Man convicted of French woman's murder dies aged 66

Ian Bailey denied his involvement in the killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier

A man convicted in France of murdering French television producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier in the Republic of Ireland in 1996 has died.

Former journalist Ian Bailey, 66, who was originally from Manchester, died after he collapsed at home in west Cork on Sunday.

He had a severe heart condition and had been a candidate for surgery.

His solicitor Frank Buttimer, who has known Bailey since March 1997, said he was "very upset" to hear of his death.

"I knew Ian was very unwell. We were in communication in the past five days, but I didn't know he was terminally unwell," he told the PA news agency.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier was killed while holidaying in west Cork in 1996

Ms Toscan du Plantier's badly beaten body was discovered by neighbours in a laneway near her holiday home in Schull, County Cork, on 23 December 1996.

Nobody has ever been charged in Ireland in connection with the 39-year-old's death.

Bailey, who lived two miles away, was twice arrested for questioning by gardaí (Irish police) but released without charge.

The murder, and subsequent investigation, has received significant media attention in the years following Ms Toscan du Plantier's death, becoming a notorious and protracted case of unsolved murder.

In May 2019, a court in Paris convicted Bailey in absentia for the murder. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

He denied any involvement in Ms Toscan du Plantier's murder and, as he was not present in court for the French proceedings, he could not appeal the verdict.

Ireland's High Court blocked his extradition to France, where the law allows suspects to be tried for murdering French citizens abroad, on multiple occasions.