Murder at the Cottage | Sky

Or on the other hand someone highly credible privately told a guard something damning about Bailey but point blank refused to go on the record...

Yes, if true a game changer.

But its hard to accept that 1) Both Alfie and Shirley kept such an important piece of information secret, 2) Once reported to the Gardai, it went no further and 3) that such a critical element of this saga, which has generated world-wide interest, only emerges after 25 years.

One of the first questions the Gardai would have asked Alfie and Shirley would have been " did you see anyone around last night or this morning?"

I wonder if Banasidhe, who knew/knows Shirley personally, would be willing to comment?

Re the 'expensive' bottle of French wine thrown into the bushes. Could it be that this was brought by the killer as a peace offering and thrown away in anger by Sophie? Triggering a fight.

What vintage was the wine? Maker? and were fingerprints taken?

You assume that Bailey would have knocked at Alfie`s after the murder, but he could have before. Why?....The garlic you mentioned is believed by the Gardaí to be a code word for cannabis. Bailey was trying to locate some the day after the murder. That would be another reason for him to head over to Alfie`s that night. Anyway, I would imagine that Alfie and Shirley were completely traumatized by events. I think people completely underestimate just how fearful many locals are of Bailey. The reality is that somebody in that community liked to ramble around at night and was capable of committing a brutal murder.

Neither Alfie or Shirley made a statement to Gardaí that Bailey was over that night. If they did we wouldn`t be here discussing it. But would they have been so afraid that they might have said nothing until one of them let it slip years later? Maybe.

I quickly edited the post when I found the correct link, but when you quote the post it shows the pre-edited version. PITA...

This is it -

https://www.reddit.com/r/cork/comments/odgiff/sophie_toscan_du_plantier/h40lx5q/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Yes, I see your point.

If the pair were that terrified of him perhaps they would have kept quiet about it.

But the claimant on reddit states that the information was reported to the Gardai. If so, why would they sit on it for twenty years? It probably would have been enough for them to re-submit the case to the DPP.

If the Gards believed it and if there was a possibility that Alfie opened the door to Bailey after or around the time of the murder then the Gards could have arrested Alfie and questioned him under caution. There is no way they would have let the smoking gun drift away on the air.

Earlier on the thread there were a couple of other theories mentioned.

Someone had stolen it from a holiday home but didn't have a corkscrew - there were reports of holiday homes being broken into at the time.

Someone had taken it from Sophie's as a 'souvenir' and thought better of it so ditched it.

The "peace offering" gone wrong idea is interesting also.

The very fact, that the said wine was not available for purchase in Ireland at the time, and was only available at the airport speaks volumes.

Typically, back in the 90's, there was not many natives prepared to spend £60 - £70 on a bottle of wine coming back from their holidays (where ever)..

So the expensive bottle of French wine found in the vicinity of the murder scene is relevant.

Based on what we know, the wine was brought in from an airport, and was found discarded near to the scene of where a French national was murdered.

The wine was unopened...

So the question is, why was is dumped in a field further up from the crime scene? Or was it flung from a speeding car? if so, why?

1) Yes, it could well have been a peace offering for Sophie from some love torn ex.. Peace offering denied, row ensued, lost the run of himself, battered Sophie, seen the wine on the front seat whilst making off, fires it out the window (obviously can't board a plane back to France with bottle of alcohol).

2) The murderer went back to the house to turn off the light and close the door, see's the French wine and decides to take it as a souvenir. Whilst fleeing the scene, reality kicks in, see's the incriminating bottle of wine and dumps it.

3) The drunken poet does the dastardly deed, walks back to close the door, see's the bottle of wine on the table, can't resist..... Thinks better of it whilst making his escape..

4) The horney Gard batters Sophie, still feeling a little amorous, rings the Babe Farrell to come and collect him, and see's a gift he can bestow on her, to get her into the mood like... Loosen the knickers like...

5) Had somebody previously stolen the wine from Sophie's house (before the murder), somebody near the locality, maybe the person who was taking baths there during Sophie's absence..?? When realising the significance of having expensive French wine in their house (for all the neighbours to see), thought better of it and dumped it. (Granted, it would have been easier to wash the label off it and dispose at a bottle bank or similar, but what if the person had no means of transport, and shat themselves at the thought of being implicated in a murder)

There is a reason for everything, and an expensive bottle of French wine dumped in a field is extraordinary. It didn't sprout legs and get there itself, there is a reason why it was disposed there. It was incriminating in some way to the person that discarded it there.

I'm pretty sure this is one of the items the Gardai no longer have.

I agree that the bottle of wine could be very relevent but it equally could be irrelevent. The bottle could have been discarded long before the murder or indeed after the murder.

Did Sophie keep a stock of french wine in the house? If she didnt than it very well could have been bought to the house by a visitor.

I dont think us Irish appreciated expensive bottles of wine in the 90's!

This was reported 6 years after the murder, in 2003 or 2004, which is at least 2 years after AGS were rebuked by the DPP and the case (at least against IB) had been shelved.