A British woman who abused the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann online has been found dead after facing media condemnation for her behaviour.

The body of 63-year-old Brenda Leyland was uncovered in a hotel room by police, who say the circumstances of her death are not suspicious.

• Pause in McCann search

Sky News last week identified Mrs Leyland as the person behind Twitter profile ‘sweepyface’, an account used to post abusive comments about Gerry and Kate McCann.

When confronted by the network, the mother of two reportedly said she felt “entitled” to post the abusive comments, which Mr McCann said caused his family “significant distress”.

When told she was under police investigation by a Sky News reporter, Mrs Leyland said that was “fair enough”.

However, a local newspaper reported that residents in Mrs Leyland’s hometown of Burton Overy said she “fled the village” in the wake of media attention.