Brenda Leyland, 63, tweeted that she 'hated' Kate and Gerry McCann

A woman found dead after being accused of trolling Madeleine McCann’s parents had sent thousands of Twitter messages about the couple, it was revealed yesterday.

Brenda Leyland, 63, tweeted that she ‘hated’ Kate and Gerry McCann and launched online diatribes about their behaviour in the aftermath of their daughter’s disappearance.

But unlike other ‘internet trolls’, she did not appear to have made threats against the couple and her death prompted outrage from some over the decision to expose her.

Divorcee Mrs Leyland was found dead in a hotel room on Saturday, three days after she was unmasked as one of dozens of online critics who had posted messages about the McCanns.

Facebook groups and online petitions called for a public inquiry into Sky News’s decision to confront her over the Twitter messages and subsequent newspaper coverage.

Ofcom received 60 complaints about the Sky News report, which did not name Mrs Leyland but referred to her by her Twitter name @sweepyface.