French Ambassador to Ireland Vincent Guérend has spoken for the first time about the murder of… Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
peaking to the Sunday Independent this weekend, Mr Guerend said the Irish have a “specific fascination” with the cause, which has not been echoed in her home country of France.
The Ambassador, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September 2020, said “frankly” there is not as much interest in France in the unsolved murder of the 39-year-old mother of a child as there is in Ireland.
“It’s not that she wasn’t known in France, I remember when she died. I was about 25 years old and it made headlines in the French news, but there is much less coverage of this case in France, other than the fact that her husband, Mr Toscan du Plantier, died a few years ago,” said he. .
“I wouldn’t know why, just that there’s a lot less attention.”
French Ambassador Vincent Guérend
Mr Guérend said that in France the murder – which took place on 23 December 1996 – “is seen as a very, very old matter and most young people would know nothing about it”, adding: “There seems to be a specific Irish fascination are with this case.”
He has not watched recent high-profile documentaries about the unsolved murder, but said he understands why the Irish are “very impatient” to uncover the identity of her killer.
On why the case still appeals to so many people here after 25 years, he said: “Firstly, she was a young, very glamorous, beautiful woman who was married to a French filmmaker, living in a very beautiful part of Ireland in West -Cork. So it was her personal characteristics to begin with.
“Second, I think it was the whole scene of the crime – a beautiful place in the summer, but in the winter and early mornings it was very sinister, especially where her remains were found.
“Thirdly, I think the fact that this all happened so tragically at Christmas resonated with people. Finally, I think it’s because it’s been so hard to establish the truth. The whole mystery surrounding it, the fascination with it, unfortunately for her family, makes it a never-ending story.”
Asked if he was happy that the cold case has been reopened, Mr Guérend said he didn’t want to make a personal comment but added: “We trust An Garda Síochána will do their job and if they see the hope that if we shed more light on this, then of course we are very willing to cooperate, if the French police can do something, so let’s hope for the best.”