Charlotte Payne, the sister of murdered Sarah Payne, has revealed she used to convince herself that "they got the wrong girl" and continues to live with the trauma of her sister's death.
Charlotte, now 31, was just six years old when her sister Sarah was abducted by Roy Whiting near her grandparents' home near Littlehampton, West Sussex, in July 2000. Whiting, a convicted sex offender who lived nearby, sexually abused the eight-year-old before killing her in a case that shocked the nation.
Memories blocked for years
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Charlotte said she had blocked out her memories of the tragic event for years but has now started talking to her sister. She said: "If I'm struggling I might say, 'Oh come on Sarah, help me out here'. It sounds weird... I'm not even religious. I'm not even sure if I believe in the afterlife."
Charlotte was playing with Sarah in a field behind their grandparents' house, along with their two older brothers Lee, 13 at the time, and Luke, 12 at the time. Their parents had left them alone for a short time to see a house, but Sarah stormed off as they played and vanished. Sarah's body was found 16 days later in a field 15 miles away.
Family's campaign for Sarah's Law
The case prompted a national debate around child safety, and the Payne family worked to push for a new law around sex offenders, called Sarah's Law. Charlotte's mum Sara fought a long battle to have the law introduced, which allows the public to formally ask the police whether someone who has contact with a child or children has child sexual offences or poses a risk to kids.
Sara, speaking to BBC South East, said she campaigned for Sarah's Law as she found it unfair that child sex offenders were able to serve their sentence and be anonymous in society. She said: "Victims... don't get to just move on with their lives. They have to deal with the aftermath."
Ongoing impact and new podcast
Charlotte revealed that decades on, the horrific tragedy still impacts her. She said: "Even seeing a video of someone having an older sister, I'll feel like a deep sadness... like something's missing."
Nearly three decades on, Sara said she would not let Whiting live in her head, saying: "You have to choose which path you're going to take. I chose not to allow him [Whiting] to live in my head. It had to be her - so I keep Sarah."
Roy Whiting was jailed for life in December 2001 and was ordered to serve a 50-year minimum term, but the High Court reduced this by 10 years in 2010. The mother and daughter have spoken ahead of the release of the new BBC podcast series Sarah Payne: Unforgotten.
