Ian Bailey extradition hearing set for 31 May

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

A High Court hearing was set for 31 May 2017 to decide whether Ian Bailey should be sent to France to face trial over the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

On 12 May, Justice Tony Hunt told lawyers for Bailey and the Minister for Justice to do their best to have their arguments ready by 31 May. He set aside two days for the hearing, which Bailey was required to attend.

French authorities had served Bailey with an indictment and wanted him to face trial in France for the alleged voluntary homicide of Toscan du Plantier. She was found beaten to death outside her holiday home in Schull, west Cork, in December 1996.

Bailey’s barrister, Ronan Munro SC, said there might be an issue over the validity of the French authority that issued the European Arrest Warrant. He said a prosecutor had issued it and questioned whether that constituted a valid judicial authority.

Bailey denied all links to Toscan du Plantier’s death and alleged a garda conspiracy to frame him for her killing.