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08th Feb 2018

New podcast will examine one of Ireland’s most notorious unsolved murder cases

Michael Lanigan

It’s been compared to Serial and S-Town.

A new podcast series, which looks at the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Schull, Co. Cork has been released.

West Cork is a 13-part investigative series carried out by the journalist Sam Bungey and documentarian Jennifer Forde, which goes into great depth on the unsolved case.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was found dead outside her holiday home near Schull on 23 December 1996. A French filmmaker, she had been beaten to death. However, after more than 21 years, nobody has been charged with her murder.

The chief suspect was and still is the journalist, Ian Bailey, who was arrested twice in connection with the killing. The initial tip-off for his arrest was when, on 4 February 1997, a schoolboy named Malachi Reid said in a Garda statement that Bailey told him he had bashed her “fucking brains out”.

Bailey has always maintained his innocence and continues to engage in legal action against the State.

West Cork features in-depth interviews with Bailey, Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s family and friends, detectives who worked on the case, forensic experts, locals and witnesses.

It has already been compared to the smash hit true crime podcast series’ S-Town and Serial, both of which were produced and created by members of the radio show, This American Life that has seen contributions from Bungey in the past.

Audible members can listen to West Cork for free, while non-members can listen as part of a 30-day-trial.

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