Sophie: A Murder in West Cork - Netflix.

Was anyone else subjected to the same scrutiny as Bailey?

Leo Bolger ; Knew Sophie, did work on her house, had horses on Alfie's field, so still coming and going around the place, the only access to his horses was along the back of Sophie's house close to her back door, happened to remember Alfie introducing Bailey to Sophie....

Wolney; no alibi for the night, history of domestic violence, lived closer to Sophie than Bailey, headed back to Germany shortly after the murder.

The "Man from Marseilles"; also lived closer to Sophie, knew Sophie and his conversation when he met her was inappropriate and upset her, knew where she lived- he had viewed the house she eventually bought. Died by suicide shortly after the murder.

The Man in the Van; Marie Farrell's car-share around the locality on the night of the murder, never found.

Alfie Lyons; Lived next door, heard nothing that night, had disputes with Sophie about the shed and the gate and also about drainage causing problems along the rear of Sophie's house.

Boundary issues with local farmers; she had about 16 acres spread around the locality in 9 different lots, including commonage.

Both French ex-husbands and lover.

and so on.

Of course they 'believed' Marie Farrell wasn't she telling their own story.

But the only place I'm hearing about any of the people you list is here.

No one, journalist, film maker etc has made a case big enough to put any of them on the same level as Bailey.

The Gardai likely never made a case big enough for them to be on the same level as Bailey either because there was nothing to make a case out of.

And as for the "man in the van" with Farrell.

If you are willing to believe that she had a man in the van then you have to be willing to believe she saw Bailey.

You can't pick and choose what you believe of her evidence just to suit your narrative.

I personally don't believe any of it.

In fairness she wasn`t telling a Garda invented story. She may well have been pressurized to identify the man as Bailey but there were firm grounds for believing the first two sightings were Bailey. The Kealfada story was first told to Gardaí by the anonymous Fiona. They even went on Crimeline asking for her to come forward.

Did “Fiona” say she saw Bailey on Kealfada bridge?

Do you mean on the bridge specifically or just the general area of the bridge? Anyway, either way I`m not sure. As Marie, she didn`t have him on the bridge in her statement. He had walked past the road up to Sophie`s house in the direction of Goleen. I think the Crimeline appeal was shown on one of the docs.

I don`t see how the Kealfada sighting could have been "concocted with the urging of the Gardaí". If that was true and they did it to implicate Bailey, then they surely wouldn`t have had him walking towards Goleen.

She made the statement about the shop and Airhill sightings on the 27th of December, which was well before she contacted Gardaí as Fiona. The other thing about the Kealfada sighting is that if the Gardaí helped her make up that story or even believed she made it up, then why did they send a man up to Longford to try and identify her lover boy?

Yes that part is odd alright. All I can think is she did see someone there. That meeting on Jan 28th in Garda Kelleher’s house was also odd, in that no notes were made.There were 2 other Gardai there ; Fitzgerald and Slattery I believe. I don’t think Bailey’s name was in the frame for the Kealfada sighting at this stage. A couple of days later Dwyer says to Bailey “I’ll put you on or near the scene”

Lo and behold a report by Fitzgerald done from memory on the meeting at Kelleher’s house appears on the 7th Feb stating that Farrell had said at the meeting that the man on the bridge was Bailey.

He would say that, wouldn't he!

But you or I are not privy to the amount of investigation that went into other subjects that resulted in their exclusion.

Some assume that because the Gardai fixated on Baily they did not investigate the others.

That's not necessarily the case, the evidence collected in investing others may have turned up absolutely nothing, compared to the man with the scratches, the bonfire, the night out of the house, the history of drunken violence, the confessions to random people.

People read books and watch tv shows and then come on to places like this and they think that they have found something new that the authorities did not know or do, like investigate people other than Bailey thoroughly.

That's true, but there's plenty information on the investigation into Bailey, statements to the media by the Gardaí. Leaked information, photo opportunities of arrests. Even the Cute Hoor, Dwyer holding court in his armchair, all to convince the mob they have their man.

Which goes towards your last point. The books, tv documentaries, newspapers etc. need this drama to sell their story.

For instance, the West Cork Podcast is often quoted on here as if it's the only authority on the case. Yet it devotes just half a minute- yes 30 seconds-towards the end; episode 12 I think titled " Loose Ends" to 2 local suspects. They are not even named, just "the German" and "the Frenchman". Leo Bolger dismissed as a Bull McCabe type character because he wanted to buy land from Sophie.

Edited to add, I don't believe the German, the Frenchman or The Bull are any more likely suspects than Bailey , but were they investigated thoroughly enough?

I don`t see what`s funny about it. Needs must.

Not a week before then, but three days before the visit. Otherwise you are accusing Fitzgerald of fabricating it. The Gardaí had associated Marie Farrells Airhill man with Bailey two weeks before that in mid January. I don`t know when Ceri Williams first told them Bailey was across the street while Sophie was in Spar. But if Fiona said that it was the same man in the three sightings (and there is no reason to think that she didn`t, Marie still maintains this now), then the Gardaí would have been clear in their own heads that the Kealfada man must have been Bailey on January 28th.