Daily Express Today

As a twitter user myself I have now seen that the personal details of Brenda Leyland were being openly discussed between a small number of Twitter users on Twitter itself and using the #McCann tag; her Facebook page being trawled, her geographical location and her employer's details being tweeted.
Because of Twitter's "blocking" facility, many of these tweets went unnoticed at the time by her followers, although it is apparent now that she herself was fully aware of them.
Beautiful photos of Brenda, happy and smiling with her family, friends and pets that she had posted on Facebook were being openly ridiculed. Tweeters addressed @sweepyface as "Brenda" as far back as February 2014.
More recently, and before Martin Brunt visited Brenda's home, some of the same Tweeters were openly threatening to post further details of her identity on Twitter, including a Youtube video of her home (one that had uploaded herself some years before, apparently).
These tweeters openly support Madeleine's parents and disagreed with Brenda's views, which is fair enough - she had strong views and was not afraid to express them.
However, instead of opting for civilised debate and discussion, they used their knowledge of her personal information they had sought out and found to intimidate and instil fear into her over a number of many months, She had even received a threat that the police would soon come knocking on her door. They chose to insult and abuse her directly and openly.
Brenda did not "troll" the McCanns, she did not threaten or harass them, she did not, it seems, break any laws - she did not deserve the intimidation she received, in my view.
It's my opinion that the final straw for Brenda of these months of intimidation was likely to be the heavy handed approach of Sky News on 2 October, the publication of Brenda's name and address in the Leicester Mercury on 3 October, and the final threat - the horrific threats she received, as mentioned in your article above, following this.
It is interesting to note that one of the posters on a forum called "stopthemyths" appears to be aware of the identity of the person who sent those tweets and has reported this person to the authorities.
It is so very sad for Brenda, her family and for all those who want the truth about Madeleine's disappearance to be established and those responsible to be brought to justice, whoever they may be, that this terrible tragedy has occurred.
Rest in Peace, Sweepyface xxx

The mcanns don't have a Twitter account, so this lady was no troll she like myself and many others have an opinion regarding this case, which is our democratic right, where journalism fails or is bound hand an foot by the Lisbon Treaty! the people will always take up the challange, Having seen the Tweets this Lady received from the mcann camp which are truly vile, she was the victim in every sense of the word, and as for Martin Brunt I,m not sure about his motives was it his intention to cause a storm and get the ball moving,(but obviously not to have the poor women lose her life) because there are so many unanswered questions in this case, plus never before have two individuals been given such protection, and assisted in raising millions of pounds in the search for Madaleine, only to end up employing half wits and chancers in the guise of Detective, so I guess the saga will continue, until the truth of what really happened to a little girl who apparently! was left unattended while her parents dined, lets just hope that there will be no more victims in this case.
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How sad for the Lady to end her life this way.. Rest in peace.. my guess is you was very saddened by the Maddie case.. and felt like her parents had abandoned her. . i dont no about any of the tweets... but you certainly did not deserve this.
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Those five tweets from Rainne are the only ones she has ever made concerning The McCanns. She is a troll. She lives in Hawii. I hope she is prosecuted. But I doubt it somehow. However, a lot of people now know who and what she is.
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At last the MSM are doing some back-peddling after realising they printed lies about this lady and that it was Brenda who was being `trolled` and not the other way round. She never `attacked` the McCanns - all she did was to question the `abduction` story as thousands of people already do.
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She played with fire and paid for it !...Sorry for her .. But don't mess with people ..especially people like the McCanns who have enough guilt to live with for the rest of their lives for one bad decision !
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It is now only fair and just that those who trolled her have a Sky News camera shoved in their faces on their own doorstep
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From an early stage in the Madeleine McCann investigation I have sensed an undertone of irritation towards Kate and Gerry McCann. The couple have allowed an impression to arise that they and their advisers are marketing their own tragedy. Where we would have expected to see parents distracted and disorganised by grief, we have seen a professionally run campaign to find out what the media want, and give it to them. This has been done for a most defensible reason: to enlist the entire European public as amateur detectives in the search for Madeleine. But now her parents have ended up looking like film stars in a Hollywood weepy. Do those who have contrived this, or the couple themselves, have any inkling of the damage that professional marketing has done to this family’s image? It doesn’t help to ease the public’s adverse perception when the parents refuse to answer 40 questions put to them by Portuguese Police trying to find their daughter, or not taking part in a reconstruction 1 year later, or the fact that they and they alone left their children alone whilst they went out to a restaurant with their ‘friends’. It is somewhat surprising that the Leicestershire Police allowed them possession of 80 pieces of evidence and statements when they were still considered as suspects by the Portuguese Police.
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Come on ?...What would you do ?...I cant even think what I would do if my young Daughter went missing like that ?...They aren't doing this for themselves !
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Well, johnc, if it was me, I would never forgive myself for leaving my children alone whilst I went socialising with freinds!
If the McCanns were any other than a wealthy and subsequently high profile couple, then I am sure that Social Services would have acted as they would in any other child welfare and neglect situation and taken a more pragmatic approach with them and also instigated child protection proceedings with regard to their other children.
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Further, I would also have co-operated fully with the Portuguese Police and not have refused to answer any questions they asked of me! Why would I? If I thought the Police had any suspicions or doubts about my involvement, then, being innocent, I would assist and co-operate with the investigation in any way I could as my only thought would be the quick and safe return of my daughter.


I am talking as a dad here ...It would destroy me , If I was any part guilty of my daughters abduction ...not knowing what happened . ...Their fault ...they know it ...and are paying for it !


In the wake of the tragic news breaking last Sunday, McCann supporting forums that had published Brenda Leyland's details systematically hid & deleted content mentioning her. This content has even been hidden from web archiving services. Twitter users who had sent abuse to Brenda locked their accounts to public view.

Archived tweets and forum screenshots clearly show that Brenda's identity had been uncovered as far back as Feb 2014.
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Trust me, you cannot delete anything online - it will have been spidered and archived by numerous 3rd parties
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This lady is a victim of Sky News and Martin Brunt he did the persecution not her. All she did was gossip online with an opinion about parents who neglected their children. The McCanns didn't even see it. She had a right to her opinion. I have never heard the McCanns say sorry or warn against the dangers of leaving children alone. That's the least they could do and they haven't done it. Martin brunt opened this lady up to a life of danger her home was threatened by idiots who believed Sky News and its twisted report. Someone needs to stand up and be counted on this one. Its not against the law to have an opinion especially one that promotes child welfare.
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We are not talking about slander here. Sky News alleged that she had committed criminal offences, issued threats and that the Police had already started to investigate her. As Sir Berhard Hogan-Howe clearly put it, the dossier handed in by the FAMILY would only have been investigated if there had either been racism or threats involved. Neither of which can be found in Brenda's tweets. I find it interesting that the CPS was mentioned from the start. A clear lie and added for maximum impact since the CPS only gets involved when and investigation has been finished by police. The Met and Leicestershire Police were still juggling the "dossier" like hot coal when Brenda committed suicide.
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Perhaps the compilers of the dossier, upset at being brushed off by police (CIVIL matter, not CRIMINAL), then decided to take the law into their own hands & went to the media?
It is clear that Sky News, in their rush to jump on the bandwagon, circumvented their usual checks & balances. In doing so they broke their own doorstepping guidelines in my opinion, however I will wait for OFCOM ruling on that front.
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I feel so sorry for this lady to commit suicide. I know what she did was wrong and she got caught up in all this social media crap!! However, at the end of the day she was a wife and mother to a loving family who I am sure will be dearly missed. As a Christian I can only forgive her and pray that she has found peace in Heaven. It is her family and friends that need our prayers at this sad time.
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Amen
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God was watching he did nothing. Omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient He is guilty of criminal neglect.. he is a sadist.. or else he doesn't exist..
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But she didn`t do anything wrong - check out her tweets.
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Brenda Leyland was no troll. The McCanns are not on twitter, she could not have "threatened" them. Brenda was a vicitm. A victim of an organised campaign to silence the voices that disagree with the McCanns, the people that do not believe their innocence. Ask the Portuguese police what they think of the McCanns, ask the Portuguese public what they think of the McCanns. I have just returned from 2 months in the Algarve and believe me, nobody there is fooled.
Martin Brunt and Sky News have blood on their hands, as have those who orchestrated this campaign.
Thank you, Express, for writing a little bit about the truth of the matter. You have earned a new, regular reader (and buyer!).
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She was a victim of more than that - a victim of an increasing push by governments to silence critics, questions and free speech over the Internet under the guise of "protecting us from ourselves"
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The tweeter who posted death threats was IMO an opporunistic troll who had never previously posted on the McCann hashtag.

HOWEVER regular tweeters in support of the McCanns had systematically sought Brenda Leyland's personal info for MONTHS prior to Martin Brunt turning up at her door. This included photos which were bandied about (& mocked), location info, previous employment details, and details of her family members.

This was done for one purpose only: intimidation. It is a regular occurence for those who comment on Twitter expressing their doubts as to the "abduction" of Madeleine McCann.
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Brenda was a human being who wanted the disappearance of Madeleine McCann solved and the culprits, whomever they may be, brought into a court of law. Brenda wanted what thousands of well informed citizens, in the UK and abroad, want: Justice.

Thank you for showing the British public a tiny sample of what those who do not believe the McCanns' version of events have to endure. We have read the police files. We know about the inconsistencies, the lies, the evasive behaviour.

Scotland Yard itself points out that anyone who wants to make up their mind about the case should read the Portuguese police files, available on the internet and translated into English by several volunteers.

Thank you for respecting Brenda's memory. We all are Brenda. We all are human.
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And the moral of this story is - "if you cant take it then you shouldn't give it"! This woman was a cowardly troll and nobody shall miss her.
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Complete rubbish she was guilty of nothing but gossip she made no threats. She never neglected her children like the McCanns did either.
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First, you have no understand of the term 'troll' or how inappropriate it is in its current mass media use. 'Trolls' are best characterised as hit and run provocateurs who are not participants in a rational conversation or debate. This media misrepresentation detracts from the very active, highly charged, extremely public debate over the media and police treatment of the available evidence in this case in which two extremely polarised perspectives are locked in a fundamental, constitutionally significant battle over the suppression of evidential information. Second, the article clearly states that Brenda's neighbour - who only knows what 'people' are saying about her friend from this erroneous media - would miss her. Her son said he'll miss her. Your comments are despicable distortion. In fact, thank you... You just embodied the typical troll.
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So .... what you`re saying is no one should stand up for justice then. Please check your facts as well - don`t just believe what the MSM spurt out.
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I think she was driven to suicide by the embarrassment she felt over her cowardly "anonymous" attacks on the McCanns.
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Say's who ?
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She didn't send ant tweets to the mccanns, nor did she contact them in anyway. The Mccanns said they didn't read them, didn't have a presence on social media, but wanted examples made!

People discuss things on forums on all manner if topics. I've yet to see a comment any worse than, they deserve to feel guilty for the rest of their lives or something to that effect. I've seen worse said about politicians, actors and my local councillors than that. As long as it's not directly targeting the person,miss not trolling. It's discussing. You are allowed to hold a different opinion you know., well you used to have!
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Thank you for mentioning the comments from the really vile element of McCann supporters. They are far worse than anything that Brenda said. She was stating her opinions, she did not threaten the McCanns or break the law.

If the media was more honest and printed all the discrepancies of the McCann story, there would be no need for people to vent their frustrations on social media sites.
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You don't think telling them she hates them and hope they die are not bad??????????????????// She apparently made a lot of comments like this.
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I haven't seen those ones, I know people have said that she made thousands of tweets but can you show me more than one comment where she made threats ?
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Apparently / Maybe / Could be /
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Can you produce one of those comments, in context, within the conversation thread, and including reference to whom it was addressed?

Not. A. Single. One.
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well said Marian Grove , The papers don't tell us half of it on any story , What they do like though is spreading fear .
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Why some on here are against this woman I don't know , She was one of thousands asking the same things about this case , Sky news are to blame for singling her out . Thing is today nobody is entitled to an opinion , And because this woman had her own opinion , She took her own life ( so they say ) . There is enough people on here slating other stories , similar to what this woman did , So should you be singled out and put on primetime news ? NO .
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There quite some difference to having an opinion (and airing it) and committing slander.
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Nothing she said by way of question or accusation was not found in the freely available case file of the Policia Judicia. It isn't a crime to raise published evidence and make challenges or ask questions about it. In fact, the action is fundamental to avoiding authoritarian corruption and totalitarianism. To prove 'slander' or 'libel' by all means go to court and prove that the evidence is false and the conclusions drawn from it are notreasonable. Makes me wonder why the interest parties never have. Should be easy.
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Thank you James Murray for showing a tiny part of the other side of the coin. Rainne is extreme and obviously unhinged, but there is a large group on Twitter comprising of supporters of the family whose sole purpose is to incite arguments and if possible threats in order to collect them, find out the real life background of the twitterer and pass it on to those that monitor the social media on behalf of the family. Kate's cousin admitted to doing just that during the libel hearing in the Lisbon court recently.
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Brenda Leyland had her real life details (pics, location, family members info) bandied around McCann supporter sites for MONTHS prior to her doorstepping by Martin Brunt, because she questioned the parents
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Correction. It isn't a libel hearing. It's a civil claim for damages.
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NASTY EVIL LOOKING PIECE OF S##T
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This is an example of what McCann supporters post.
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Easy to blame the real trolls for Brenda's death, but truth is, British media are the real culprits. To this day you are still lying about her and pretending she was a troll who abused the McCanns. She wasn't. She never sent them a single message, nor did she threaten or abuse them. She was simply one of many who has read the police files and believed a gross miscarriage of justice had taken place. 'pro-McCann' trolls were ALWAYS the real trolls - stalking real lives and sending really vile hate @ anybody who dared question McCann's 'kidnapper' narrative.
Brenda was merely campaigning for justice for Maddie, something mainstream media appears to scared to do in case the McCanns sue. Again. They've sued a LOT of people who question their version of events.
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Here here
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1) She COULD NOT have "read" the police files as much of them is not published or available to the public so your comment (no matter how well intended) does not really stand up does it? . . . 2) There has been no trial as yet and no charges brought against anyone so how can there have been a "gross miscarriage of justice"? . . . 3) Trolls NEVER EVER use their real names when they post - is YOUR real identity really "openjools"?
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1) She had read enough to know there are serious questions about McCann involvement and those questions don't appear to have been answered.
2) A failure to prosecute is as much a miscarriage of justice as a prosecution with questionable results. Don't you think that there has been a miscarriage of justice over the HOC pedophiles? Jimmy Saville?
3) This is my real twitter account and my real name and full address is known to my MP, who I have contacted more than once. I'd never even thought about being 'anonymous' until I saw this witch hunt and attempt to shut down our voices - openjools was simply a handle. I'm still not anonymous, but I'll be damned if I am going to make work easy for folks who would stalk, harass and lie about me me simply because I don't believe the McCanns.
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oh and by the way Terence Allan, I am probably less anonymous than YOU. It's very easy to create a name to post behind. You got any proof that Terence Allan isn't just a name you made up so that you could create an illusion of openness?
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You need to get up to speed Terry. When Scotland Yard were asked by journalists for access to the available evidence they were instructed to consult the freely available case file of the Portuguese Policia Judicia, available on the internet in Portuguese or a creditable English translation. In fact, the journalists actually quoted directly and extensively from the English translation produced by people who believe the evidence rather than the official story.

Brenda, going by her tweets, was tweeting because she'd read the files and was astounded at the volume of evidence covered up by media representation in the UK.

With regard your point 3,its an illogical argument. Its the internet. No one even knows if your 'real name' is a real name...
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a nasty women.not right in the head.as she proved.
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How come you can comment on this woman, but you can't, on those dreadful, mcanns, this case is easily solved, , just ask THEM, what they did with the body,,,,,
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Well we know why don't we
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Your evidence for this is?
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Live by the sword.
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Apparently the pen is mightier than the sword, and Brenda showed no evidence of owning a blade. In fact she didn't make any judgement harsher or harder than the one you're making. You need to consider what it is about this case that forces you to believe that some people are worthy of harsh criticism while others have an extraordinary right to be protected from it.