Barry Roche
speaker
96 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard May 2026
last heard 31 May
Barry Roche’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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The Pat Kenny Show · The DNA trail in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier case expands · 31 May 2026
podcast
Three decades on from one of the most shocking murders in modern Irish history, the investigation into the killing of Sophie Toscan du Plantier has taken a new turn.
Gardaí are now seeking assistance from police forces across Europe and beyond in an effort to identify a DNA trace found on the victim's boot, evidence that could yet reshape understanding of a case that has long eluded authorities.
Barry Roach, Southern correspondent with the Irish Times, is on the line.
Barry, good morning.
Good morning, Pat.
Now, will you tell us how long it has been known that there was what they are calling alien DNA was found at the scene?
Yeah, it came to light in 2018 and came to light via Ian Bailey, who your listeners will remember was a suspect, twice arrested for the murder here in Ireland, never charged in Ireland, but was convicted in absentia in France in 2019 of the voluntary homicide of Sophie Tusk on the Plantier.
And in the course of his preparation for that trial, he didn't go to France, but in the course of his preparation for that, his lawyers obtained the French file and it emerged in that file that
in examination had been carried out by French investigators when they came to Ireland in 2011.
And forensic scientists from the Bureau, from the, let me get the correct title, the French forensic team came in 2011 and they conducted
examinations of the exhibits given to them by Gardaí, which included the block, the stone and Sophie's clothing.
And in the course of that examination, they found what they described, or what Ian Bailey said, they described as alien DNA on the right, the tongue of her right boot.
She had these boots with sewn in socks on her at the time that she was murdered.
And they were obviously removed later at post-mortem, but somehow or somewhere, this alien DNA
was on the boot and was phoned by the French police investigators.
And Ian Bailey then revealed that in 2018 and said it wasn't him.
It didn't match his because he had given a sample on Christmas Eve, sorry, New Year's Eve 2000, sorry,
New Year's Eve 1996 to Gardie, and they had provided that to the French, so it didn't match his DNA.
It didn't match his DNA.
So this was from part of the boot.
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