Cold Case Review of Sophie Tuscan du Plantier murder to proceed. **Threadbans in OP**

It is widely accepted that Sophie kept a diary, she was known to update it religiously and always kept it upon her person.

She recorded all her thoughts and expectations, and one would presume her fears.....

Her diary was never recovered from the cottage, nor among her personal belongings, nor was it recovered back in France.

it's missing.

Obviously, this raises the question... Who would steal it? What revelations were enclosed within the pages of the journal? Was the contents of that diary related to Sophie's death??

One item that Sophie was never without... Just dropped off the face of the Earth.

And the vino?

I hadn't previously twigged that the wine Sophie bought in Schull was a bottle of champagne. This was found unopened in her house, I believe. I'm sure someone will correct me if not.

In my opinion you don't buy champagne to drink on your own. So she must have been expecting company.

The champagne is mentioned in this French YT video. It is in another one too but I can't refind that one at the moment.

I am just surprised it doesn't seem to get much coverage (if any) in the English language media. I suppose the implication she was expecting a visitor spoils the narrative. Her paramour didn't show but in a million to one chance she opened the door to her killer thinking it was he. It makes the jettisoned bottle more of a mystery. If Sophie had to buy a gift in Schull what was the other bottle for? That could only come from France. Maybe the perpetrator got hold of the French bottle and left it as a red herring to back up the French connection canard to mix my metaphors.

We don't.

It was found a km. away on the Kealfada road by John Hellen.

It could be anyone's, it's all guesswork. No trace of where it came from, no fingermarks, other than the finder and his family members who handled it.

It was found a yard in off the road in a grassy ditch.

It may have nothing to do with Sophie at all, but you must admit, it's a strange find in such a place at such a time.

In the same doco it also says

"elle commande aussi un exemplaire du monde chez le marchand journaux elle compte passer plusiers jours ici"

Which I get as - she also ordered a copy of Le Monde from the newsagent as she plans to stay several days here.

Which makes it look like she wasn't planning to go back Monday or Tuesday. Would anyone order a newspaper for one day? She would have to leave in the early hours Tuesday to get the Cork to Paris plane.

The champagne is mentioned in a 26 December 1999 Sunday Indo article by Liz Allen. I don't see it in the publicly available crime scene photos. Maybe because it is of significance?

If anything it could be construed as a black mark against Bailey. If he had the wine in the car when Shirley spoke to him on the road (if it was the main road?) telling him about the Garda cordon he might have rapidly disposed of it.

But why take that bottle from the house but not the champagne? It's not like a sommelier recommends a fine wine to accompany murder.

Bailey had already passed the spot on the Kealfada road where the bottle was found when he met Shirley down the boreen, assuming he was coming from his house direction..