Key witness in Toscan du Plantier investigation dies after illness

A witness in the Sophie murder investigation, who provided the gardaí with importance evidence regarding a suspect’s alleged knowledge of the murder before he says he knew about the killing, has died after a long illness.

Goleen vegetable stall owner Jimmy Camier (68) came forward in September 1998 and told gardaí that artist Jules Thomas had told him on the mid-morning of December 23rd December, 1996, that her partner, Ian Bailey was busy reporting on the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier.

Mr Camier made a statement to gardaí that Ms Thomas told him sometime between 11am and 11.30am about her partner having to report on the murder – which was more than two hours at least before Mr Bailey said he had first learned of the murder from Irish Examiner journalist Eddie Cassidy.

Mr Camier gave details of the conversation he had had with Ms Thomas when she called to buy vegetables but DPP solicitor Robert Sheehan was highly sceptical of the statement, saying in a 2001 review of the case it was “highly suspect” as it had been made two years after the murder.

Ms Thomas denied she had met Mr Camier on the morning of December 23rd but said she had bought vegetables from him in Goleen village the following morning, Christmas Eve, which was when she had the conversation with him about Mr Bailey having to report on the murder.

It is understood that Mr Camier, a married father of two who died on September 2nd, spoke to French investigators when they came to Ireland in October 2011.

He is one of a number of individuals involved in the murder investigation who have since died.

Another witness who testified at the 2003 libel action, Paris Guardian newspaper correspondent Paul Webster died in 2004, while Det Garda Bart O'Leary and Det Supt Liam Hogan, who were both centrally involved in the investigation, died in 2013 and 2014 respectively.