Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he believes that the case against Ian Bailey for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier should have gone before a jury. He said that the murder of the French filmmaker remains “seared into our consciousness” and the fact that no one was convicted for her murder would “always be a deep shame for us”.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he believes that the case against Ian Bailey for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier should have gone before a jury.
In December 1996, the body of the 39-year-old was found beaten outside her holiday home in Schull, West Cork. Ian Bailey, who was the main suspect in her murder, died in Cork in January this year aged 66. “The simple fact is, we failed in our duty to find and convict a bloody murderer, and our system blocked alternative routes when others were not willing to accept our failures.”
“It’s hard to understand why the system was so convinced by its interpretation of legal principles that it effectively threw its hands in the air and gave up.” Mr Martin also said lessons needed to be learned from the case, including around the speed at which cases are processed. He also highlighted faster processing of people accused of rioting in other jurisdictions.
Murder Ian Bailey Sophie Toscan Du Plantier Ireland Justice
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin rebukes Neale Richmond's stamp duty commentsThe Fianna Fáil leader said that the “sensible” thing to do was await the publication of a review into stamp duty before calling for it to be increased.
Read more »
Budget 2025: Roderic O'Gorman calls for 'baby boost' worth over €500 for parentsSpeaking in Newry, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Mr O’Gorman’s proposal was “interesting”
Read more »
Ian Bailey murder case should have gone before jury, says TánaisteThe Irish system proved incapable of meeting its responsibilities to victim Sophie Toscan du Plantier, Micheál Martin said
Read more »
Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon safe after Israeli air strikes says Micheal MartinThe heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region
Read more »
‘A la carte’ new Brexit deal with EU not on table, Micheál Martin warnsThe Tánaiste was speaking ahead of Keir Starmer’s visit to Dublin
Read more »
Sophie Toscan du Plantier case: Failure to deliver justice ‘a deep shame,’ says Micheál MartinThe Tánaiste critical of the Irish justice system in that case and others at the launch of a new book on the murder of the French woman
Read more »