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Jules Thomas cross-examined on 1997 garda statements

Jules Thomas is giving evidence regarding her statements to gardaí during her arrest in 1997
Jules Thomas is giving evidence regarding her statements to gardaí during her arrest in 1997

Ian Bailey's partner, Jules Thomas, has resumed giving evidence at the High Court.

Ms Thomas is being cross-examined about her claims that her statements to gardaí during her arrest in 1997 contained "omissions, additions and inventions".

She said a letter of complaint was sent by her solicitor a few weeks after her arrest in February 1997.

However, it was put to her that the letter was not sent until the following year.

Ms Thomas said she would not have thought it was that long after, but she could not be precise about dates as it was now 18 years on.

It was also put to her that a statement she claimed was originally 17 pages, but was reduced to 11 when she received a copy, was in fact only ever six pages long.

Ms Thomas was shown a copy of the statement she had signed at Bandon Garda Station on 10 February 1997.

She agreed she had signed the statement, but said it had been read out to her by gardaí. She said she was not convinced that what they read out was what was actually written down.

"There were a lot of papers being shuffled around and put in front of me. I did not know what was going on, but I signed a statement that was read out to me when it sounded like what I had said, but I know for a fact that is not what was actually written down on the pages in the end," she said.

It was put to her that she had never been specific about what exactly she was claiming was not correct about the statements and that the letter of complaint later sent by her solicitor was unspecific. 

Ms Thomas said she had been specific to her solicitor when pointing out the errors.

Mr Bailey, who is 57, and from the Prairie, Schull in west Cork, is suing the Garda Commissioner, Minister for Justice and the Attorney General for damages in relation to his treatment as a suspect for the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in west Cork in December 1996. 

The defendants deny the claims.

Ms Thomas was asked about the contents of her statement given to gardaí in February 1997 when she was recorded as telling them that the night before the body of Ms Toscan Du Plantier was discovered Mr Bailey had remarked that he had "a bad feeling that something was going to happen".

In the witness box today, she said this was pure invention and that she had never said it.

The statement also recorded her as saying Mr Bailey had stopped the car on their way home that night and had looked over and said something about Alfie Lyons' (a neighbour of Ms Toscan Du Plantier) house having a light on.

Again, Ms Thomas said this was invented and she had never said it.

She was also recorded as having said she believed Mr Bailey may have intended going back out later that night, perhaps to Mr Lyons' house, and she said this was not true, she had never said it.

She said she would never have agreed with this because it was not true and she would not have said it.

Ms Thomas denied telling gardaí that Mr Bailey had "been so normal and acted so cool over Christmas" that she had no feeling about him "ever having done such a thing".

Ms Thomas also denied that she had told gardaí she felt betrayed and abused by Mr Bailey and that she had been "duped".

She also denied saying it would be "shattering" if he was at Kealfada bridge as a witness had suggested and that there was "strong evidence to connect him to the murder of the French woman".

Ms Thomas said she never said those things to gardaí because it was completely contrary to what she was feeling.

Senior counsel for the State, Paul O'Higgins, said it was "completely pointless for gardaí to make up such statements if they were trying to fit someone up" because what she was saying offered no evidence against Mr Bailey.

Mr O'Higgins said "from the gardaí's point of view it wasn't worth tuppence if you're trying to fit someone up. There was no point at all in making it up".

He put it to Ms Thomas that gardaí were faithfully recording what was said.

Ms Thomas said: "I don't know what they were up to."

However, she agreed she would have told gardaí it was common for Mr Bailey to get up during the night as he often wrote at night.

It was put to Ms Thomas that in later interviews after her arrest for a second time she was "in no way cowed or in some sort of tizzy" as she suggested.

Mr O'Higgins said she had told gardaí: "If you have enough evidence, why don't you charge him?”

Ms Thomas said she was getting angry because they were putting all these things to her that were not true.

Mr O'Higgins suggested she was "giving as good as you get".