Gardaí believe there are ‘still persons who have information’ on Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder

Gardaí investigating the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork 26 years ago have appealed to people they believe have information on the killing to contact them.

Supt Joe Moore of Bantry Garda station who is heading up the investigation, said that he had no doubt but that there were people with information about Ms Toscan du Plantier’s murder who had not yet spoken to gardaí.

“I believe there are still persons who have information on Sophie’s murder and who haven’t yet spoken to Gardai or may have spoken to gardaí but were not in a position to tell everything that they know so I’m appealing to those people to please come forward and speak to the investigation team.

“And I want to assure anyone out there with information but may be nervous about contacting us that we are working on a very confidential basis and any information we receive will be treated with the utmost confidentiality – they can contact me on a personal basis if they wish,” he said.

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Supt Joe Moore was speaking at a special press briefing at the Harbour View Hotel in Schull on Monday afternoon alongside Det Supt Des McTiernan of the Serious Crime Review Team, which has been working on the case and assisting the investigation team in Bantry for the past six months.

Det Supt McTiernan and his team of 12 investigators began by carrying out a scoping exercise on over 5,000 documents gathered by gardaí in West Cork over the past 26 years which were digitised in the recent years, allowing for their transmission and examination online.

Det Supt McTiernan said on Monday that advances in forensics would be one area of inquiry which the Serious Review Team would examine, pointing out that much had changed in terms of the DNA examination techniques since gardaí began investigating the murder.

The 39-year-old mother of one had travelled from her home in Paris on December 20th 1996 to spend some time at her isolated holiday home at Toormore near Schull, intending to return to France to spend Christmas with her husband, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, and her son, Pierre Louis Baudey.

But Ms Toscan du Plantier’s badly beaten body was found near the entrance to the holiday home by her neighbour, Shirley Foster, around 10am on the morning of December 23rd, prompting one of the most high-profile murder investigations in the history of the state.

Supt Moore said that the focus of the investigation was on the Mizen Peninsula, but gardaí had identified additional witnesses in France and the UK that they wished to speak to. He was not drawn on the specific detail on how these new witnesses might be able to assist the inquiry.

He said that the investigation team were liaising through Interpol with police in both France and the UK to advance the investigation while local officers in Bantry were holding meetings with Det Supt McTiernan and his Serious Review Team in Bantry on a monthly basis to review progress.

Supt Moore said: “I want to speak to any person who met, spoke with or had any interaction with Sophie from when she arrived in Ireland, both at Dublin Airport and Cork Airport on December 20th 1996 until Sophie’s body was found on the morning of December 23rd, 1996.

“I also want to speak to anyone who was in the Toormore area here in West Cork between December 20th and December 23rd 1996, in particular anyone who was driving on the R591 Ballydehob to Goleen road or the R592 Durrus to Schull road.”

Supt Moore said that gardaí were anxious in particular to establish Ms Toscan du Plantier’s movements between 4.30pm on December 22nd when she left O’Sullivan’s bar in Crookhaven and when her body was discovered at the entrance to her property at 10am the following day.

“We know that she rang her husband Daniel Toscan du Plantier late on the night of December 22nd but we’re anxious to anyone who can help us in relation to her movements in this time period and in particular can assist us to find out what exactly happened at her home and property in these hours.”

Asked if he felt there was still hope of solving the murder after 26 years given that some witnesses had died and people’s recall may not be as accurate, Supt Moore dismissed suggestions that the case should be left lie.” I don’t agree it’s time to set his case aside, it’s time to solve it.”

“I would ask anyone with information that can assist us to put themselves in the shoes of Sophie’s family today – her grandchildren have never seen her, her son has been without his mother for over half his life and her parents have spent over quarter of a century campaigning for justice for her.

“I want to see the conclusion of this case, I’ve been involved in it for a long number of years, I’ve met the family on numerous occasions, I want to ensure that we gather all the evidence and send a file to the DPP and prosecute somebody in relation to this crime.

“And I would appeal to people who have information in relation to Sophie’s murder not to assume that we know it already or that is has limited value – let us make that decision – I can’t say for sure whether the murder will or will not be solved but we will not stop until we bring it to a conclusion.”

Anyone who can assist gardaí with their investigation into the murder is asked to contact the investigation team at Bantry Garda station on 027-20860, their local Garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.