Sarah Payne’s killer Roy Whiting could be in line for huge payout after he was stabbed in max security jail
THE killer of Sarah Payne could be in line for a huge payout after he was stabbed in a maximum security jail.
Roy Whiting is currently serving a life sentence at HMP Wakefield for the abduction and murder of the eight-year-old schoolgirl in July 2000.
The attack on Sunday left Whiting covered in blood and the Prison Service said he was treated for minor injuries.
It has now been claimed the killer will pursue a pay-out, according to The Mirror.
“Despite Whiting’s appalling crimes, the Prison Service still has an obligation to protect him from other inmates who despise him,” a source said.
“And he’s planning to make a claim for a pay-out from the public purse that would dwarf the meagre salary he earns working behind bars.”
In 2019 Whiting vowed to sue prison chiefs after being attacked four times while locked up.
He wanted £10,000 after claiming he wasn’t protected from fellow lags.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We successfully defend two-thirds of cases brought by prisoners and pay-outs have fallen significantly in the last two years.”
Sarah went missing while playing near her grandparents’ home near Worthing in West Sussex.
Her body was found several miles away in a field just off the A29, near Pulborough, 17 days later.
Sarah’s murder sparked a national outcry and the introduction of Sarah’s Law following a campaign by her parents and the now-defunct News of the World.
The law gives parents powers to check with police whether people given regular unsupervised access to their children have any convictions for child sex offences and was extended to all police forces in England and Wales in 2011.
It is not the first time the notorious child killer has been attacked in prison.
Two convicted murderers, Richard Prendergast and Kevin Hyden, were jailed for an additional seven and a half years each for attacking Whiting in his cell in 2018.
In 2011, Whiting was stabbed in the eye with a sharpened toilet brush handle by fellow inmate, twice-convicted murderer Gary Vinter.
Whiting was left with a six-inch scar on his right cheek after he was attacked with a razor by Rickie Tregaskis, another convicted killer, in 2002.
Before murdering Sarah, Whiting had previously spent time in prison for the kidnap and indecent assault of a nine-year-old girl in 1995.
In 2010, Whiting’s 50-year minimum jail term for Sarah’s murder was reduced by 10 years by the High Court.
In a statement on Tuesday, West Yorkshire Police said: “At 5.14pm on Sunday evening, police received a call from a member of staff at HMP Wakefield reporting a male prisoner had been stabbed.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “A prisoner at HMP Wakefield was treated for minor injuries following an incident involving another offender.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while the police investigate.”
Monster Mansion - the notorious inmates at HMP Wakefield
OVER the years, the Yorkshire jail has become synonymous with Britain's most evil criminals.
Here are just some of the famous lags to walk the halls at the prison…
Harold Shipman – Nicknamed Dr Death, the monster is believed to have killed around 250 people. Shipman took his own life in his prison cell in 2004.
Levi Bellfield – Milly Dowler’s killer is serving a whole life order at the prison over the brutal murder. He was also convicted of slaughtering Marsha McDonnell, 19, and Amelie Delagrange, 22, but is feared to have killed many more.
Robert Maudsley – ‘Hannibal’ killer Maudsley spends 23 hours a day in a 18ft by 14ft underground Perspex box at the jail. He was locked up for torturing and murdering four men.
Jeremy Bamber – The monster was convicted of the White House Farm murders in 1985 after slaying five members of his family.
Mark Bridger – Bridger snatched five-year-old April Jones from outside her home in Machynlleth, Mid Wales, in October 2012. He then claimed he had accidentally run the youngster over but was convicted of murder.
Ian Watkins – The Lost Prophets frontman was jailed for 35 years in 2013 for a string of child sex offences. Watkins was stabbed in the neck at the prison last August.