The tragic night that still haunts club and supporters

Already that season, Leeds United had travelled to Heerenveen, Moscow, Sofia, Rome and Prague as David O'Leary's exciting young side cut a swathe through the UEFA Cup.

A trip to Istanbul and the notorious Ali Sami Yen Stadium was not one for the faint-hearted, as supporters of Manchester United and Chelsea had found to their cost when watching their respective teams take on Galatasaray in the recent past.

But, even so, early impressions from the 800 Leeds fans in the Turkish capital ahead of the following day's semi-final first leg tie had been favourable as small groups of friends moved from bar to bar in relaxed mood.

Among one such group in Taksim Square were Christopher Loftus, a 35-year-old fibre optics engineer from Burmantofts in Leeds, and pub landlord Kevin Speight, 40. The pair had followed United across Europe throughout the 1999-2000 season and were excited about the game, the first time the club had been in the last four of a European competition for a quarter of a century.

Speight, a father-of-two who ran the Bay Horse pub in Farsley with wife Susan, had even enjoyed a chat with Alan Smith a few hours earlier at Ataturk Airport after their respective flights had touched down within minutes of each other.

Tragically, as the Rothwell-born striker watched from the bench as an unused substitute the following night as Galatasaray triumphed 2-0, the bodies of Loftus and Speight were being flown back to England after an attack so brutal and horrific that it stunned English football to the core.

Ten years on – the anniversary is on Monday when United fans plan to stage their own gesture of support at Yeovil Town in front of the live Sky cameras – the memories burn as harshly as ever for the families and those who were there that fateful night.

Andy Loftus was one of four brothers who made the trip to Istanbul along with Chris, Darren and Philip. Speaking to the Yorkshire Post ahead of today's game against Swindon Town, when a minute's silence will be held in memory of the two men, the 39-year-old recalls: "After arriving at the hotel, we got taxis down to Taksim Square and ended up in a pub where we had a couple of beers before moving on to a place called the Reggae Bar.

"It was quite full and, at that point, some Galatasaray fans started to arrive at the bottom of the street. Words were said so we decided to move on and find somewhere quieter to watch that night's Champions League match. At the most, there were 25 of us left.

"We went into another bar, not knowing we were being followed by the shoe-shine boys that work in Taksim Square. We found out later they were the ones carrying the knives that were used in the attack."

Inside the Han Cafe, the brothers continued to enjoy the evening until Andy decided to head back to the hotel because Philip was feeling unwell. A few minutes later, others started to do the same and it was then that the horror began as locals, armed with clubs and knives, launched an unprovoked and vicious assault that, eye-witnesses would later claim, involved 'wave upon wave of attacks'.

News footage beamed around the world in the hours that followed showed the true ferocity of what had happened, a point underlined at the subsequent inquest into the deaths when one of the English policemen on duty that night told Leeds Coroner's Court: "It was frightening. In 15 years doing this job, I've never felt so frightened."

Andy Loftus recalls: "I had only been back in the hotel bar for a short while when news came through that there had been some trouble and, straight away, I just had this bad feeling.

"I went back to the Square, where I was ushered to the hospital. I was told what had happened and couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"The Turkish police were no help at all. As Chris was laid on the floor in the Square, my brother Darren was cradling him and they (the police) just came up and battered him.

"I found Daz in the hospital, he was on one of the beds with his head stitched up. A few of the others were badly injured as well but the Turks wouldn't treat anyone until credit cards were produced. That was one of the things with Kevin, they wouldn't treat him until money was produced."

By now, United chairman Peter Ridsdale had arrived at the hospital after leaving a pre-match dinner for club officials immediately on hearing about the trouble. He was present when the two men were pronounced dead.

As news of the killings broke in the early hours of the morning back in Leeds, Turkish police were quick to announce a chief suspect was already in custody. However, even as the name of Ali Umit Demir – one of 13 Turks arrested in the aftermath of the trouble – was being handed to the media, a sinister turn-of-events saw wildly inaccurate stories about the clashes begin to circulate in Istanbul.

The violence had been provoked, claimed the local rumour mill. The English had disrespected the Turkish flag and abused local women. The fans in question were all banned and did not have tickets, a lie repeated by Galatasaray's director of football, Mete Razlikli – bringing an immediate denial from Leeds United.

"The slurs started straight away," says Andy. "None of what the Turks later claimed actually happened, including the abusing of any women or, most ridiculously of all, a car being overturned. It was all lies.

"At the inquest (in England), the police confirmed we had not provoked them."

Despite the protests of the English in Taksim Square that night and the subsequent evidence of West Yorkshire Police at the 2004 inquest, accusations about the Turks being provoked continue to this day.

Chief suspect Demir was jailed for 15 years in 2002 but his conviction was later quashed and a re-trial ordered. In 2007, he was again found guilty of fatally stabbing the two Leeds supporters but sentenced to only six years and eight months after the Istanbul judges insisted on taking into account three factors – his good behaviour since the killing, more than one person being involved in the attacks and that the assailants had been provoked.

Demir immediately appealed and was released, pending a date being set. He remains free and with no sight of the appeal getting underway soon, it means both families are still waiting for closure 10 years on from the tragic events of April 5, 2000.

Christopher Loftus's sister Pamela said: "Nothing has happened at all. There has been no update and no information for the family. We want a conclusion to the trial as it will help us move forward with our lives. At the moment, we are getting passed around and

no-one will give us the truth.

"Something like this never leaves you. We are a very private family so talking so publicly is not something we are comfortable doing. But we want justice for Chris."

CHARITY COLLECTION IN FANS' MEMORY

To mark the 10th anniversary, the families of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight have launched an appeal to raise 100,000 for the Leeds cancer charity, Candlelighters. All manner of events have been held in recent months, including a charity game involving United manager Simon Grayson, and organisers hope to reach the target today when a bucket collection will be held at Elland Road ahead of the Swindon Town game along with a fund-raising dinner tonight. For details of the appeal and how to help in the fight for justice see: www.leedsfansremembrance.com