‘I feel Sophie’s murderer has never been found’ – Jim Sheridan

FILM director Jim Sheridan has defended his film about the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, saying that the late Ian Bailey ‘probably was 100% innocent’.

BY OLIVIA KELLEHER

He described the unsolved cold case as a ‘double injustice’, adding: ‘I feel Sophie’s murderer has never been found, her death has never been avenged.’

French film producer Sophie, 39, was found dead near her holiday home in Toormore on the outskirts of Schull in West Cork on December 23rd 1996.

Mr Sheridan’s new drama Re Creation, starring Colm Meaney and Aiden Gillen, recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The film puts forward a version of events if the unresolved murder had gone before a jury in Ireland, prompting a backlash from Sophie’s family.

In an interview with Newstalk Breakfast Mr Sheridan said: ‘A man who probably was 100% innocent has been castigated through life; he lived a horrible life and died a horrible death, and has a horrible name. ‘I don’t think he killed her and there’s not a shred of evidence to say he did.’

Ian Bailey in Schull, Ireland. Photo: Andy Gibson.

Ian Bailey, who died in January 2024 at the age of 66, was the self-confessed chief suspect in the case.

He was on two occasions detained by Gardaí for questioning in relation to the murder.

Mr Bailey was convicted in absentia after a trial in France in 2015.

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison but officials there were unable to extradite him.

Mr Sheridan said that he ‘of course’ knew he risked causing upset to the family of Ms Toscan du Plantier with his new drama.

‘You can’t say because you’re upset that you can ruin another man’s life,’ he said. 'There’s no evidence.’ 

Mr Sheridan acknowledged that Mr Bailey’s history of violence against his former partner Jules Thomas was ‘not good.’

Director Jim Sheridan

During a defamation trial in 2014, Mr Bailey admitted that he had been ‘seriously violent’ towards his then partner on three occasions.

Alain Spilliaert, a lawyer for Ms Toscan du Plantier’s family, expressed concerned about the film’s potential content.

‘We feel that it is not relevant to show a fictional movie at this point of time of the criminal investigation.’ he said.

‘This is such a large, sensitive case in Ireland… and it’s not finished.’