Ian Bailey said his new romance is “grand” despite the verbal abuse he endures from strangers.
Ethna Staunton has been dating the prime suspect in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder for the past year following his split from Jules Thomas.
Ms Staunton previously told the Irish Mirror she met him while on a trip to Schull in West Cork where he lived.
Originally from Co Mayo, she said she felt very sorry for him and believes he is the “victim of a terrible injustice”.
Bailey, 65, has revealed “my romantic life is grand altogether”. The former freelance journalist from Manchester added: “I don’t really want to say anything about it other than everything’s fine.”
It comes after Bailey said he had to endure more verbal abuse.
The latest incident happened on Sunday in the car park near Schull Farmer’s Market where he has a stall.
He added: “Basically someone saw me and instantly shouted at me to get out and that I am not welcome.
“Others said they heard the ‘F-word’ but I didn’t actually hear that.”
In 2019, Bailey was found guilty in absentia by a French court of the filmmaker’s murder and sentenced to 25 years’ jail. He said the verbal abuse is indicative of what he has had to endure since being linked to the mother of one’s brutal killing.
Bailey added: “I didn’t let it bother me.
“It’s water off a duck’s back. It’s just indicative of the sort of abuse I have had to suffer being falsely identified with something I had nothing to do with.
“But at the same time I get a huge amount of support from people. I mean, really touching, lovely and genuine support which helps to counteract the verbal abuse.”
Bailey also believes if he hadn’t written to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris last year that re-examination
into the murder may not have happened.
He added: “We wouldn’t have the conclusion that there were grounds for a cold case review.”
Ms Du Plantier was bludgeoned to death in the garden of her holiday home in West Cork in December 1996.
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