Ian Bailey selling his own range of t-shirts for €20 a pop

The one-time chief suspect for the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier reveals he has had “a lot of interest in them”.

“I have just branched out into the fashion industry with my first T-shirt design,” he tells the Sunday World.

“It’s a stylised image of myself of myself, which somebody else did, with the epic logo or motto ‘Is féidir linn’. As Gaeilge, it means ‘Yes we can’.”

He adds: “It’s white with an image. I’m hoping to get €20 each for them because I’m doing small runs.

“People can buy them through my Facebook site, or by post, or through electronic contact.

“I’ve sold a few, I’ve had a few requests. It’s a bit of fun really. I had a small run done. It’s one size fits all – it’s 2XL or nothing, because that’s the size that fits me.”

Englishman Bailey, who earlier this week told us he is “delighted” Gardai are reopening their investigation into the killing of the Frenchwoman, says he will use any funds from the sale of his T-shirts to fund a new podcast he is developing.

“I am trying to be creative and get on with my own podcast. I’m trying to make the money I need to make to produce the podcast,” he explains.

“I am making slow progress with that, but that’s just the way of productions.

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“The podcast is going to be under the working title of ‘Ian Bailey in his own words’. Basically, I’m going to go through everything from day one and address everything false that’s been said and have my say.”

He is using the Irish version of ‘Yes we can’, which was made famous by Barack Obama during his presidential campaign.

“‘Yes, we can’ was very much Obama, I would be a supporter of him,” he beams. “Trump wouldn’t have been able to think of something so meaningful.”

Asked if he’d be interested himself in entering politics, the 65-year-old hesitated before replying: “Obviously one pays attention to politics, it’s an unavoidable fact of life.”

The former journalist turned poet adds he has a number of other projects in development.

“I have two books of poetry, I have a new DVD this year of a live performance.”

Gardai have announced that they will now conduct a “full review” into the horrific killing of the Frenchwoman just before Christmas in 1996 in west Cork.

“It’s what I asked for and called for over 12 months ago when I wrote to Commissioner Drew Harris on the first occasion,” Bailey told us earlier this week.

“I asked Commissioner Harris, as a clean pair of hands, to review this case and offered my assistance in any way that I could.

“I have always said that if I can co-operate in any meaningful way with anything to do with this case, I am happy to co-operate.”

Sophie (39) was battered to death with a stone and breeze block on the night of December 22, 1996, at her holiday home in Toormore, near Schull in Co. Cork.

The Garda Cold Case Unit carried out a detailed ‘scoping exercise’ last year into the killing of the mother of one last year. A preliminary review by investigators was completed in January.

Read more: DNA device that solved US murders may unmask Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s killer

Read more :Ian Bailey says he is ‘delighted’ Gardai are to review murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier

The report – which was to recommend whether or not a full Garda review of the case was warranted – was then submitted to Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll, who was in charge of special crime operations in An Garda Síochána before his retirement on Tuesday.

It has now been announced that the murder case will be reviewed by specialist officers after a decision was finally made last night.

“Following a review by Assistant Commissioner, Organised and Serious Crime, the Garda Serious Crime Review Team will now conduct a full review of this case,” a Garda spokesman said.

“On the finalisation of this review, the Serious Crime Review Team will provide recommendations to the local investigation team.

“An Garda Síochána continues to appeal to anyone who may have any information on this crime to contact the Garda investigation team at Bantry Garda Station 027 20860 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111,” he added.