French judge visits scene of Toscan du Plantier killing

Judge Patrick Gachon, the French judge presiding over an inquiry into the 1996 killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, visited the scene of her death in west Cork earlier this month.

The judge spent eight days in Ireland to meet key witnesses and revisit the scene of Ms Toscan du Plantier’s unexplained murder, reports The Irish Times.

Judge Gachon reportedly also met with senior gardaí officers.

French investigators previously visited the area in 2011.

Alain Spilliaert, the lawyer acting for Ms Toscan du Plantier’s family, praised the judge’s decision to visit the area, which was not announced by French authorities.

Mr Spilliaert told The Irish Times: “We see this visit by Judge Gachon as indicative of the seriousness with which he is approaching his task, and hopefully now it will help him conclude his investigation into the murder.

“The case has gone on for nearly 20 years now, and it is in everyone’s interest that a file be prepared on the matter and presented to the public prosecutor in Paris for a decision.”

Ms Toscan du Plantier, a little-known French film producer, was beaten to death outside her holiday home in Cork in December 1996.

The initial investigation into the controversial murder was dogged with mistakes and the killing remains unsolved.

The extradition of an Irish suspect to France was ordered by the High Court in Dublin in 2010, but overturned on appeal two years later.