Katie Hopkins in Madeleine McCann Twitter storm after asking 'how many must ...

Hopkins' tweet follows the death of Brenda Leyland, 63, whose body was found after she was exposed on Sky News for sending vile tweets to Kate and Gerry

Twitter comments: Katie Hopkins and Brenda Leyland

Katie Hopkins has caused a new Twitter storm by asking 'how many more must die' before Kate and Gerry McCann accept that 'their negligence is at the heart of all their grief?' over missing daughter Madeleine.

Hopkins' tweet follows the death of Twitter troll Brenda Leyland, 63, whose body was found after she was exposed on Sky News for sending vile tweets to the McCanns.

Hopkins was slammed by many Twitter users for her insensitivity to the McCanns, who continue to hunt for clues on what happened to their daughter, who went missing during a family holiday in Portugal in May 2007.

She disappeared while Kate and Gerry McCann were eating in a nearby restaurant.

Kate and Gerry have been subjected to disgusting attacks by trolls, some of whom have suggested the couple be tortured of killed.

Responding to Hopkins' tweet, one user, @K69atie, tweeted: 'You don't think the couple feel any guilt ? Of course they do, it 'will' be at the core of their grief.'

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Kate McCann and her husband Gerry McCann

Another, journalist Jenny Bond said: 'I cannot believe you have just written that.'

Other Tweets supported Hopkins.

One, Mike Hoxard said: 'With you totally on this one.'

An international appeal for help finding Maddy has brought numerous reported sightings, none of them confirmed.Leyland, 63, was exposed on Sky News after posting vile tweets to Kate and Gerry McCann.

How many more must die before the McCann's accept their negligence is at the heart of all their grief? Enough already.

- Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) October 6, 2014

The video shows Sky News reporter Martin Brunt track down Mrs Leyland outside her home.

The footage was aired on the channel on Thursday with Mrs Leyland going missing from her home in Burton Overy, Leicestershire the following day.

Her body is then believed to have been found in a Marriott Hotel in Leicester yesterday.

Using the Twitter handle @sweepyface, she was accused of posting dozens of hate messages to Maddy's parents.

@KTHopkins I cannot believe you have just written that.

- Jennie Bond (@jenniebond1) October 6, 2014

During the footage, Mr Brunt asked her why she had been targeting the family, to which she replied: 'I'm entitled to do that.'

Writing on his Facebook page today, her son Ben Leyland said: 'I love you mum and I will miss you.'

Police confirmed they had found a body and were not treating the incident as suspicious.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: 'Police were called at 1.42pm yesterday Sat Oct 4 to a report of the body of a woman at a hotel in Smithway, Grove Park.

@KTHopkins With you totally on this one

- Mike Hoxard (@MikeHoxard) October 6, 2014

'Officers have attended the scene and a file is being prepared for the coroner. Identification of the deceased is a matter for the coroner. The death is not being treated as suspicious.'.

Police were probing a dossier of vile tweets targeting the parents of Madeleine, who has never been found after disappearing aged 3 during a family holiday in Portugal in May 2007.

The dossier, which includes 80 tweets, Facebook posts and forum messages, was handed to the Metropolitan Police by members of the public who feared for the McCann's safety.

One message board comment reportedly said: 'These 2 [the McCanns] should burn in hell.'

PA

Madeleine McCann

Sky News said other posts in the dossier included:'I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery' and 'I want to see them smashed up the back of a bus or trampled by horses'.

Some messages were said to have been directed at Madeleine's younger siblings, now aged nine.

The posts were gathered by people who are concerned about the abuse.

One campaigner, who did not wish to be named, told Sky News: 'We're very worried that it's only going to take somebody to act out of some of these discussions, some of the threats that have been made, and we couldn't live with ourselves if that happened and we had done nothing.'

The material is being assessed by officers who are liaising with prosecutors and the missing girl's family.

In response to Ms Leyland's death, Sky News said in a statement: 'We were saddened to hear of the death of Brenda Leyland. It would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further at this time.'

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'We can confirm we received a letter and documentation on September 9 which was passed to officers from Operation Grange. They are assessing its contents and consulting with the CPS and the McCann family.'

Operation Grange is the name for the Metropolitan Police's involvement in the search for Madeleine.

So-called trolling is a mounting problem for the authorities. Last year Scotland Yard said around 1,500 additional crimes linked to internet abuse were being reported to the force each year

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