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Bailey has no intention of going to Paris for murder trial this May

February 15th, 2019 11:55 AM

By Southern Star Team

Bailey's Irish lawyer has said the trial is ‘nothing more than a charade.'

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Schull resident Ian Bailey has no intention of travelling to France to participate in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder trial next May.

SCHULL resident Ian Bailey has no intention of travelling to France to participate in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder trial next May.

Appearing at the trial for the murder of the Frenchwoman, over 20 years ago, would simply ‘validate an unjust process’, according to his Irish lawyer Frank Buttimer.

Mr Bailey declined to comment himself on the prospect of travelling to France when contacted last week. He referred the query to Mr Buttimer, who emphatically ruled it out.

Mr Bailey has twice contested European arrest warrants to have him extradited to France.

‘There are absolutely no circumstances in which Ian Bailey will set foot in that country to validate the unjust procedure – as he sees it – which is going on in that country. The entire French investigation is based on a discredited garda investigation as it was deemed by the DPP in 2001,’ said Mr Buttimer.

He added that the DPP decided after reviewing the garda file on the case, that there was no evidence to warrant a prosecution against Mr Bailey. ‘But the French authorities have decided to ignore that decision and proceed with this spurious prosecution of my client in what is nothing more than a charade,’ he said.

According to French campaign group, the Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, set up by her friends and relatives, the trial will take place in Paris in May with four days set aside for the hearing.

The trial will commence before three magistrates at the Cours d’Assise in Paris on Monday, May 27th and it is expected to be concluded on Friday May 31st.

Mr Bailey has received no official notification from the French authorities that he is to be tried in May. 

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