Turkish hooligans finally jailed for Leeds killings

Turkish football hooligans who stabbed two Leeds United supporters to death more than a decade ago in Istanbul have finally been jailed, reports the Yorkshire Post.

Four Turkish men have lost their final appeal against their convictions for the murder of Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight in April 2000.

Mr Loftus and Mr Speight were amongst a group of around 25 Leeds fans who were attacked by hundreds of Galatasaray supporters outside a bar in the Turkish capital on the eve of a cup tie between the two sides. They died after sustaining multiple knife wounds in the onslaught.

With the help of CCTV evidence, four men were indicted for murder within a week of the attack, including Ali Umit Demir, at whose flat police found a knife stained with the blood of both men. But even though Demir admitted the offence, the convictions of all four were later quashed.

Following a re-trial the men were re-convicted, but subsequently released on appeal.

Ali Baydar and Demir had both received prison sentences of six years and eight months, Suleyman Gokhan Guven of 10 years, and Yilmaz Tutus of five.

Now, more than a decade after the murders took place, the Turkish courts have finally refused the appeals and jailed the men.

via Turkish hooligans finally jailed for Leeds killings | Premiership News | tribalfootball.com.