AN AUTHOR close to the Sophie Toscan du Plantier case has claimed her murder was sparked by an argument over a bottle of wine.
Nick Foster, who wrote Murder At Roaringwater - a book detailing the inside story of the final days of Sophie's life - says that he's positive the French filmmaker was killed by someone she knew.
Ms Toscan du Plantier was brutally murdered outside her holiday home near the town of Schull, Co. Cork in December 1996. She was beaten over the head multiple times with a concrete slab a large stone that were both found on the driveway near her body.
Her killer has never been identified, although many believe evidence points the finger squarely at Manchester-born former journalists Ian Bailey, who was arrested twice by gardaí in the months following Sophie's death.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Foster shared his theories about the night Sophie was murdered, claiming that the killer had in fact struck her over the head with a wine bottle before finishing her off with the stone and the block of concrete.
"The murder of [Sophie] was, I believe, precipitated by an argument over a bottle of wine," he wrote.
"Sophie's assailant knocked on her door in the early hours of [December 23, 1996]. She opened it, and saw a bottle in her porch. He picked it up, and refused to give it back."
1/3: The murder of #sophietoscanduplantier was, I believe, precipitated by an argument over a bottle of wine. Sophie's assailant knocked on her door in the early hours of 23/12/96. She opened it, and he saw a bottle in her porch. He picked it up, and refused to give it back.
— Nick Foster (@NFoster66) October 25, 2021
2/3: #sophietoscanduplantier called out "Monsieur, Monsieur!" after the man. This is not a way a French person would address a prowler or indeed a 'hitman'. It rather suggests Sophie knew her attacker. She was angry with the man for taking the bottle. He then struck her with it.
— Nick Foster (@NFoster66) October 25, 2021
3/3: The man beat all life out of #sophietoscanduplantier using a piece of stone and a concrete block. Sophie's face was unrecognisable to her own mother. This appalling crime cries out for justice. Que cette justice soit enfin rendue. More to follow on 5th November.
— Nick Foster (@NFoster66) October 25, 2021
"[Sophie] called out 'Monsieur, Monsieur' after the man. This is not a way a French person would address a prowler or indeed a 'hitman'.
"It rather suggests Sophie knew her attacker. She was angry with the man for taking the bottle. He then struck her with it.
"The man beat all life out of [Sophie] using a piece of stone and a concrete block. Sophie's face was unrecognisable to her own mother.
"This appalling crime cries out for justice. Que cette justice soit enfin rendue (May this justice be done at last)."
Bailey, who lived a stone's throw away from Sophie's cottage at the time of her death, is the self-confessed prime suspect for the murder.
Despite being arrested by gardaí, Bailey was never charged, but in 2019 was convicted in absentia by a French court and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
In order to serve time, Ireland was agree to extradite Bailey to France, though numerous requests have been rejected over the past couple of years by the Irish courts.
The case has pulled back into the spotlight in recent months following the release of two documentary series about Sophie's murder on Sky and on Netflix.
