Sophie Toscan du Plantier was a French television producer[3] who was killed outside her holiday home near Toormore, Schull Co Cork, Ireland, on the night of 23 December 1996. A mother of one, Toscan du Plantier was 39.

British journalist Ian Bailey was arrested twice by the Irish police, yet no charges were laid as there was insufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Bailey lost a libel case against six newspapers in 2003. He also lost a wrongful arrest case against the Gardaí, minister for Justice, and Attorney General in 2015.

In 2019, Bailey was convicted of murder by the Cour d'Assises de Paris and sentenced to 25 years in prison.He was tried in absentia in France after winning a legal battle against extradition.[5] In 2020, Ireland's High Cort ruled that Bailey could not be extradited.[6]