Hooligans are finally jailed for killing fans

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 – but all have been living as free men.

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

Andy Loftus, brother of Christopher Loftus, who was also in Istanbul on the night of the murders, said last night that while justice has finally been served, real anger remains amongst the family and friends of the murdered men.

"We're obviously very relieved they are behind bars," he said. "It's a step in the right direction but it's baffling how it's taken 10-and-a-half years to get to this stage.

"The bitterness will remain because we have always been portrayed as having done something wrong. These men got massively reduced sentences because they claimed they were provoked – when in fact that was never the case. Our fans were stalked and attacked."