Blood of both Leeds fans on accused killer's knife, court told

A knife belonging to the Turkish man accused of murdering two Leeds United fans had the blood of both victims on it, a court retrying the case heard today.

Ali Umit Demir was jailed for 15 years for stabbing Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight in April 2000 after street clashes in Istanbul on the eve of Leeds United’s match with Galatasaray in the second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

But an appeals court last summer overturned Demir’s conviction, ruling further investigations should be carried out into the killings.

It said Demir’s knife had the blood of Speight, but it was not clear whether it had the blood of Loftus, which was necessary for the double conviction Demir received in May 2002. Demir had received 7 1/2 years for each killing.

During a hearing in Istanbul today, Judge Refah Ceran said a report from the forensic investigators showed that Demir’s knife had the blood of both Speight and Loftus. The report also said the knife also had the blood of an unidentified third person.

Demir objected to the report. But Sukru Alpaslan, a lawyer representing the families of the dead fans, welcomed it.

“This report eliminates the reservations of the appeals court,” Alpaslan said after the hearing. “It clarifies that there were two separate blood traces on the knife.”

The court ordered the trial postponed until May 13 to wait for a second forensic report determining whether Demir’s knife was the one used to kill Speight and Loftus.

It also rejected the latest bail request by Demir’s lawyer.