Inquest hears of fan's death

A LEEDS UNITED fan told an inquest yesterday of his attempts to save his brother’s life after he was stabbed during violence in Istanbul.

Darren Loftus said he was eventually dragged away from his blood-soaked brother, Christopher, by Turkish police after seeing him stumble to the ground while running from a mob.

Mr Loftus was giving evidence on the first day of the inquests into the deaths of his 35-year-old brother and another Leeds fan, 40-year-old Kevin Speight.

The hearing in Leeds heard how both men travelled to Istanbul with scores of other supporters for the first leg of the UEFA cup semi-final between their side and Galatasaray, in April, 2000.

Christopher Loftus and Mr Speight died from stab wounds to the chest during violence which erupted the day before the match.

Darren Loftus told the inquest how he was in a bar with Christopher, Mr Speight and up to 30 other Leeds fans just before the incident. He admitted they were "merry" but said the atmosphere was good-natured.

Earlier yesterday, the inquest was shown news footage of blood-soaked Christopher Loftus being laid in the back of a vehicle and having a door slammed against his head.

Darren Loftus told the inquest he was "disgusted" by the treatment he received from the Turkish police.

Other Leeds fans told the coroner how they were attack by large numbers of Galatasaray supporters as the Turkish police looked on and did nothing.