London: A British woman accused by a television station of directing Twitter abuse at the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann has been found dead, press reports say.

Brenda Leyland, 63, was confronted on the street by a Sky News reporter who accused her of being in a group of online "trolls" who directed abuse at the McCanns, whose daughter has been missing since 2007.

Online attacks: Kate and Gerry McCann have been threatened since the disappearance of their daughter. Credit:Reuters

Reporter Martin Brunt asked Ms Leyland: "Why are you using your Twitter account to attack the McCanns?"

Ms Leyland replied: "I'm entitled to do that."