Madeleine McCann 'Twitter troll' inquest to hear from Sky News journalists

An inquest into the death of a woman who was exposed for conducting a campaign of online abuse about Madeleine McCann will hear from two Sky News journalists, who orchestrated the sting.

Brenda Leyland, 63, was found dead in a hotel room only days after a Sky News team confronted her about a series of abusive Twitter messages.

Leyland fled to the hotel after she was outed by the news service. It is thought she committed suicide after, ironically, she became the target of a concentrated hate campaign on social media.

Leyland, who published material online relating to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann under the name "Sweepyface", was confronted by the Sky news team and accused on live camera of carrying out a "campaign of abuse" by reporter Martin Brunt.

He will give evidence at the inquest, along with the channel's head of newsgathering, Jonathan Levy. The hearings will take place in March 2015.

Leicester Coroner Catherine Mason said: "I understand from my officers that, of all the witnesses who I have said that I will call to give oral evidence, there is nobody to which there is any foreseeability of any criminal action being taken."

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann have spoken previously of how online abuse has affected them. Gerry McCann compiled a dossier of abuse he said had caused his family "severe distress".

He told BBC Radio 4: "Clearly something needs to be done about the abuse on the internet. I think we probably need more people to be charged."

The body of Leyland was discovered at the Marriott Hotel in Enderby, Leicester, in October, two days after the Sky News expose.