Mysterious death of the woman who attacked the McCanns

Maddie Case: English woman was found dead in a hotel room
British Media Regulator has received 34 complaints over Sky News report

by Marisa Rodrigues

The English authorities have not yet been able to explain the death of a woman accused of “attacking” Kate and Gerry, Madeleine McCann's parents, on the social media. Brenda Leyland, 63 years old, was found dead in a hotel room, two days after her identity was exposed in a Sky News report.

Brenda's name, according to that English TV channel, was reportedly included in a list given to the Metropolitan Police along with dozens of persons who have made comments considered excessive against Kate and Gerry. This is a 80-page dossier containing comments from Twitter, Facebook and online forums against the couple, some of which death threats.

Brenda was just another of the couple's critics. She has allegedly written that the child's parents should suffer “for the rest of their miserable lives”, and that Kate and Gerry “should burn in hell” and live “in total misery”.

A Sky News report crew decided to doorstep Brenda at her house in Leicester, where the McCanns live. With the camera always on and without protecting the woman's face the reporter asked her why she wrote those messages on Twitter, to which she replied “I’m entitled to do that”. Then the reporter informed her the police was investigating her activities. The woman did not show concern.

The report was broadcast on Thursday and the media harassment that ensued has allegedly forced her to leave her home. On Saturday night, the police were called to a hotel in Leicester and Brenda was found dead in one of the rooms. At that time, the local police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. But the causes are not yet known.

Criticism about the outing

Sky News and the reporter have been severely criticized by the British public opinion. Ofcom, the body that regulates the activity of the Media in the United Kingdom, received 34 complaints about the report and is considering whether to open an investigation against its authors.

in Jornal de notícias, paper edition, October 7 2014

English return next week

Scotland Yard (SY) is expected in Faro next week for a meeting at the Judiciary Police Directorship of Faro. The meeting between the leaders of the two police forces will be used to work out the details of the next steps in the Algarve, within the scope of the English investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine.

The team led by Andy Redwood wants to question “seven persons of interest”, including the three men that had previously testified.

JN knows that there is still no date set for the completion of these steps which appear in the fifth letter rogatory sent by the British authorities in August and received by the Public Ministry after the searches in Praia da Luz failed to produce any results.

SY's “Operation Grange”, started in 2011 - four years after the disappearance of Madeleine - and has already cost over nine million euros.

in Jornal de notícias, paper edition, October 7 2014

OG are still pulling this 'persons of interest' bullcrap? It's getting really old now. Can't they think up something better to do for 9 million Euros?

In my opinion.

The meeting between the leaders of the two police forces will be used to work out the details of the next steps in the Algarve, within the scope of the English investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine. 

Says it all doesn't it ?    "Investigate as if it was an abduction that happened in England"

Grande Finale wrote:The meeting between the leaders of the two police forces will be used to work out the details of the next steps in the Algarve, within the scope of the English investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine. 

Says it all doesn't it ?    "Investigate as if it was an abduction that happened in England"

I missed that... well spotted.

Ladyinred wrote:

Grande Finale wrote:The meeting between the leaders of the two police forces will be used to work out the details of the next steps in the Algarve, within the scope of the English investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine. 

Says it all doesn't it ?    "Investigate as if it was an abduction that happened in England"

I missed that... well spotted.

Still trying to sit on the fence here,but couldn't it also mean that its just that, the English take on it and we'll see how much rope they need.