Murder at the Cottage | Sky

You just tagged me by quoting me.

I don't know anything about them. Sorry. I knew Alfie through work and my then in-laws who were long standing friends of his, and had a house in different part of West Cork.

My connection is foodie crowd not Scull locals.

Try to address the part of my post that deals with specifics which are on record rather than giving us your version of an investigation which is definitely not on record.

Alfie Lyons' 90% recollection of introducing Ian Bailey to Sophie was very damaging to Ian who was being accused of murder. That leads me to consider that if he was happy to say something like that without being certain he's a suspicious character. Especially since Ian Bailey is far more credible in this instance.

The same applies to Shirley's sighting of Ian on the laneway to her house.

They would have been highly unreliable witnesses. To put it mildly. Lots of people here can see that and wonder why.

Not to mention all Alfie's plants had been eaten by goats in 1995.

Making suggestions he was involved in Sophie's death due to 'drugs' all the more farfetched.

I'd say that anyone who entered the house when she wasn't there would have had a duplicate key. Maybe there was one left out somewhere just in case.

Year last April or so I heard a fox scream for the first time ever. It was chilling, and if I hadn't read up prior that it was very much like a female screaming I'd have had a heart attack. After running downstairs, I flicked on the side light to see the rear of a fox going over the boundary and into the field next to us.

Now, if I heard the same sound living in a town I would be convinced it was a female in distress (it was that similar).

I'd be wondering if it was actually a fox that was heard that night?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTx8RxK3hqQ

I don't know why she said that, perhaps she thought it possible. She may not have told her (Hellen) of an emergency hidden key outside. Sophie was described as secretive as well as tough and (strangely) fragile.

Thanks for that. Judging by that data, if Sophie did scream, then it would be hard to believe that Alfie and Shirley didn't hear anything at all. The screams of foxes actually do sound different and would not be as loud as a woman screaming on top of her lungs in fear of her life. Even for those who don't know the screams of foxes would be identified as different to somebody human.

Another thought that I would find interesting to share: If Sophie would have discovered that somebody had access to her house in her absence either by picking her lock or having a spare key, and using her bathtub or doing whatever in her absence I would suggest that Sophie would not only have consulted with her housekeeper, but also with the police. Would the ( corrupt ) police then have known that Sophie was up to something? No idea? We can only speculate here.

What we also don't know is that the media, whether it's Netflix, Sky or various newspaper articles etc... really tell us all about the case? Maybe more is known, deliberately held back, not shared with the public? - just in case?

True what is reported is not the whole story and differs on details. There is probably more that is held back for various reasons.

First I heard of it.

The morning Sophie's body was found my then mother in law told me a terrible thing had happened and Shirley had found the body of that French woman who lived next door. She had just gotten a phone call from I assume Alfie. Our concern was for Shirley. Who was by all accounts in bits.

Although we saw them as usual over the holidays in the in-law's house we didn't talk to them about the murder as tbh it would have been crass to bring it up if they didn't. And they didn't.

Next mention I remember was early in the new year when father in law said his brother had been asked to give a statement about the party in Aug. Someone had given the AGS a list of people who were there but it wasn't correct or complete. My suspicion is IB gave the list.

Father in law went to guards, explained it was him not his brother and all they were interested in was did IB mention Sophie. He told them to talk to me.

He then told me to expect a call as the guards suspected IB and would be asking me about the party. I said who the f is Ian Bailey?

Turned out to be the tall bloke I had been talking to for hours. If I ever knew his name I had forgotten it.

There was shock all round that IB was the prime suspect, including Alfie and Shirley. No one could figure out what motive he would have.

Shirley never said anything in my presence about seeing IB, and if she had said it to the in laws they would have mentioned it.

Look, my impression was Bailey wasn't well liked but also wasn't the worst. A blowhole braggard drunk who could also be witty and charming. I think he fancied himself as an Oliver Reed type. But people were genuinely shocked that he was in the frame. The suspicion- based on no real evidence- was that it was connected to Sophie's life in France.

Alfie was a cranky sod, and one of the few people who tolerated IB. Shirley wasn't that fond of him. I can't see either of them lying to protect him, but neither can I see either of them lying to drop him in it.

They wanted the murderer caught so they could get on with their retirement plans in peace.

Banna Thai was not the name of the restaurant Alfie had that was famed for the glacial speed at which the food came out of the kitchen. 😉

I believe there's a Thai restaurant of that name in Ballincollig.