Sophie's family and friends continue search for justice

ON Monday evening, via Zoom, there was an international gathering of the members of the Association for Truth and Justice for Sophie.

This weekend, on Saturday December 23rd, people in West Cork will also be gathering to mark the 27th anniversary of the brutal murder of the French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

Some of the details of Monday’s meeting were recalled by a West Cork member of the association, Bill Hogan, who said there was ‘an atmosphere of positivity’ at the meeting.

‘The most important thing is that Sophie’s son, Pierre Louis Baudey-Vignaud and his two children were there and they all looked great,’ said Bill.

He told The Southern Star that Sophie’s son is briefed frequently by the gardaí, who are continuing to investigate the murder, and he is reportedly pleased with their progress.

The Association for Truth and Justice for Sophie are hoping that the purchase of a high-tech machine called the M-Vac could lead to a breakthrough in the case. The M-Vac has been described as ‘the world’s greatest vacuum’ because it can glean 40% more DNA from a saliva stain than a cotton swab and 88% more from a blood stain.

Bill described the machine as a DNA extraction tool that can pick up ‘touch DNA’ from grooves in a rock once held by the perpetrator.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was just 39 when she was bludgeoned to death with a concrete block on the laneway to her home at Toormore between Schull and Goleen, and no one has been convicted of her murder.

‘We are all pleased with the progress in the case,’ said Bill, who welcomed the ongoing garda review of the case. Even though it has been 27 years since her murder, the feelings people have for Sophie are as strong as ever, he said.

‘The Association for Truth and Justice for Sophie is not a sentimental group,’ said Bill. ‘It is very matter-of-fact. All of us keep up the struggle, the search for truth. People are biding their time waiting for a break in the case.’

Bill recalled that Sophie once described her life in Paris as ‘a multi-storey.’

‘She was like that,’ he added. ‘She was one of those people who could operate on so many different levels. She was an all-rounder – beautiful and witty, complex and highly intelligent.’