Murder at the Cottage | Sky

He is very much the main focus of attention in the real world. Here in Conspiracy Theory land we have a few individuals working hard to keep some focus on a dead Garda. The theory emanates from an article written for Village magazine a few years ago by Garda hater in chief Gemma O Doherty. Bailey himself last week on primetime TV was apparently pushing the same theory. Presumably he doesn`t think that there is a French connection to the murder anymore.

Anyway, Gemma related that Martin O Sullivan was on his way to work when he was dangerously overtaken by a blue Ford at 7-30 on the morning of the murder. She claims that O Sullivan gave a statement to Gardaí about the incident. I would question whether this is actually true and if a statement actually ever existed. Gemma doesn`t seem to have seen it because she is vague on where exactly the incident occurred but it seems it was somewhere between Sophie`s boreen and Bantry. She says that O Sullivan "believes" the car was a Fiesta. These words suggest doubt to me which makes me wonder how certain the witness can be that the car was even a Ford. I would also question how certain he could be that a car overtaking him in the dark with lights on was blue.

Gemma goes on to tell us about a local guard who was a handsome lothario with a taste for foreign women. She says he drove a blue Ford (again unspecific). No evidence, just Gemma`s word. She goes on to say that Sophie may have known this guard by complaining to him about local drug issues. So no evidence that the two were ever in contact with each other. Where is the evidence that Sophie ever even made a complaint about drugs at all? Leo Bolger was convicted in 2010, fourteen years after the murder. It is highly unlikely he was growing weed on his land in 1996. It would have been uncovered in the searches for evidence after the murder.

Another point worth mentioning. Gemma tells us the guard is now dead. She claims that he was a very disturbed man on his death bed, but nothing more. No deathbed confession then? So no connection at all between Sophie and the dead guy, no death bed confession, I wonder how many blue Fords were driving around Cork in `96? And even then it probably has no association with the murder. She also suggests that the fact that there were no fingerprints on the two wine glasses is evidence of a garda cover up. Sophie didn`t wash the glasses lads. The Gardaí wiped them down because yer mans prints were all over them. Really.

Out of interest what have you listened to or watched out of

1) Netflix

2) Jim Sheridan

3) West Cork Podcast

What's your explanation for the missing pages from a Jobs Book in Bantry station?

Malachy Boohig, state solicitor for west Cork, gave evidence in the High court about a meeting in Bantry with Detective Dwyer and Chief Supt. Camon;

"He said the meeting "continued for a good hour with both gardai continuing that I would have to persuade the director(DPP)".

Afterwards, two gardai followed him to the hallway: "Both stated in very strong terms that I would have to persuade the director to direct a prosecution," wrote Mr Boohig. He said one officer said he was "aware I had attended college and studied with John O'Donoghue, the then justice minister, and that I should use that connection to talk to the minister to see if something could be done. I made no reply. I did not contact the minister."

Asked whether Chef Supt Camon, just after that meeting, told Mr Boohig he understood he and then Minister for Justice John O’Donoghue had gone to the same college and would Mr Boohig get the Minister to have a word with the DPP, Mr Dwyer said he never heard Supt Camon say that.

He himself never asked Mr Boohig to get on to the Minister for Justice or anyone else and in 40 years as a Garda never asked a politician to do anything for himself or the Garda force, he said."

Mr Boohig informed Eamonn Barnes the DPP at that time;

"Mr Barnes was "quite clear" in his recollection. "Mr Boohig rang asking to see me about a matter which he did not wish to discuss over the telephone. He said that if I was available he would come to Dublin that afternoon from west Cork," Mr Barnes recalled in his email. Mr Boohig warned him how gardai asked him to use his connection with the minister to put pressure on Mr Barnes. "I was of course well aware of the anxiety of the gardai to charge Bailey and not just the gardai in west Cork, strong and persistent advocacy having being deployed by them on the office for some considerable time," Mr Barnes wrote."

Detective Dwyer is saying that the DPP and a state solicitor are lying. Or else he is?

You are being ridiculous - Why would he have to pick 'one theory and stick to it as you put it'. If he didnt do it himself then he is just like the rest of us and can only speculate on who may have done it. Lets face it there is a long list of suspects and motives so why would he focus on only one theory.

I'm sure with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight he might take a different approach. Perhaps at the time he thought the gards might solve the case

But he was still talking about the French hitman theory (without much conviction, no pun intended) as recently as June.

Has he discovered dramatic new evidence pointing towards the deceased guard in the last few months?

He just looks like someone desperately clutching at straws.

IB knows no more than the rest of us ( thats if he didnt do it of course! ). All he can do is raise any theory thats plausible to help clear his name. I think most people would do the same in his position. The guard, hitman, drugs etc theories are all plausible however coming up with new evidence 25 years after the murder is unlikely - the theories do deserve consideration though. He is right in bringing the other theories to public attention - not everyone knows the ins and outs of the' dodgy investigation and dealings' relating to this case. Alot of people have changed there view on Bailey being guilty by familiarising themselves with the case over the summer. If anything the documentaries have highlighted this.

Yeah, Googling some of the coverage of IB's theories about the murder, it seems he's not really coming forward with each new or reheated theory like it was the Third Secret of Fatima, and that's more the spin the media are putting on it. Certainly what he's actually saying in that Cork Beo article was a lot more tentative than the blaring headline. If he doesn't have a single strong counter-theory that he can get behind 100%, I guess it's fair enough for him to highlight the range of alternatives and whatever evidence there is to support them...

IB is innocent until proven guilty. Its not for him to put forward viable cases against the murder in order to clear his name. Its up to the Gardai to have undertaken a thorough and competent investigation.

Can you just give us one example of how these pages might go missing for an innocent reason.

Gene Kerrigan, Independent.ie in 2018;

"It was not an exemplary investigation. There appears to have been a fixation on getting Ian Bailey. We will say no more than that. What happened some time later was even more disturbing. This was after the case had become controversial and questions were raised about the hounding of Bailey.

In Jobs Book No 2, on page nine, Bailey was mentioned as a suspect.

Pages one to seven, just before this, are missing.

The two pages following the mention of Bailey, pages 10 and 11, are also missing.

Jobs Books are bound, the pages could not fall out.

Gsoc sent the book to an experienced forensic scientist in Northern Ireland. He found that the pages had been cut from the book, probably using scissors.

Nine pages deleted.

Let us put this in context.

There was no credible evidence against Ian Bailey."