Family of Toscan du Plantier ‘frustrated’ at High Court judgement

Jean Pierre Gazeau says family’s lawyers will analyse text of Monday’s court judgment

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found dead outside her holiday home in Schull in December 1996.
Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found dead outside her holiday home in Schull in December 1996.

The uncle of murdered French film maker Sophie Toscan du Plantier says the family felt frustrated following Monday's High Court judgment which denied a French extradition request for Ian Bailey

The High Court dismissed the Minister for Justice’s application as an “abuse of process”, among other reasons.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Hunt noted that the Supreme Court had ruled in 2012 on a French extradition request, and that it was now 21 years since Ms du Plantier was killed.

He also noted that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had long ago decided there was no basis for charges against Mr Bailey. The judge said he believed he was entitled to regard the "highly unusual state of affairs" as contributing to "a finding of abuse of process".

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Mr Bailey (60) of The Prairie, Liscaha, Schull, west Cork, denies any involvement in the death of Ms Toscan du Plantier, who was found dead outside her holiday home in Schull in December 1996.

Ms Toscan du Plantier's uncle, Jean Pierre Gazeau said the dominant feeling the family felt when they got news from Ireland was "frustration".

“Our lawyers will analyse the text of the judgment, we will react after we analyse carefully.”

He said the family is optimistic that the French prosecutor will conduct a trial of Mr Bailey, in his absence. If he is found guilty then a new arrest warrant will be issued.

Mr Gazeau said that a large part of the reasons given by Mr Justice Hunt had been based on documents from the DPP in 2012. “Those document were deeply biased. I analysed it, I was very precise. That document was not fair.

“We will go back to the content of those documents.”