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▪ Trolls wrongly believe
McCanns were involved in
daughter's disappearance
▪ They post abusive messages
online directed at parents
and their children
▪ One post said: 'These two
should burn in hell'.. 'I'll
supply lighter - happily'
▪ Majority of those posting
messages use anonymous
social media accounts
▪ One, tweeting as
@sweepyface, has been
identified as Brenda
Leyland, 63
▪ She was found in the
picturesque village of
Burton Overy, Leicestershire
▪ When approached over her
abusive comments, she said:
'I'm entitled to'
▪ Dossier of trolling calls
on police and MPs to crack
down on such vile abuse
This middle class woman has
been unveiled as one of the
trolls accused of targeting
vile internet abuse at
Madeleine Mccann's parents.
Scotland Yard is currently
investigating the posting
online of hundreds of hate
messages aimed at the
McCanns, whose daughter
disappeared during a family
holiday to Portugal in 2007.
Detectives have decided to
act after being given a
dossier from McCann family
supporters which catalogues
the abusive remarks
including death threats
aimed at the couple on
Twitter, Facebook and online
forums.
And Brenda Leyland, 63, who
has posted dozens of
messages attacking the
McCanns using the Twitter
handle @sweepyface, has been
identified as one of them. |
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Brenday Leyland,
63, , using the
Twitter name
@sweepyface, is
one of the
trolls targeting
the McCann
parents |
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The woman was
tracked down to
the picturesque
village of
Burton Overy in
the
Leicestershire
countryside |
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VIDEO in link
above |
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When Sky News' Martin Brunt
tracked Mrs Leyland down to
her house in the idyllic
Leicestershire village of
Burton Overy and confronted
her, she remained defiant
about what she had done.
When asked why she was using
her Twitter account to
attack the McCanns, who live
with their younger children,
nine-year-old twins, in
Rothley, Leicestershire, Mrs
Leyland replied: 'I'm
entitled to do that.'
And when Mr Brunt told her
that she had been reported
to police, and that Scotland
Yard was considering a
dossier of Twitter accounts
said to show a 'campaign of
abuse' against the McCanns,
she paused as she got into a
4x4 and replied: 'That's
fair enough.'
The crime correspondent said
he was later invited into
Mrs Leyland's house, where
she told him she 'had
questions for the McCanns'
but 'hoped she hadn't broken
the law' by posting tweets
in which she spread rumours
about the McCanns' marriage,
and said she hoped they
would suffer for ever.
The messages were among
those posted by internet
trolls who wrongly believe
that Kate and Gerry, both
46, had some involvement in
the disappearance of their
three-year-old daughter
Madeleine in Portugal in
2007.
The couple, who were cleared
by police from any part in
their daughter's
disappearance, have been
told by trolls to 'burn in
hell'. |
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Troll: Mrs
Leyland, 63,
lives in Burton
Overy,
Leicestershire -
the same country
as Mr and Mrs
McCann |
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These are some
of the abusive
messages,
including one by
@sweepyface, top
right, directed
at the McCanns
Some messages
are even
directed at
Madeleine's
younger twin
siblings, now
aged nine.
According to Sky
News,
'manipulated
images'
involving the
McCanns many
of them graphic
are also in
wide circulation
online.
The majority of
those who post
the vile
messages use
anonymous social
media accounts,
so their true
identities are
disguised.
But detectives,
who are now in
talks with the
Crown
Prosecution
Service after
being handed a
65-page dossier
on the campaign
of abuse, are
confident they
can identify the
culprits.
The dossier
compiled by
members of the
public who
sympathise with
the McCanns
calls on police
and MPs to crack
down on such
abuse.
Under the 2003
Communications
Act, it is an
offence to send
messages online
that are grossly
offensive. |
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Abuse: The
messages have
been posted by
internet trolls
who wrongly
believe that
Kate and Gerry
had some
involvement in
the
disappearance of
their daughter
Madeleine in
Portugal in 2007
Among the
messages in the
dossier is an
exchange on a
message board
which reads:
'These two
should burn in
hell'
'I will
supply the
petrol'
'I'll
supply the
lighter
happily'.
Other posts
include: 'We
need some
numbers for some
assassins' and
'I want to see
them
trampled
by horses.'
Also, several
trolls claim to
live near to the
McCanns. One
troll who
claimed to live
in their village
posted: 'I'm
going round with
the cuffs and
bags.'
Another troll
who claimed to
live locally
said: 'Saw KM at
the gym today,
gave her a look
of utter
disgust, managed
to hold my
tongue though.'
The dossier's
authors claim
that at least
six Twitter
accounts have
been set up
principally to
abuse the
McCanns and
their
supporters.
The campaigner
spearheading the
appeal who has
asked to remain
anonymous told
Sky News: 'We're
very worried
that it's only
going to take
somebody to act
out some of
these
discussions,
some of the
threats, and we
couldn't live
with ourselves
if that happened
and we had done
nothing.'
Former police
chief and online
child security
expert Jim
Gamble said:
'I'm deeply
concerned by the
behaviours
displayed
I
think the time
has come for the
hardcore few in
the midst of
this group to be
investigated.'
A spokesman for
Scotland Yard
said today: 'We
can confirm we
have received a
letter and
documentation on
9 September
which was passed
to officers from
Operation Grange
[the police
review into
Madeleine's
disappearance].
'They are
assessing its
contents and
consulting with
the CPS and the
McCann family.'
Detective
Inspector
Michael Kilkenny
of the
Metropolitan
Police told the
campaign group:
'In consultation
with the Crown
Prosecution
Service and the
McCann family,
the material
will now be
assessed and
decisions made
as to what
further action,
if any, should
be undertaken.'
Last night the
McCanns declined
to comment. |
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Vile: Detectives have
decided to act after being
given a dossier which
catalogues the abusive
remarks including death
threats aimed at the
couple on Twitter, Facebook
and online forums |
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