Sara Payne: A Mother's Story
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 Cover of the British hardcover edition |
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| Author | Sara Payne |
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| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Autobiography, True Crime |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
| Released | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0340862759 |
Sara Payne: A Mother's Story is a book by Sara Payne. It was published by Hodder and Stoughton in May 2004 and gives her account of the July 2000 abduction and murder of her daughter Sarah Payne in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, England. The book is autobiographical in nature.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Sara Payne: A Mother's Story is Sara Payne's autobiography, covering the abduction and murder of her daughter Sarah as well as effects that it had on herself, her family and the community. Sara details her life before Sarah's abduction, including her relationship with husband Michael, the births of her children, the abduction and murder of Sarah, and the aftermath.
[edit] Abduction
On July 1, 2000, Mike, Sara and their four children visited Michael's parents, Terry and Leslie Payne, in Kingston Gorse, near Littlehampton, on the Sussex coast. They arrived in the early evening and had tea before Terry, Mike, and Sara went for a walk along the coast to view a house that Terry's friend was renovating. The four children stayed behind to play on the beach after eldest son Lee promised to look after them.
Terry, Mike and Sara returned within an hour to find Sarah missing and the rest of the family in a panic. The police were summoned and nieghbours assisted in the search for Sarah. It emerged that the children had played in a cornfield by their grandparents' house, and that Sarah had gone back after she banged her head. Lee followed her at a distance as she slipped through a gap in the hedge but when he got there, Sarah had disappeared. Lee had seen a scruffy-looking man driving away in a white van, but thought nothing of it.
Over the next two weeks, Mike and Sara made numerous media appeals for Sarah's safe return. During this time they were in close contact with the police, particularly family liaison officer Sean Scott. They received many letters of support from members of the public, including a necklace from a well-wisher in Leicestershire. Sadly, they also received an anonymous letter which accused Mike and Terry of killing Sarah.
Following Sarah's abduction, Lee and Luke blamed themselves, feeling that they had failed to protect Sarah. Charlotte, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly dependent on her parents. Unable to understand the situation, she asked repeatedly where Sarah was. Throughout this time, Sara maintained an unshakable belief that Sarah was still alive.
[edit] Discovery
On 17th July, 16 days after Sarah's disappearance, Sean Scott visited Terry and Lesley. Scott was desperate to speak to Sara, but she insisted that he wait until Mike returned. Scott then revealed that a girl's body had been found near Pulborough. It was too early to say for certain that the body was Sarah's, but it was extremely likely. The next day forensic experts were able to confirm that it was Sarah. Scott viewed Sarah's body at the family's request. They then asked Scott if he thought they should view the body. In an interview with The Sun newspaper, he later said: 'I told them that as a father I would never want to see my daughter like that, but I wonder now whether I made the right choice. I know that Sara has found it very difficult dealing with the fact that she never got to say a final goodbye.'
The adults in the family were consumed with guilt, and tortured themselves with 'what if's'. Mike and Sara felt guilty for letting the children stay behind, as they felt that if they hadn't left the children, Sarah would still be alive.
The children struggled to understand that a child could be killed on purpose, although they had long understood that everyone dies when they get old. Their sons, Lee and Luke, understood that the body was Sarah's because they knew how DNA could be used to identify somebody. Five-year-old Charlotte, meanwhile, refused to accept that Sarah was dead, instead insisting that the body wasn't Sarah's.
After Sarah's murder, the family moved to a new home - still in Hersham - hoping to rebuild their lives. Sara's relaxed attitude towards her children changed, with Lee and Luke being instructed to come straight home from school and having an 8.00pm curfew in the evenings. Charlotte, being the youngest and a girl, bore the brunt of Sara's over-protectiveness. If she wanted to play with friends, they had to come to the house and play either in the bedroom or in the back garden where Sara could watch them.
Mike and Sara Payne's family life changed dramatically after Sarah's death. Heavy drinking and alcohol-fuelled fights became routine, and Sara would become frantic if Lee and Luke were not home even 10 minutes after their 8.00pm curfew.
[edit] Investigation
Sussex Police quickly identified a key suspect in Sarah's murder. They quizzed numerous convicted sex offenders and considered every possible scenario, but within 24 hours of Sarah's disappearance they believed that Roy Whiting had abducted and killed Sarah.
He was initially questioned the day after Sarah's disappearance, and stood out due to his lack of concern for Sarah - something that even some of the worst offenders questioned had shown - as well as his panicky demenour. He also owned a white van similar to the one that Sarah's brother Lee had seen and had a conviction for abducting and molesting an eight-year-old girl in 1995. Whiting was arrested that evening and told police that he had visited a funfair in Hove on the night Sarah disappeared, and in bed by 10.00pm.
A receipt for diesel was found in Whiting's van which placed him at Buck Barn garage, about 3 miles from Pulborough, after 10.00pm that night. Despite contradicting his alibi, this was not enough evidence to suggest he was guilty, so Whiting was released on bail the following day. Sarah's body was eventually found approximately three miles away from Buck Back garage, and Whiting was re-arrested three days later on suspicion of murder, but the police were forced to release him on bail once again due to a lack of evidence. Within days he was back in custody after stealing a Vauxhall Nova and leading police on a high speed pursuit around Crawley. He later admitted taking a vehicle without the owner's consent and dangerous driving, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
By February 2001, Sussex Police had enough forensic evidence to charge Roy Whiting with Sarah's murder. Mike and Sara attended Lewes Crown Court, only to witness Whiting deny the charges. This meant that the Paynes would have to endure the trauma of a trial which would start later in the year.
Shortly after Whiting was charged, Mike told Sara that he had paid for a shotgun before Whiting had been charged and planned to collect it if Whiting got away with Sarah's murder. Sara contacted the police and they persuaded Mike to surrender the weapon, reminding him that he would be arrested if he shot Whiting.
[edit] Sarah's Law
Mike and Sara Payne were determined that no other family would endure what they had. They were convinced that a paedophile had been responsible for Sarah's death, and within days of her body being found they were supporting a campaign spearheaded by the News of the World called Sarah's Law. This would give parents the right to know if a convicted sex offender lived in their area. It was seen as a British version of America's Megan's Law, which came into force after seven-year-old Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by a neighbour who, unbeknownst to his neighbours, was a convicted child rapist.
[edit] The trial
In November 2001, Roy Whiting's trial began at Lewes Crown Court. He firmly denied any involvement in Sarah's death, insisting that he was at a funfair in Hove at the time Sarah went missing. When asked by the prosecution why he had bought diesel at Buck Barn garage - more than 10 miles from his Littlehampton home - Whiting claimed that he was on his way to visit his father in Crawley but had decided against it when he realised that it was after 10.00pm. Despite a forensic expert claimed that a strand of blonde hair found on a T-shirt in his van stood a one-in-a-billion chance of belonging to anyone other than Sarah Payne, Whiting still claimed he was innocent but could not offer any explanation for one of Sarah's hairs being found in his van.
On 12th December, the jury returned guilty verdicts on the abduction and murder charges against Roy Whiting. Mr Justice Curtis sentenced Whiting to life imprisonment, and said that it was a rare case in which he would recommend to the appropriate authorities that a life sentence should mean life.
[edit] After the trial
Sara Payne had imagined that Roy Whiting's conviction and imprisonment would be the 'full stop' that her friends and family had been telling her would come, when the family could 'put it behind them' and 'move on with their lives'. In some ways things were better now that Whiting was behind bars, as many of her fears had been removed. There was no question of Whiting re-offending or coming after her surviving children, and no fear of Mike gaining revenge.
Life in the Payne household had completely changed since Sarah's death, and it was a very miserable place to be. Sara was no longer working and would often sit in front of the television all day drinking wine while her children were at school and Mike was at work. Mike eventually took over all the household duties, becomming so frustrated with Sara that he would threaten to leave unless 'something changed'.
As Charlotte grew older, she started wanting more independence, but Sara could still hardly bear to let Charlotte out of her sight. She knew that being over-protective of Charlotte wasn't doing her any good, but determined that Charlotte would not be at risk from the dangers of the world which claimed Sarah's life, she felt unable to stop herself
[edit] Pregnancy
In April 2003, Sara Payne found out that she was pregnant. At first she opted to have an abortion, making an appointment at a local clinic. After Mike expressed his disappointment, she changed her mind and insisted that she wanted the baby. On 30th November 2003, Sara Payne's fifth child - a baby girl - was born and Mike named her, opting for Ellie Jane Louise.
After Sarah's death, Sara Payne had lived day-to-day, never planning ahead. But the birth of her new daughter had brought some happiness back into a family who thought they would never have anything to look forward to again.
[edit] Separation
Sara's pregnancy had done little to lift the dark cloud hanging over the Payne household, though she did stop smoking and drinking and began eating a healthier diet. Mike, who was off work with depression, continued to drink heavily, resulting in frequent arguments. Things came to a head one day when Mike lost his temper with Sara for not doing the shopping. Sara realised that this was not a suitable environment for a new baby and that she would move out as soon as she could find somewhere to live.
In the end, Mike was made redundant by his employer and the couple agreed that it would be more practical for him to move out, as he had some money from his redundancy package. He eventually moved into lodgings near the family home, and came over to visit his family every day. Sara was unsure at this stage whether their separation would be temporary or permanent but she was determined to get their marriage back on track.
Sara felt lonely after her separation from Mike, but also relieved. She made more effort with the household chores, as she was now the only adult in the house, and felt that the atmosphere in the house was improving as her baby's arrival drew closer.
Sara claimed that one of the biggest factors in the break-up of her marriage was the fact that Sarah's murder had caused the Paynes to become 'different' people. The murder had caused them to change their way of living. They had also received several letters asking them 'What were you thinking leaving the children like that?' and these letters only added to the original guilt over the belief that Sarah's murder could have been prevented if they had dfone things differently.
Mike felt frustrated after the separation, thinking that Sara and the children were doing better without him, so he urged Sara to divorce him if she didn't want him anymore. But Sara stuck to her guns and was determined to save their marriage.
