A solicitor who represented the late Ian Bailey for over 20 years has described as "extraordinary" and "astonishing" a decision by Tánaiste Micheál Martin to say that his client should have been tried for the murder of French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
Mr Martin made his comments at the launch of the Senan Molony book 'Sophie, The Final Verdict' yesterday.
The Fianna Fáil leader was critical of the decision by the DPP not to prosecute Mr Bailey, who died earlier this year at the age of 66.
He said that there were significant questions that remained unanswered in relation to the death of Ms du Plantier at her remote holiday home in Toormore on the outskirts of Schull in West Cork on 23 December 1996.
In an interview with the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM, Frank Buttimer, solicitor for Ian Bailey, said he could not understand why the Tánaiste opted to weigh in on the case at this juncture.
He described his comments as a "feral attack" on "many of the pillars of the justice of the State".
New book contains 'nothing in the way of hard evidence' - Buttimer
"I was just saying to someone else there a while ago that it’s almost as if he [Martin] woke up after 28 years of not knowing that something has happened, reads a book, which is pompously titled, quote-unquote, 'The Final Verdict' and says, 'my God, this is dreadful. Why didn't we do something about this?'"
Mr Buttimer said the Tánaiste seemed to fully take on board the contents of the book by Senan Molony, which he feels contains nothing in the way of hard evidence.
"The author concedes, I'm lifting quotes here from a newspaper, he says, quote, ‘there are sequences here that would not be allowed in a court of law', end quote. Another quote, 'there are pieces of evidence here that would be struck out by the law and would not be allowed into their court system', end quote.
"What's astonishing is he [Martin] seems to be basing his opinion on the content of a book where stuff is in there that would not be evidential.
"And he goes on to disparage the office of the DPP for declining to prosecute Ian Bailey, the Supreme Court, which he seems to suggest was used in an effort to prevent Bailey's removal, and the other two High Courts which refused to extradite Bailey.
"So it's a feral attack on many of the pillars of justice of the State. Where it comes from, I have absolutely no idea. I would not have any adverse comment to make about Micheál Martin as a politician generally, but I'm surprised at this. I'm just wondering what this rant is all about."
Mr Buttimer said that he has no intention of reading the book by Mr Molony as he is certain it will not contain any new evidence in relation to the case.
Bailey was '100%' innocent - Buttimer
"I did a lot of research into the dreadful murder of Madame Toscan du Plantier. I absolutely assure anybody who's out there listening that there was nothing tangible by way of evidence against Ian Bailey, such as would even have justified a prosecution against him, let alone a removal to the crowd over in France to their system of justice. Where you are effectively guilty until proven innocent with all of the consequences that would have flowed from there."
He maintains that his late client was "100%" innocent.
"100%. Absolutely. Without question. The first time he walked in the door to my office in or about March 1997... he comes to me and he just says to me, 'look, if I'm ever prosecuted because you do defend, you know, you defend people who are accused of crimes and so on'. I said, absolutely. So I knew about the case, but I never had met him. So I spoke to him for a while.
"One gets impressions and one forms opinions of people as one meets them professionally or non-professionally. From that time onwards, I pretty much knew that the concoction against him was a load of rubbish.
"It was absolutely, manifestly obvious that there was nothing to go on."
Mr Buttimer added that he fears the du Plantier case will go unsolved.
"Passage of time is the enemy of acquisition of information. So in all probability no.
"The failure is going right back to 1996/1997, to conduct a proper inquiry. We can’t turn back the clock on that one."
Mr Bailey collapsed and died in Bantry, Co Cork last January.
He was on two occasions detained by gardaí for questioning in relation to the murder of the 39-year-old French national.
Mr Bailey always denied any wrongdoing in relation to the murder of the film producer.
The poet and former journalist was convicted in absentia after a trial in France four years ago. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Officials in France were unable to extradite Mr Bailey to Paris to serve the sentence handed down by the courts.
In an interview with Virgin Media News a month before his death, Mr Bailey said that he had immense sympathy for the family of the late mother of one.
"I know that I cannot do anything about their belief that I am responsible. They have always had my full sympathies. I have expressed that.
"People are entitled to believe what they want to believe. We can’t change what people are going to believe."
