Bailey’s ex-partner to sue Netflix over series

• Published date: 23 November 2022
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

and SIMON CARSWELL Netflix and the makers of a documentary series about the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier in west Cork are to be sued by the ex-partner of the main suspect in the case, Ian Bailey

Schull-based artist Jules Thomas is preparing to sue Netflix, production company Lightbox Entertainment and the documentary's director, John Dower, over the three part series, Sophie - A Murder in West Cork, according to papers filed on Monday with the Courts Service.

It is understood Ms Thomas intends to claim in her legal proceedings that the documentary series contains factual inaccuracies about her and will argue that the series made her a social pariah in her west Cork community, affecting her mental and emotional health and damaged her ability to sell her paintings.

She also intends to argue that she never gave permission for the makers of the Netflix documentary series to film inside and outside her west Cork home and plans to claim in the legal action that the use of this footage of her home was an invasion of her privacy.

Ms Thomas, who lives at the Prairie, Liscaha, Schull, Co Cork, is representing herself.

The artist, who attended Bono's Stories of Surrender' Book Tour at the Olympia Theatre on Monday night with filmmaker Jim Sheridan could not be contacted yesterday for comment. Sheridan has also made a documentary series on the murder of Toscan du Plantier, the five-part series Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie. It includes interviews with Ms Thomas and Mr Bailey and aired on Sky Crime in June of last year. The Irish Times understands Ms Thomas was never interviewed by Dower or his production team and that she only features in the series in news report footage accompanying Mr Bailey to court.

Ms Thomas, who separated from Mr Bailey in April of last year, was...