owever, a Garda spokesperson rejected suggestions that a formal commitment to conduct such a major review into one of Ireland's most notorious unsolved crimes has been given.
The murder of Sophie (39) ranks as one of Ireland's most enduring unsolved crimes and there have already been four major reviews of the Garda file since the French mother of one was beaten to death near her Toormore holiday home outside Schull, in west Cork, on December 23, 1996.
No one has ever been charged with her killing in Ireland despite one of the biggest murder investigations ever mounted by gardaí.
Ian Bailey (64) – convicted in absentia by a French court of the killing in 2019 – wrote last month to Garda Commissioner Mr Harris, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), seeking the look-back study.
He said there was now clear evidence that would eliminate him as a suspect and clear his name.
The Manchester-born journalist indicated he had received a letter from the gardaí on behalf of Mr Harris and was hopeful of action on the review.
"I want to say a heartfelt...(thanks) to all the people who have been so supportive. It really makes a difference," he said.
Sophie's murder has been under an unprecedented spotlight in recent times with two major TV documentaries on the unsolved killing being released this month.
There was also a podcast series, which was recently updated, and five books have been published in France, Ireland and the UK.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “The Commissioner of An Garda Síochána has acknowledged correspondence received from Mr Bailey.
"(But) the Commissioner has not agreed to commence a formal review at this time.”
Mr Bailey has vehemently protested his innocence in relation to the crime for 24 years – but was convicted in absentia of the killing by a Paris court in May 2019.
His legal team dismissed the French prosecution as "a show trial" and "a mockery of justice".
The Irish DPP ruled Mr Bailey did not have a case to answer after he was twice arrested by gardaí in 1997 and 1998 but released without charge on each occasion.
On three occasions French bids to have Mr Bailey extradited to Paris were rejected by Irish courts.
Mr Bailey claimed that a senior former Garda cold case official said he should have been eliminated as a suspect years ago, given the evidence.
The DPP ruled out any action having considered the Garda case file in 2000/2001.
Two cold case reviews have already been conducted on the file, and a major review of the Garda investigation was conducted almost 16 years ago by then Assistant Commissioner Ray McAndrew.
The case is again in the spotlight as within the space of just 10 days, two eagerly awaited TV documentaries are being released – one by Sky and the other by Netflix.
The Sky production is by Academy Award-nominated Irish director Jim Sheridan.
Murder at the Cottage: The Search for Justice for Sophie pieces together some original evidence as well as some never-before-seen footage. It also features unprecedented access both to Ian Bailey and Sophie's family.
Mr Sheridan's project has been almost five years in the making and five episodes were made available from June 20.
The Netflix series is by Academy Award-winning producer, Simon Chinn.
His three-part series is entitled, Sophie: A Murder in West Cork, and will launch on Netflix on June 30.
The documentary team said that in making the production: “We wanted to honour Sophie, her family and that rural community in the south west of Ireland.”
Sophie's family were deeply involved with the Netflix production.
Mr Bailey said he was hoping for a fresh Garda review as he said his life had been rendered "a total nightmare" by being wrongly linked with the case.
"I have been fighting for justice for 24 years – people tend to forget that. I am an innocent person caught up in this nightmare. My life has been destroyed by this.
"This has been a never ending nightmare for me."
A journalist, poet, law student, wood turner and bodhrán maker, Mr Bailey acknowledged that it has been very difficult for him over recent weeks.
Last month, he was convicted of drug driving before Bantry District Court though he is appealing that conviction. He has also split from his long-time partner, Welsh artist Jules Thomas.
The generation of so much publicity by books and TV documentaries about the Sophie case has inflicted its own pressure.
"I have been doing everything I can to stay calm in the middle of all of this. That is not easy when there are some devils out there who are determined to see me bonfired,” he recently said.
"This has been an absolute torture and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight."
Mr Bailey said that what has shocked him most is that he believed there are people in Ireland who know he is entirely innocent but yet they have remained silent while he has been subjected to various judicial proceedings since 1997.
"It is like being caught in a storm. But I have been meditating and writing poetry which, of course, always helps."
Next December marks the 25th anniversary of the murder.
The French mother of one was beaten to death as she attempted to flee from an intruder at her isolated holiday home at Toormore outside Schull on December 23, 1996.
She ran downhill from her home, across a field but got caught near a gate where her clothing snagged on barbed wire.
Sophie had been scheduled to fly back to Paris the following day.
The savagery with which she was attacked shocked both locals and even veteran gardaí.
Such was the repeated and brutal nature of the blows to the head that detectives believed the killer had tried to render the pretty mother of one completely unrecognisable.
Today, a simple Celtic stone cross marks the spot where her body was found.
Her beloved Toormore holiday cottage is now owned by her son, Pierre-Louis.
