.
'And I just wish them peace around this. And hopefully the cold case will [help]. It's just not only losing her, but to have no peace and thinking that Ian was the perpetrator and that he's got away with it.
'I can't imagine what that must be like for them. And I just feel so sorry for them.'
Taoiseach Micheal Martin claimed last year, when he was Tanaiste, the State let Bailey away with Sophie's murder.
After he died in 2024 f rom a suspected heart attack, gardai conducted a search under warrant of his home and seized items, including a laptop computer, memory sticks, notebooks, and materials with DNA.
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Sunday World
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
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SOPHIE Bryant has grown up with the tragedy of her missing brother hanging over her. She was just nine when Allan jr, 23, Advertisement 14 Sophie Bryant's older brother disappeared when she was nine Credit: Sophie Bryant 14 Allan Bryant jr disappeared in November 2013 aged 23 Credit: Andrew Barr 14 Sophie, now 20, says the family just wants closure Credit: Sophie Bryant 14 The now 20-year-old recalls her mum and dad, Marie and Allan sr, regularly speaking to the police and press, and growing more frantic for answers that have never come. Sophie, from Glenrothes, Fife, said a couple of years ago human remains were found and the family gloomily hoped they belonged to Allan jr. 'It feels bad saying we wish it was him, but if it was him maybe we'd have got a bit of closure,' she told The Sun. 'We think he's definitely… not alive,' she explained with a pause when asked if she still holds out hope. Advertisement Read more about this case 'It's a good thought to think - that he's alive somewhere - but we know something bad has happened, or he would have been home by now.' Allan jr was The family has passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. There is no video evidence yet released to indicate where exactly the young man went or what became of him. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive Breaking For Sophie, the night Allan jr disappeared started like any other Saturday booze-up for her brother. Him and his pals were pre-drinking at the Bryant home and then headed out for what was the Halloween weekend. I know who 'murdered' my son, 23, on night out a decade ago... cops say he's missing but they need to probe vital clue They first went to an engagement party at Leslie Golf Club on the outskirts of town, and then to the nightclub. 'I can remember the weekend he didn't come back home,' said Sophie. Advertisement 'I was just wondering where he went. I can't remember what the last thing was that I said to him. 'You never expect something like that to happen, so you don't necessarily recall that stuff. 'I just always think about what happened.' She went on to say: 'My parents did shield me from it a bit, they kept me out of the public eye when they were originally appealing for information.' Advertisement Sophie can remember her mum and dad 'always' being on the phone to the police and would sometimes join them on searches as a child. Getting closer to finding out what happened to Allan jr often dominates home life. 14 Sophie cherishes this photo of her with brother Allan Credit: Sophie Bryant 14 She has described the difficulty of growing up while the search for answers continues Credit: Sophie Bryant Advertisement 14 Sophie, aged nine, holding up a missing person poster after Allan first vanished Credit: Sophie Bryant 'It's pretty much day to day, they're always talking about what they should do to keep him in the public eye,' Sophie said. 'They (her parents) try to live their lives as well, but I think sometimes we feel guilty about doing that.' She said such a feeling is contradictory because of how happy-go-lucky her brother was. Advertisement 'He wouldn't want us not to be happy,' she admitted. A photo of Sophie aged just nine shows her holding up a missing person poster brandishing her brother's face. To her, Allan jr was her older sibling who teased her and who she play fought with her, but who always looked out for her. 'My memories of him are just really when we were playfighting and carrying on,' she said. 'He was my brother.' Advertisement Family members have also told her that she shares mannerisms with Allan jr that no-one else does. 'I like that,' she said. A photo taken of the pair of them together on the family's porch is also something Sophie cherishes, but it's bittersweet. 'There's one that I quite like,' she said when asked if she had any photos of her and Alan jr. 'I was really quite young, so I don't remember it being taken, but it's a nice one. I know who 'murdered' my son, 23, on night out a decade ago... cops say he's missing but they need to probe vital clue By Ryan Merrifield A DESPERATE dad says he knows who 'murdered' his son, after he went missing over 12 years ago. Allan Bryant Jr disappeared while on a night out on November 3 2013, but he's never been found and no one ever brought to justice. The then-23-year-old was spotted on CCTV leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes, Fife, in Scotland, around 2am - but what happened next remains a mystery. Mr Bryant said he and his family have accepted his son is dead but he, Allan's mum Marie and sisters Amy and Sophie want closure. He told The Sun he's passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. Mr Bryant said he 'begged' the force to release a clip of the CCTV video footage, which they finally did months after the disappearance. The determined dad is adamant he knows who killed his boy and hopes it is just a matter of time before someone comes forward with information that could lead to a conviction. He said: 'A lot of people have come forward and it all points in the same direction about what happened to Allan.' In 2015, the family was passed information to police which suggested Allan had gone to a house party after leaving the club. Two years later, cops searched a house in Glenrothes for 33 days as part of the investigation but nothing came of it. Mr Bryant later voiced fears that his son had been in contact with a crime gang weeks before he vanished. He told The Sun this week: 'We believe he went to a houseparty, something happened at a houseparty.' He said on studying the CCTV from the nightclub, it's clear Allan heads in a different direction than if he were going home. Mr Bryant believes those who may have witnessed what happened to his son remain too scared to speak to detectives. 'I believe that without a doubt. We just need that one bit of the jigsaw… everything stems from there,' he said. Mr Bryant and his family moved out of the home they'd lived in with Allan in 2018, but still regularly use the same local shops and haunts. He feels the mystery over his son's death has created a dark cloud over the town, with people avoiding him and even 'stare at Allan's mum' without speaking. The dad claims one person - who he believes witnessed his son's death - has told people while drunk: 'I know what happened to Allan.' Mr Bryant - who has been supported by charity Missing People - said he's met other families in the same position as him, admitting 'it takes its toll'. 'Some families just can't do it,' he continued. 'You're tired and you have bad nightmares. It's like you're digging up skeletons because it's going to be bones we find. 'It takes four to five months for a human body to decompose. 'These thoughts go through your head and it's hard to sleep. Some days are harder than others. It's just getting harder and more difficult.' Mr Bryant said Allan would sometimes stay out for a couple of days at a time, but he always kept his parents informed about where he was. His phone had been smashed a couple of weeks before his disappearance and he hadn't got round to getting a replacement when he went on what was a Saturday night out with pals over the Halloween weekend. Mr Bryant said Allan had his number memorised so would often call off his friends' phones. 'It was weird, I always knew where he was, he'd always let me know - this time when we woke up on the Sunday morning I said 'I've got a feeling something's not right'. 'We just felt something was really wrong. We held out for a day and then we reported him missing on the Monday. 'I just knew in my gut something bad had happened.' On the Saturday evening, Mr Bryant said Allan was 'in a really really happy mood'. He had some of his friends over for pre-drinks before they headed out to an engagement party at Leslie Golf Club on the outskirts of town, and then to the nightclub. 'The last time I talked to him he was about to leave the house, he was with a few friends having a drink,' Mr Bryant recalled. 'I preferred them sitting in the house rather than on the streets. Sometimes I could sit with them and have a laugh. 'He came downstairs all happy. He asked me for some money to go to an engagement party. He was in a really really happy mood.' Mr Bryant said he later spoke to a barman working at the golf club who said he had refused to sell Allan another alcoholic drink as he seemed too intoxicated. He said Allan had instead politely asked for a pint of water. Mr Bryant said his son's bedroom was left as it was for a while but eventually it was cleaned. 'It wasn't in the best state,' he joked, as Allan and his pals had left empty beer cans. 'It took a wee while.' One of Allan's sisters took a piece of the wallpaper from the bedroom when the family eventually moved out, and they kept some of his things, including his beloved Celtic top. Mr Bryant said he feels that police have been difficult ever since Allan vanished. 'They will only give me so much information because I don't think they trust me,' he said. He claims sniffer dogs have never been used and the family even had to hire professionals themselves to scour an area for Allan's remains after a tip off. Mr Bryant continued: 'I had to fight to get the CCTV released. Any other missing person case that would be released straight away. 'I was told it was data protection. I think it would be different if Allan was a woman. If he was a 23-year-old woman in a nightclub it would be released straight away. 'He was just a guy on a night out.' Mr Bryant added: 'I don't know if we'll ever find the truth but you've always got to hope, hold onto that bit of hope. 'I just need to keep Allan's photo out there so people don't forget about him.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Allan Bryant remains a missing person and officers continue to make enquiries to trace him. "Any new information will be assessed and anyone who can assist should call Police Scotland on 101.' 'It is difficult to look back at it though.' Advertisement Sophie said just going into Allan jr's old bedroom after he went missing was hard for all of them. 'I think we left it for quite a while,' she said. 'We couldn't get rid of his stuff. We've still got it.' She said it was also hard moving house - the family have moved twice since 2013 - and she worried for a while if her brother were still out there he wouldn't know where to find them. Outside of her home life, Sophie has had to shoulder a lot over the years, including the often unwanted attention she receives from people in the town. At school she became known essentially as the girl whose brother disappeared. Advertisement 'Even people I didn't know would come up to me, talking about it and asking if I'm his sister,' she said. 'There were always stupid rumours,' she continued. 'Just in high school you'd hear people say they've found him in a ditch - things that aren't true, but it's hard to hear. 'It really affected my anxiety when I heard that.' While she preferred to try and ignore the attention, Sophie remembers confronting someone who was making light of her brother's disappearance. Advertisement 'I did once,' she said. 'I can't remember what I said but they knew I wasn't happy and they never did it again.' 14 Allan Bryant snr and Marie Degan are desperate to learn what happened to their son Credit: Andrew Barr 14 Sophie (right) and her older sister Amy Credit: Sophie Bryant 14 Allan sr, Amy, Sophie, Marie and Allan jr Credit: Andrew Barr Advertisement Sophie went to college for a while but dropped out due to her anxiety. However, she plans to return eventually to study psychology. One thing that has always allowed her some peace is riding horses at a local stables. 'That seems to calm me down,' she said. 'I've made a lot of friends there. 'I started when I was 13, I started quite late,' she added laughing slightly. 'Horse riding helps me focus on what I'm doing.' Advertisement Last week, Sophie posted on Facebook for the first time about Allan jr. 'I've been putting it off for a long time and as I'm older now it just makes sense to write a post,' she wrote. The post goes on to say she 'couldn't fully comprehend' her brother's disappearance at the time, adding: 'The effect it has had on the full family is devastating, I can't even put into words how heartbroken we all are. Timeline of missing Allan Bryant Jr case November 3 2013: Allan Bryant Jr disappeared on a night out with friends June 2014 : Police Scotland released CCTV of Allan Jr leaving Styx nightclub at 2.02am 2015: Allan's family passed information to police through local contacts that he had gone to a house party the night he vanished 2017: Police searched a house in Glenrothes for 33 days as part of their investigation 2017: Allan's dad Allan Sr voiced fears his son may have had contact with organised gang members weeks before he went missing 2023 : Allan Sr, wife Marie and daughter Amy held a media conference on the 10-year anniversary of the disappearance 'It wasn't until I got a bit older I realised how serious this was.' Advertisement Sophie went on to write that she feels 'bad' for not having as many memories of Allan jr as her older sister Amy 'but all the memories I do have are all good ones'. 'I just pray that one day people will come forward and we can finally get the closure that we need,' she added. The post finishes: 'Not knowing what has happened to Allan is the worst thing, it's unimaginable for any family to go through. 'It's a living hell not knowing what has happened to Allan.' Advertisement Asked about her post, she told The Sun: 'I'd been thinking about doing one for a while, I just didn't know how to start it. 'But a lot of people said they were proud of me for doing it. 'I just need one person to come forward who knows something.' 14 CCTV shows Allan Jr leaving Styx nightclub Advertisement 14 Sophie with dad Allan jr, sister Amy and Jo Yuile, head of Missing People Credit: Michael Schofield 14 Sophie as a toddler with her mum Marie Credit: Sophie Bryant 14 Allan sr believes his son was murdered Credit: Michael Schofield - The Sun Glasgow
Extra.ie
10 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Ian Bailey's final farewell as family scatter ashes at Cork pier ceremony
Ian Bailey, self-confessed chief suspect in the unsolved Sophie Toscan Du Plantier murder case, spent most of his later years fighting one legal battle after another. So it was a fitting end of sorts when the last person to bid him a final farewell was a descendant of the legendary West of Ireland warrior and Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley. George O'Malley made a 640km round trip journey from his home in Newport, Co. Mayo, to be at the scattering of the ashes ceremony yesterday organised by the late journalist's family. Ian Bailey. Pic: Tom Honan He was the last one to step forward to help sprinkle some ashes, and George's parting words to his friend of 15 years were: 'May your spirit fly over here forever.' And with that the remains of the man – who was questioned twice by gardaí in connection with the brutal murder of the French filmmaker and convicted in absentia of killing the mother of one by a French court – flew over a wild honeysuckle hedge to disappear forever from sight. The former journalist died in January 2024 as he walked from his home in Bantry, Co. Cork, to his car which was parked on a nearby street. He collapsed on the street after suffering a fatal heart attack. Ian Bailey. Pic: Yesterday his sister Kay Reynolds explained his relatives decided to scatter his ashes on Midsummer's Eve so they could also commemorate her brother's arrival in Ireland. She told a small group of about 40 friends and journalists gathered on a pier outside the pretty West Cork village of Ballydehob: 'Ian loved Ireland with a passion and it is over 30 years ago tomorrow that he arrived in Ireland. 'Except for one situation, he told me the international arrest warrant, which meant he couldn't leave the country, didn't bother him that much as there was nowhere else he'd rather be. Ian Bailey. Pic: 'The exception to this was not being able to come and see our failing mother Brenda in England and attend her subsequent funeral. He felt the cruelty of this very, very much. 'There were many blows over the years. However, I think the biggest of all was his split from Jules, which blindsided him and left him hopeless. 'Jules had loyally supported him for over 30 years but I personally believe it [the split] was the real start of his demise.' Among those who attended yesterday's ceremony were filmmaker Jim Sheridan, documentary maker Donal MacIntyre, and Sam Bungey, who co-produced a podcast about the murder of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier. Others included Ian Bailey's legal team of solicitor Frank Buttimer and barristers Jim Duggan and Tom Creed. Ms Toscan Du Plantier's battered body was found close to her isolated holiday home in West Cork on December 23, 1996. No one has ever been charged or convicted in Ireland for the death of the 39-year-old filmmaker. Paying tribute to Sophie and her heartbroken family yesterday Bailey's sister Kay said: 'I would just ask you to think of Sophie and her family for a moment. I hope they get true justice and some form of peace.' She then added: 'A deep regret, held I'm sure by you here today as well, is that his name wasn't cleared in his lifetime. This is so sad. Ian may you rest in peace.' Although Bailey was convicted of her murder in his absence by a French court in 2019, he died without ever admitting guilt. He was questioned twice by gardaí about her death but was never put on trial here. The Irish courts repeatedly refused requests from the French authorities seeking Bailey's extradition.
