Ian Bailey denies admitting to murder during pub conversation

Journalist Ian Bailey has denied before the High Court that he asked another man whether he knew about "the murder in Schull" and then told the man, "that was me" and smirked.

The man in question, James McKenna, stated to gardaí that he was in “absolutely no doubt” the man to whom he spoke was “admitting to murder”, the jury heard.

Mr Bailey was responding in court to statements made to gardaí by Mr McKenna, who said he and his wife had a conversation with Mr Bailey and his partner Jules Thomas in the Galley Inn pub in Schull on the night of April 8th, 1997.

Mr McKenna, who is from Northern Ireland, said during that conversation, Mr Bailey had asked him had he heard about the murder in Schull.

Mr McKenna said he had told Mr Bailey he had heard about the murder on the news in the North.

Mr McKenna said Mr Bailey had looked straight at him “in the eye” and in a “deliberate voice” said: “That was me.”

Mr Bailey was “smirking”, he added.

In his statements, Mr McKenna said he was “numb with shock” and made efforts the next day to report what was said to gardaí in Schull, but the Garda station was closed.

He later phoned gardaí and an officer called out to him to take his statements.

Luán O Braonáin SC, for Mr Bailey, put it to him the statements made by Mr McKenna were among the reasons grounding Mr Bailey’s second arrest by gardaí on January 27th, 1998.

Mr Bailey agreed he and Ms Thomas had had a conversation with Mr McKenna and his wife in the Galley Inn but said he had always denied making the comments attributed to him by Mr McKenna.

When counsel put it to him that gardaí were entitled to regard Mr McKenna’s statement as significant, Mr Bailey agreed and added it was “quite a little bonus for [them] ”.

‘Informal admissions’

When counsel put it to Mr Bailey that gardaí were entitled to also take into consideration that he had told journalist Helen Callanan and a local boy, Malachy Reid, that he had killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier, Mr Bailey said those were alleged informal admissions.

Mr Bailey said what he said to Ms Callanan was “a black joke” and what he had told Mr Reid was that other people were saying he had killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier, not that he had killed her

Mr Bailey said the statements had to be considered in the context of other matters which addressed the points being raised, but which he was not allowed refer to, and that he was in a “David and Goliath” situation.

Mr Justice John Hedigan intervened at this point and told the jury Mr Bailey was referring to an assessment of evidence made by the DPP's office in 2001 and to material that grounded the French application for the extradition of Mr Bailey.

The court had previously decided that, to balance the sides, those materials should not be admitted into evidence. There was no “dark secret lurking” in the background, the judge said.

The cross-examination of Mr Bailey is continuing in his action against the Garda Commissioner and the State.

They deny his claims, including wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and conspiracy, arising from the conduct of the Garda investigation into the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier, a French filmmaker whose body was found near Toormore, Schull, on the morning of December 23rd, 1996.

The case continues before Mr Justice John Hedigan and a jury.