The disappearance of a child doesn’t take long to hit national news. And when Sarah Payne disappeared while playing with her siblings, the news didn’t just hist national headlines – it went international.
Sarah Payne was born on October 13th, 1991 in Surrey, England. She was a vibrant child with 3 other siblings who all got along really well. Though she was hard of hearing and tone deaf, Sarah loved singing along at the top of her lungs to her favourite groups, S Club 7 and Steps.
During the summer of 2000, Sarah was 8 years old, and in her last year of primary school. And this was the last summer anyone ever saw her alive.
On July 1st, 2000 Sarah, her parents, her two older brothers (13 and 11) and her younger sister (5) visited their grandparents Terence and his wife Lesley. Though Lesley was their step-grandmother, she loved her grandchildren as though they were hers by blood.
The community of Kingston Gorse, in West Sussex, was a small community where most people knew each other. It was a community by the beach, and surrounded by cornfields and farmland.
During the visit, the children all wanted to go down to the beach. Terence wanted to show Sarah’s parents, Sara and Mike, a house his friend had recently purchased and was renovating. The children wanted to continue playing, with the two older boys promising to watch their sisters with the greatest care. Sara and Mike agreed, knowing that Terence and Lesley’s home was nearby should the children wish to return.
The children were playing hide and seek when Sarah fell and hurt herself. She wanted to go back to her grandparents’ home, so the children all rushed to catch up with her. During the walk, the eldest of the Payne children turned to make sure the other two were following along. When he turned back around, Sarah was gone. But he saw a man in a white van drive by, smile, and wave
At the time, this event didn’t mean anything. But it would mean everything later on.
When Sara, Mike, and Terence returned to the house, Lesley was standing outside with the youngest child. She then asked a question no parent ever wants to hear: “Is Sarah with you?”
It wasn’t long before the entire Payne family, along with neighbours and other community members, began mounting a frantic search for Sarah through the town, the beaches, and the fields. Sara hoped beyond hope that Sarah was just scared and hiding in the tall grass. She hoped that Sarah would pop up, and all into her mother’s arms. But this was not to be.
As dark descended on the search party, they realized that it was time to call in law enforcement for help.
Soon, the police-mounted local search turned national. Every news station and media agency was broadcasting the story of the disappearance of Sarah Payne. The Payne family held press conferences, begging the public for information, and begging for Sarah to come home – for whomever had her to let her come home.
Police had a description of the van and the man that had been seen in the area. They canvassed and made inquiries. They followed every lead they could.
Soon, Sara and Mike were warned to “prepare for the worst”. This wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but it was necessary. Sarah had been missing nearly three weeks by this time, and leads were drying up. But still, they hoped. And that hope would be soul crushing.
On July 17th, the body of a young child was found in a field near Pulborough, West Sussex, approximately 24 KM (or 15 miles) from Kingston Gorse. The body was so poorly decomposed, facial recognition was near impossible.
The body was identified as Sarah Payne. Her parents were urged not to view their daughter that way, something Sara says she’s grateful for.
Prior to the discovery, police had been following up numerous leads, especially leads about the scruffy-looking man in the white van. This led to the flat of Roy Whiting.
On July 2nd, police paid the flat a visit, but he wasn’t there. They returned and questioned him about his comings and goings, his whereabouts, and what he was doing and where he was during the time that Sarah had gone missing.
After interviewing him for an hour, police left the flat. They found Whiting extremely suspicious, and he had a distinct lack of concern surrounding the disappearance of Sarah Payne. But they had no evidence, and he had provided an alibi, though it was very thin.
All they knew was that he had been convicted of sexually abusing a child years prior. And so they kept watch. They wanted to see what Whiting would do, knowing they suspected his involvement.
It wasn’t long before Whiting left his flat and attempted to drive away, but he was stopped by police. They arrested him, and held him in custody as they searched his van for evidence.
While they collected some things, they didn’t have anything concrete, though they did find a receipt for fuel at a garage near Pulborough, where Sarah’s body was found. This directly contradicted the alibi he had given police, but wasn’t enough to hold him.
Roy Whiting was released on bail, and went to live with his father in Crawley.
One of Sarah’s shoes was soon found as well, near the garage where Whiting had gotten fuel for his van. More and more, the evidence was pointing to Roy Whiting having abducted and killed Sarah.
On July 23rd, 2000, Whiting stole a vehicle in Crawley and led police in a chase. He reached speeds of up to 113 KM/H (70 miles per hour), and then crashed into a parked car. The chase was enough for Whiting to be arrested and charged with dangerous driving.
He admitted to the charges, and was sentenced to 22 months in jail. This also gave police time to investigate him more thoroughly as their primary suspect in the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne.
A search of Whiting’s van uncovered a stash of sweets, toys, rope, knives, baby oil, and cable ties. They tore the van apart, sending anything and everything they could find for forensic testing.
Following months of investigation, Roy Whiting was charged with the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne on February 6th, 2001.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trial of Roy Whiting for the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne began on November 14th, 2001. Sarah’s oldest brother testified that Whiting was the scruffy man he had seen drive away in the white van, proving to be the key witness placing Whiting at the site of Sarah’s abduction.
Also presented at trial was the forensic evidence that had been found from Whiting’s white van. A strand of blond hair on a T-shirt found in the van was tested. It was found that there was a one-in-a-billion chance of it being Sarah’s hair. This placed her in the van.
Two witnesses also came forward, placing Whiting’s van in the area where Sarah’s body was later found. They stated that they’d seen the van parked on the side of the road on the evening of July 1st, 2000.
After four weeks of trial, Roy Whiting was found guilty of the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne. The trial judge stated that this was one of the rare cases in which he would recommend that a life sentence should mean exactly that – a life in prison without the possibility of release.
On November 24th, 2002, Roy Whiting was sentenced to serve a minimum of 50 years of his life sentence. This ensured that he would be ineligible for parole until 2051, which would make him 92 before parole could even be considered. If he survives that long.
When the trial concluded, the public finally learned the truth about Roy Whiting.
He had been convicted five years prior for the abduction and sexual assault of an 8-year-old child in Crawley. He was sentenced to four years, but was released in two years and five months. He was then put on the sex offenders’ register, one of the first, a new tool in England at the time.
This was kept from the public during his trial for Sarah’s abduction and murder as it was suggested this information could have undue influence on the jury throughout the course of the case.
Needless to say, the public were outraged – but no one was more outraged than Sara Payne, Sarah’s mother. This triggered a life-long goal for Sara, with the intent of ending sex-based violence against children. Sara, and the public as a whole, was of the opinion that had they been able to know whether or not someone on the sex offenders’ register was living in the community, they could have prevented Sarah’s tragic murder.
Sara and Mike worked tirelessly to create one of the largest changes to criminal law in the UK, named Sarah’s Law.
The story of how Sarah’s Law came to be is very detailed, and very complex. It could be a post all on its own, and it very well might be one day. Until then, if you want a more thorough discussion of the history of Sarah’s Law, please listen to RedHanded’s podcast episode about this case, linked below in my sources.
In the end, all of Sara and Mike’s hard work paid off. In 2011, after 11 long years, Sarah’s Law was rolled out across England and Wales. In broad strokes, the law allows those who are carers, caregivers, or have custody of children to ask the police for information on whether or not someone who is connected to that child has a record of committing crimes against children.
The law is not perfect. And getting it rolled out was one hell of a battle. But it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a step that helps protect children. But it’s a law that was born out of necessity; out of what was considered a preventable tragedy. And that’s absolutely heartbreaking.
— — —
Like what you’re reading? Follow me on Facebook for the latest updates!
Sources:
The Disappearance and Murder of Sarah Payne – The True Crime Edition
Sarah Payne murder 20 years on remembered in timeline from abduction to Roy Whiting’s sentencing – Eleanor Fleming – Surrey Live
The murder of Sarah Payne: Two decades on – Crime + Investigation
Truly Criminal podcast – Sarah Payne: 22 Years On and the Fight for Sarah’s Law
RedHanded podcast – Episode 326 – Sarah Payne: Into Thin Air
Murder of Sarah Payne Wikipedia page