Fan's Death Verdict: Unlawful!
By Michael Lynch
January 22 2004
Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus were stabbed in street clashes in Istanbul the night before Leeds played Galatasaray in April 2000.
An english coroner has deemed the orchastrated murders of two Leeds United fans two years ago, unlawful.
Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus were stabbed in street clashes in Istanbul the night before Leeds played Galatasaray in April 2000.
David Hinchliff said the attacks were an "organized ambush" by Turkish fans.
"Turkish nationals were observed charging down the streets, arming themselves with any missiles they could get their hands on and throwing them in the direction of the Leeds fans," Hinchliff said.
"It was a pre-planned and orchestrated attack."
he also found the time to criticize Turkish police as "disorganized, uncoordinated, not in control of the situation and ill-prepared."
Post-mortem examinations showed Speight, 40, had 12 fresh injuries, including two stab wounds. Loftus, 35, had 26 fresh injuries, amongst them five stab wounds.
"I do not hesitate to regard Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus as being unlawfully killed," Hinchliff said. "There could have been no justification for their deaths."
The families of both men made these comments after welcoming the verdict.
"It appears from the evidence and to the family that no lessons have been learned from what happened on that night in April 2000 and here we are in January 2004," said lawyer Paul Burnley of behalf of the Loftus family.
The lawyer for Speight's widow Susan, Philip Howell, said UEFA should take some responsibility in controlling areas outside soccer grounds.
"We are sure that if UEFA imposed the policing protocol, it would have probably had averted the tragedy," Howell said.
"All the evidence put forward at the inquest confirms that both Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus were nothing other than well-liked, decent men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
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