Murder at the Cottage | Sky

Bailey tweeted this a few minutes ago...

Barely legible but seems to say that some families are being harassed to come forward with information. The suggestion is this is as a result of rumours on forums. I wonder if it is related to the Guard in Bantry?

If anyone has access to the article, the text would be appreciated.

Interesting, a couple of things stand out.

1. There are people crazy enough to travel across the country to confront unsuspecting families based purely on speculation online.
2. The family of the Bantry detective flat out deny there is any truth to the deathbed confession rumour.

I'm all for brainstorming and theorising here but taking the law into your own hands to try and elicit a statement from someone who is related to a person who is rumoured to have made a confession to somebody else is taking things way too far.

That said, which one of ye was it? 🤣

There is no point in activity like this. The family of the deceased Guard from Bantry certainly won't talk, because they won't want to bring any bad light on them, regardless if the Guard in question is now dead. If they felt the need and peace of mind to talk, they would have by now. Remember it's been 25 years since the murder, and 20 years after the death of the Guard from Bantry.

Even if a member of the family would confirm the deathbed confession of this Guard from Bantry as correct, it would most likely have no further legal meaning. Bailey was never convicted in Ireland, so it wouldn't help him.

The issue Bailey has is with that court case in France and the international extradition treaty, which as only been ruled as not applicable in Ireland. Even with Marie Farrells wrongful whiteness statement, the French did never consider a re-trial, for whatever reason?

It's like Ireland's very own Pizzagate

😛

Bailey did not have 'defence wounds' on his hands and face. If he received wounds from Sophie during the assault, where's the forensics under fingernails etc etc

And the DPP was satisfied Bailey's scratches happened the day before as he described them.

There's no evidence of Bailey at the crime scene or in Sophie's house either. No motive.

Can you give us a list of all the known woman beaters in the area, their movements and whereabouts on the night in question, if it's such a key indicator of someone's guilt?

Can you give us a list of all the people who have made a joke in bad taste about the murder in the area?

Your powers or deduction are frighteningly good. Ever thought of joining AGS? Are you any good at drawing sketches?

Like a prowler who was in the area, who states years later that the row started over a bottle of pilfered wine..?

And gives an exclusive to Nick Foster..

Mad Ted.

It could be anyone that was in the area at that time and ended up in a prison.

The thing is, 25 years on, there won't be any new revelations, certainly not by any writer, journalist or poet. I also don't want to kill anybody's show here, but I can safely say that anybody should refrain from any future books on the subject like "Sophie's murder, what really happened, - the exclusive story" etc.. and that kind of talk.

Mysterious man, stalker, prowler, with dark coat, upturned collar, smoking a cigar/pipe and wearing a hat, having a full beard has been seen days before the murder at odd hours in the area....blablabla....... Bailey had never written such a book, as there was nothing he knew for certain, and the same would apply for anybody else who would attempt to do that, other than making money.......

After 25 years, I doubt they will ever be able to connect any murder weapon to the murder and to the site so that it could hold up in any civilized court. They couldn't do that 25 years ago, they can't now. Any witnesses or credible witnesses didn't exist back then, they don't exist now, and neither did evidence in form of DNA, fingerprints, hair, etc....

Sure.

Just for the exercise, what would we need to really convict somebody, 25 years later?

How about that poke for the fireplace which is still missing. Suppose it's ever found, with Sophie's blood on one side, and the finger prints of say Bailey at the other end of it? It'll be a good piece of evidence for a conviction, eh. Then we wouldn't have to speculate whether Bailey walked for nearly one hour over to Sophie's, killed her, and then back again after a night out in the pub, we actually had real evidence.

I presume Jules' house has been searched, same as Alfie's and Shirley's, and if Bailey really did it, he would most likely have discarded that poke somewhere, or thrown it into the sea, and wiped his fingerprints of before....

Thanks for that one. So it's the hatchet not the poker. Suppose the hatchet was used to deliver the first blow to Sophie, unless it can be found, traced to the killer as well as to Sophie, there is nothing one can ever do that could hold up in any civilized court to convict somebody.

Suggesting the killer was local, like Bailey, or Alfie or Shirley they would at least have hiked to any cliffs to throw the hatchet into the sea thus disposed of the murder weapon. It's unlikely that it will ever be found there. If the killer was using a car, like a Ford Fiesta and was from Bantry than the choices to dispose of the hatchet would have been even greater.

The bottle of wine or who was using the bath tub is only a minor thing one can speculate about, but in relation to a conviction it's basically nothing.

If the bottle can be traced to a suspect that wasn't supposed to be there it may be very relevant. Well work looking into.

Your forgetting there woudnt have been any house searches done by the gardai until at least a month after the murder. Plently of time for anyone to dispose of a murder weapon or clothes.

If IB did do the murder i wonder now that IB and Jules are recently split up she may feel the need to unburden some new information. Would a possible written statement from her that shes helped IB cover up the murder be enough to convict him. She may in turn strike a deal with the authorities to get herself off the hook.

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Beggars would ride:

If turnips were watches

I would wear one by my side.

And if if’s and an’s were pots and pans,

There'd be no work for the tin smith's hands!