Netflix has announced a new true crime series on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier which will drop next month.
TV documentary producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier was killed in West Cork in 1996 and it became one of Ireland's most well-known murder cases. The French woman's murder shocked the country and triggered one of the biggest investigations the country had ever seen.
Sophie travelled to her holiday home in the picturesque area in December 1996 and was found beaten to death two days before Christmas. The key suspect in Sophie's murder is English journalist Ian Bailey, who was also the first person on the scene after her death.
Sophie: A Murder in West Cork was filmed on location in Ireland and in France, and will feature contributions from Sophie's family, including her son Pierre-Louis Baudey and residents from Schull and the local press.
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The series was produced by Oscar winning producer Simon Chinn and was directed by BAFTA nominee John Dower.
Executive producers Lavery and Simon Chinn, said: "Sophie was much more than a victim of a murder. She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a filmmaker and a writer. Whatever actually happened on that cold December night in 1996, the story is one of a collision of worlds, cultures and characters and it was that which drew us to it.
"But it was meeting and gaining the trust of Sophie's family which really gave us our purpose. Justice has eluded them for a quarter of a century since Sophie's death and their main aim in cooperating with us to make this series is to do justice to her memory. We hope we have achieved that, for them."
Ian Bailey was arrested by local police following eye-witness reports, however he was never found guilty in Ireland, owing to a lack of reliable evidence.
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In 2019, Bailey was found guilty in absentia by the French courts and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Having successfully fought repeated extradition requests from the French authorities, Bailey still resides in West Cork and maintains his innocence to this day.
News of Netflix's documentary series looking into Sophie's case comes after Sky announced their own six-part docu-series which will also investigate the shocking murder.
Murder at the Cottage will debut later this year and will see Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan speak to Sophie's family and Ian Bailey.
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Sophie: A Murder In West Cork premieres 30th June 2021 on Netflix.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV and Film, True Crime, Netflix