The leader of the French team investigating the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier said today they were "quite hopeful" they would uncover new evidence that will lead them to her killer.
A team of three policemen and two forensic scientists have travelled from France to West Cork on the instructions of an investigating French magistrate Judge Patrick Gachon investigating the death of Ms du Plantier at her holiday home near Toormore, outside Schull on the morning of December 23rd, 1996.
Home Office attaché at the French embassy in London, Eric Battesti, paid tribute to the Garda for the "good work" being done on the case which he said had provided a good basis for the French team to proceed with their own investigation.
Speaking today at a press briefing at Bandon Garda station, Mr Battesti said the French team had met West Cork Chief Superintendent Tom Hayes for a briefing on the case, including details on the location of the crime and the investigation.
"To say it simply, we took stock of the investigation. It is not a competition between the French system and the Irish system. It is not about one team playing against another team," he said. "It's about two teams playing together for the same purpose.
"We are on the same ship as the Garda and the idea now is to combine our efforts and our strengths to shed light on this murder."
Asked about how confident he was of finding new leads, Mr Battesti replied: "Yes, we are confident. We are not quite sure of the outcome of the results but we will do our utmost to discover the killer of Sophie Toscan du Plantier."
The investigators are expected to begin interviewing witnesses tomorrow.