The parents of the murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne, yesterday spoke publicly for the first time about their loss and urged people to help find her killer.
Holding hands and at times shaking with emotion, Sara and Michael Payne told a news conference the reality of Sarah's death had yet to sink in and the family still believed the police would tell them their daughter had been found alive. "The family is devastated," Ms Sara Payne said as her husband sat beside her, head bowed. "It hasn't really sunk in yet. We have got a job now and that is to catch this person or persons or whoever it is has got to be caught and stopped."
In a trembling voice, Ms Payne continued: "We need to catch this . . . these people. They must never, ever be allowed to put another family through this. They have watched us for the last two weeks. They've torn our children apart and they could have done something about it by picking up the phone. We cannot even see our daughter because it's too hard and it's not Sarah and I don't think that anyone should be allowed to do that to anybody. We haven't been able to say goodbye to her, it's so unfair."
Death was "too good" for the person who had killed her daughter. "We will find whoever did this. I feel no pity for you anymore, no pity at all," Ms Payne said.
As the family renewed its appeal for information about a white van seen in the area of Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, on the day Sarah disappeared, Mr Payne described her murder as a "senseless" act. "They have watched us suffer, they've watched our family go through something it should not go through . . . the whole thing was just senseless. I mean to take a little girl like that. For what reason? For what reason would you do this to someone?"
After the press conference, the Payne family returned to the field near Pulborough, West Sussex, where Sarah's body was discovered on Monday. The family, including Sarah's parents, grandfather, Terry, and brothers, Lee (13), Luke (11) and Charlotte (6) spent about 20 minutes looking at the large number of floral tributes that have been placed at the side of the road close to the field. At times the family stood huddled together, holding hands, and Sarah's father could be seen wiping away tears.
The family read some of the cards attached to the flowers and Sarah's sister, Charlotte, took away a doll that was given to Sarah, saying: "This was for Sarah but now I am looking after it."