My Room Painter
Lifestyle and Photo & Video
App
Crown Paints’ “MyRoomPainter” is the all in one paint project tool for both DIY and...
Luno Bitcoin Wallet
Finance and Lifestyle
App
Luno makes it safe and easy to buy, store and learn about Bitcoin. Luno is now available in 40...
Sketch Me!
Photo & Video and Entertainment
App
The #1 Sketch App on the AppStore. Over 9 million downloads. ------------------------ Former No.1...
Gubbeen: The Story of a Working Farm and its Foods
Darina Allen and Giana Ferguson
Book
Gubbeen is a 250-acre, traditional farm on the most south-westerly tip of Ireland and is renowned...
Victoria - Season 2
TV Season Watch
Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes joined by Dame Diana Rigg as shooting starts on second series of...
History drama
Cricket Captain 2016
Games and Sports
App
Cricket Captain 2016 The Number One Cricket management game returns for 2016. It’s time for...
With a Little Bit of Blood
Book
In the fourth book from the Agatha Award nominated writing team of D.E. Ireland, famous literary...
Erika (17788 KP) rated Sophie: A Murder In West Cork in TV
Jul 31, 2021
The documentary series had a wide variety of talking heads, from Du Planier’s family, friends, locals, various members of the Garda, and surprisingly, the main suspect. Du Planier’s private life seemed complicated, and it was definitely going to be utilized against her throughout the entire thing.
The case was interesting, Du Planier was found in a bramble bush a few days before Christmas. With seemingly no leads, and a haphazard investigation, I didn’t know how they would end up with a suspect. The first episode set everything up, establishing what the town was like by interviewing the locals. There was even a little spookiness brought in. A few days before her death, Du Planier had visited some ruins, and saw a white lady, which was an omen of death. Pretty interesting, and you wouldn’t think it was pertinent, however, Du Planier took it seriously.
If you watch enough true crime documentaries, you know normally what a killer would do, revisit the scene, be overly helpful, etc. It was clear as soon as they introduced the journalist that he was indeed the suspect. However, when the second episode started, the series was taken over by the main suspect, journalist and ‘poet’, Ian Bailey. As one of Du Planier’s family members quipped, he loves to be interviewed.
Somehow, Bailey had all of this insider knowledge, and wrote somewhat salacious articles about Du Planier, painting her as this woman that entertained all sorts of men. He was also very adamant that the murder was French, and probably her partner or another intimate partner. Bailey was somewhat charismatic, but a complete weirdo. It is common for law enforcement to go after the ‘others’ in society, so was he targeted because he was eccentric? Who knows?
It was clear that the Garda in this area had no idea as to what to do. They may have also had a little tunnel vision because the village creep was poking around the crime scene.
I’m all for presenting all sides to a case, but having the suspect take over in a very charismatic way is not the best approach. The Garda in the area, inexperienced in investigating murders, was obviously not equipped to deal with the investigation. It was clear from the beginning that it was the primary reason the case hasn’t been officially prosecuted in Ireland.
Whenever your documentary begins to get overtaken by the number one suspect, rather than the victim, I begin to have issues. It was also interesting that at the end of the series, there was actually a statement that Du Planier had been forgotten throughout the entire event, and while she was present, she wasn’t the center of the story.
Bailey seems to be the most likely culprit, though, the Garda couldn’t have convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt. It was interesting that somehow in France, the evidence was considered solid enough for a conviction.
I did generally enjoy the documentary series, but again, I have an issue with the main suspect overshadowing the victim. Also, I didn’t feel like enough evidence was presented, and the majority of it was slightly repetitive. I’m interested to see if the case is ever resolved. Based upon the series, probably not.
mytaxi - The Taxi App
Travel and Navigation
App
Order a taxi now or book in advance through Europe’s largest taxi app – with one simple tap!...
Sky Bet - Sports Betting
Sports and Entertainment
App
Sky Bet, sponsors of the Football League, bring you the most advanced sports betting app for the...