It’s good to have hope! It was very sad that Sophie’s father died not knowing. I’ve just been looking at the Madeline McCann Netflix series and am struck by the similarities between the Irish and Portuguese police methods. They both seemed to just want a confession - understandably , as they operate under such pressure to solve high profile cases that involve another country. They also seized upon a suspect who was an outsider who inserted himself into the investigation. This derails the whole investigative process - police forces everywhere should learn from these mistakes.
Time does very strange things to memory too - just try telling a family story from years ago - everyone will have different versions. Perhaps if that initial focus on the one suspect hadn’t happened, we would know by now who the killer was. As it stands, memories can’t be considered as any sort of evidence. Our only hope is the science but if these latest DNA tests come back as Bailey’s I’ll be very very suspicious!
I agree with you on memories not being evidence. My memory of yesterday might be evidence, but not 10 years ago. And if 10 unrelated, unconnected people say the same things about yesterday, one might have a case. But all these witnesses were either close friends or nodding acquaintances with a fondness for gossip. I do understand the wish for a confession. With no DNA, no fingerprints, no eye witnesses... what else could they do? I will be looking elsewhere at the media role in this too. Professional jealousy played its part in how the bitter hacks covered the case.
Definitely - professional jealousy is so obvious in much of the writing on this. I particularly noticed it in Senan Molony’s book. He is intimidated just by Bailey’s physical presence but he goes on to talk about what a great journalist he was only to then say his insights into the crime scene etc were because he was the murderer! Jealousy writ large! The funny thing is he doesn’t seem to be at all self aware in this regard.
You make an important point especially re people's anger in the event it turns out they were wrong all along. Ego plays a massive role in people's adherence to their narrative. If a deathbed confession, or, better still, forensic evidence, cleared Ian Bailey post-humously, some people would find a bitter pill to swallow. There is also a hierarchy of suspects, like a popularity contest in reverse, with Bailey at the top, followed by other people who were hated or had no social capital (lovers, unemployed or in low-income careers, outsiders, childless, estranged from family etc). Every community has these people and in West Cork they had quite a few (Heinz Wollny etc).
I see that police in Sophie Du plantier’s case have sent clothes etc to FBI in Quantico for further tests. Also they hope to extract DNA from the concrete block using new technology. See article in Irish Independent of 11/1/25
It’s good to have hope! It was very sad that Sophie’s father died not knowing. I’ve just been looking at the Madeline McCann Netflix series and am struck by the similarities between the Irish and Portuguese police methods. They both seemed to just want a confession - understandably , as they operate under such pressure to solve high profile cases that involve another country. They also seized upon a suspect who was an outsider who inserted himself into the investigation. This derails the whole investigative process - police forces everywhere should learn from these mistakes.
Time does very strange things to memory too - just try telling a family story from years ago - everyone will have different versions. Perhaps if that initial focus on the one suspect hadn’t happened, we would know by now who the killer was. As it stands, memories can’t be considered as any sort of evidence. Our only hope is the science but if these latest DNA tests come back as Bailey’s I’ll be very very suspicious!
I agree with you on memories not being evidence. My memory of yesterday might be evidence, but not 10 years ago. And if 10 unrelated, unconnected people say the same things about yesterday, one might have a case. But all these witnesses were either close friends or nodding acquaintances with a fondness for gossip. I do understand the wish for a confession. With no DNA, no fingerprints, no eye witnesses... what else could they do? I will be looking elsewhere at the media role in this too. Professional jealousy played its part in how the bitter hacks covered the case.
Definitely - professional jealousy is so obvious in much of the writing on this. I particularly noticed it in Senan Molony’s book. He is intimidated just by Bailey’s physical presence but he goes on to talk about what a great journalist he was only to then say his insights into the crime scene etc were because he was the murderer! Jealousy writ large! The funny thing is he doesn’t seem to be at all self aware in this regard.
You make an important point especially re people's anger in the event it turns out they were wrong all along. Ego plays a massive role in people's adherence to their narrative. If a deathbed confession, or, better still, forensic evidence, cleared Ian Bailey post-humously, some people would find a bitter pill to swallow. There is also a hierarchy of suspects, like a popularity contest in reverse, with Bailey at the top, followed by other people who were hated or had no social capital (lovers, unemployed or in low-income careers, outsiders, childless, estranged from family etc). Every community has these people and in West Cork they had quite a few (Heinz Wollny etc).
I should say "the late Heinz Wollny".
I see that police in Sophie Du plantier’s case have sent clothes etc to FBI in Quantico for further tests. Also they hope to extract DNA from the concrete block using new technology. See article in Irish Independent of 11/1/25