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Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s murder probe unit seize items including laptop & memory sticks from Ian Bailey’s flat

UP to 10 officers began searching Bailey’s rented ground floor flat on Barrack Street in Bantry at 10am

• Ann Mooney
• John Kierans

• Published: 21:23, 26 Jan 2024
• Updated: 21:44, 26 Jan 2024

GARDAI investigating the murder of Sophie Touscan du Plantier confirmed they have raided chief suspect Ian Bailey’s home days after his death.

As part of their investigation into the vicious slaying of the Frenchwoman in Cork in 1996, cops said they have searched a property linked to the former journalist, who died suddenly on Sunday.

Investigators seized a large quantity of items including notebooks and computer equipment for examination, which will be poured over in the coming days.

Up to 10 officers, made up of detectives based in Bantry, who are investigating the killing, assisted by officers from the Serious Crime Review Team from Dublin, began searching Bailey’s rented ground floor flat on Barrack Street in Bantry at 10am on Friday after getting a warrant for the property.

A Garda spokesman told the Irish Sun: “As part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in 1996, Gardai conducted a search under warrant of a residential property in Bantry, County Cork earlier today, Friday 26th January, 2024.

“As this is an ongoing investigation An Garda Siochana will not be commenting further at this time.”

Bailey died from a suspected heart attack on Barrack Street in Bantry around lunchtime last Sunday.

Gardai reportedly spent several hours sifting through Bailey’s belongings and seized a large quantity of personal items, including several notebooks with his writings, as well as his mobile phone, laptop, hard drives and memory sticks and other electronic storage devices.

Earlier, it emerged Bailey had lived in absolute squalor in the last few months of his life, we can reveal.

He had a tiny sitting room cum kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom in the ground floor flat he rented in Bantry, Co Cork

But the suspect in the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier who died suddenly last Sunday never used the bedroom which just had a mattress on it

He slept every night on the coach with his feet on wooden pallets placed at the end of it.

All he ate every day was fish because he passionately believed it was good for the brain and the mind.

A friend who visited him a couple of times said; “ The place was like an absolute tip. There were a huge number of files on his case, plus hundreds of notebooks everywhere, bags of rubbish and empty bottles

“The flat was also full of wooden penises, believe or not, which for some strange reason he carved and would try to sell in the local markets as a bit of a joke.”