An inquest into the deaths of two Tyneside men who died when flight MH17 was shot down is set to begin in Leicester this week.
The tragedy which occurred on July 17, 2014, claimed the lives of 298 people, including Newcastle United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were on their way to New Zealand to watch the Magpies in a pre-season friendly.
The event, involving the Malaysian Airlines flight traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been blamed on pro-Russian separatists.
Read more: MH17: Four people charged with murder of Liam Sweeney and John Alder after flight tragedy
John 'the Undertaker' Alder of Gateshead, who was 63 at the time, was well-known among Toon fans as he always wore a suit to the game. The NUFC fan had only ever missed one game since 1973 and travelled to every away match. He had been to America, Thailand and New Zealand to watch his beloved team.
Liam Sweeney, 28, from Newcastle was travelling with John to New Zealand. A hard-working young man who left school at 16 and found employment with Morrisons in Killingworth shortly after. His dad, Barry, said he had only missed one game in 10 years – and had seen his beloved team ‘thousands’ of times.
The other three Brits who lost their lives on the MH17 flight were 49-year-old Glenn Thomas - a Blackpool-born press officer at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Loughborough University student Ben Pocock and Leicester's Richard Mayne, who was a 20-year-old student at Leeds University.
Leicestershire Live reports that an investigation led by the Dutch has named four men as being responsible for the tragedy, with the use of a surface-to-air missile. They have all denied involvement, and Russia has refused to extradite the men to The Netherlands to face a trial.
Regardless, the trial began in their absence in the fall of last year. It took place at The Hague and is still ongoing. The inquest into the five men's deaths is due to begin this Friday and will be held by the Leicester coroner, Professor Catherine Mason.
Read next:
Former Bedlington man who died fighting in Ukraine was killed by mortar strike - inquest hears
Dad of MH17 victim who died in Ukraine plane disaster speaks out against Russian aggression
MH17 missile which killed Newcastle United superfans did come from Russia, say investigators
MH17: Barry Sweeney doubtful he will 'ever get truth' as he prepares for murder trial
'Compensation won't bring my son back' - Dad of MH17 victim Liam Sweeney wants answers over crash
