The parents of murdered French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier yesterday spoke of their continuing grief and how they would not be able to rest until her killer was caught and brought to justice. Georges and Margeurite Bouniol flew into Cork yesterday accompanied by Sophie's aunt, Marie Madeleine Opalka, to attend a memorial Mass for the 38-year-old French film producer who was murdered on December 22nd last year.
"We would give half our life to know who killed her - it was a horrible crime. It is important for us to understand what happened, if anyone can understand, so that we can get on with the rest of our lives," said Mrs Bouniol.
"It is also important for Ireland to understand because it was a country Sophie loved very much. We can't understand why she was assassinated in this way - it was a monstrous crime," she added. Mrs Bouniol stressed repeatedly during a brief interview at Cork Airport that the family had confidence in the gardai investigating their daughter's murder outside her holiday home at Toormore near Goleen in west Cork.
"We have confidence in the Irish police who have been doing a lot of work in the past year and have done all possible research of the place of the crime," she said, adding that she understood it was "a difficult investigation" which might require more time.
But she expressed regret at the failure of the Irish authorities to respond to a request by a French judge, Brigitte Pellegrini, to grant the family access to the case documents.
Under a provision of French law known as the Commission Rogatoire, the family of a murder victim can gain access to all documents in the investigation and the Bouniols' solicitor used the provision to request the documents last April.
"I regret simply that the Commission Rogatoire has not been accepted by the Irish police. An extra asset which may have escaped them might have been spotted by the French police - it would be good for the two police forces to work together."
Mrs Opalka said the family was aware of the differences between Irish law and French law. In France, a suspect was arrested and tried to see if he was innocent whereas in Ireland the State must prove a suspect guilty, she said.
Mrs Bouniol said they had no plans to meet the gardai other than possibly to pay a courtesy call to local investigating Supt PJ Twomey as they had already met him. "It will be simply a courtesy visit," she said.
The purpose of their visit was to revisit Sophie's house and attend the memorial Mass "in the village of Goleen where she was well known and to meet the people who knew her," said Mrs Bouniol. Gardai yesterday denied reports that they planned to make an arrest in connection with the case within the next month. The file is still with the DPP and gardai are awaiting his decision, a source said.
More than half French murder cases unsolved: page15