THE PARENTS of murdered French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier yesterday spoke of their hope that a visit by a French team of investigators to west Cork this week will help bring their daughter’s killer to justice.
Ms Toscan du Plantier’s father, Georges Bouniol, said the family was pleased that a French investigation team appointed by magistrate Judge Patrick Gachon is travelling to Ireland today to begin interviewing some 30 witnesses in relation to the killing.
“We are very encouraged by this development. We have known of it for some time obviously and we don’t know what possibilities it will yield, but we are pleased that now we have such close co-operation between the Irish and French police and we are hopeful,” he said.
President of the Association for the Truth about the Murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, Jean Pierre Gazeau, said the development offered the family great hope. “This co-operation where the French police are working with the Irish police should have happened in 1997. We have lost almost 15 years but it’s better late than never, and we remain hopeful that this Irish-French investigation will uncover some new clues,” he said.
An uncle of Ms Toscan du Plantier, Mr Gazeau said the association was encouraged by the fact that some 30 of the 31 witnesses whom the French investigation team wished to interview had agreed to meet them to assist the French inquiry.
The five-person investigation team being sent by Judge Gachon from Paris will include three detectives from the Office Central pour La Répression des Violences Aux Personnes in Paris who, accompanied by gardaí, will take statements from the witnesses.
The witnesses are meeting the French team entirely of their own volition and they can choose whether they wish to meet the French team in Garda stations in west Cork, in their homes, or in other locations of their choosing.
In addition, two scientists from the Laboratoire de Police Technique et Scientifique in Paris will examine a number of exhibits gathered by gardaí and carry out tests on them under monitoring by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
