Gardaí quiz two men after Ian Bailey ‘kicked in the head’ in alleged attack

He claims he was “attacked, assaulted and kicked in the head a few times” in Bantry, West Cork on November 30 after he went to meet a number of women who had contacted him on social media.

Bailey had been under the impression that the girls were fans of his who wanted to record a video together.

However, when he went to meet them, two men jumped out of a car and allegedly attacked him in what is now believed to be a deliberate setup.

The Irish Mirror reports that gardaí have tracked down the suspects, although they have not been charged in relation to the alleged incident as the investigation continues.

Bailey told his TikTok followers at the time that the men left him “a bit battered and bloodied” when they launched their attack. He received a number of kicks to the head but avoided serious injury.

The Englishman, who lives in Cork, later told Extra.ie about the events that unfolded that night.

"They drove down from Cork and I met them in a public place,” he explained.

"One lad came up to me, pretending to be a fan of mine. I'm a bit disabled, I have to use a hazel walking stick, he started grabbing my stick and threw it away.

"Then another little langer came up and started to assault me. I was off guard and I got laid down. I'm okay. It occurred outside.”

He continued: “The little f***er came at me. I was taken by surprise, but I gave back as much as I could. I closed the door on them, I called An Garda Siochána.”

Bailey said that he turned down help from emergency services, telling the publication: “I was like ‘I used to play rugby, I’ve got mauled on the bottom of rucks,’ I’m slightly achey, I’m okay.”

Bailey was twice arrested by gardaí in connection with the death of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier, who was bludgeoned to death outside her holiday home near Schull in 1996, two days before Christmas.

He was never charged in Ireland but was convicted of the killing by a French court in May 2019.

The former journalist has always maintained his innocence and has described the Paris prosecution as “a mockery of justice” and “a show trial”.

There is a current renewed garda cold-case investigation into the mother-of-one’s unsolved murder.