Payne murder suspect appears in court

Sarah's murder sparked a national campaign for tougher laws on paedophiles

CHICHESTER, England -- Roy Whiting has appeared in court charged with the murder and kidnapping of eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne.

Whiting, a 42 year-old mechanic of Littlehampton, West Sussex spoke only to confirm his name on Wednesday.

At a hearing in Chichester which Sarah's parents, Michael and Sara Payne did not attend, magistrate Michael Sugden refused an application for bail and remanded Whiting in custody until February 19.

Sarah disappeared near her grandparent's home in Kingston Gorse on July 1 and her naked body was found two weeks later, dumped ten miles from where she vanished.

Whiting has been arrested on three occasions in connection with Sarah's disappearance, the first of which was for 24 hours shortly after she vanished.

The murder of Sarah sparked a massive police hunt and a series of public appeals. Detectives took more than 33,000 calls during the first month of the investigation.

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Police Services of the UK

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