An English jury heard today how there was "compelling evidence" linking mechanic Mr Roy Whiting to the "horrific" kidnap and murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne.
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Sarah Payne
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Mr Whiting is accused of murdering the eight-year-old after snatching her near her grandparents' home.
At the opening of the trial today, the jury at Lewes Crown Court heard how Sarah was playing with her brothers and sister after a visit to the beach when she disappeared.
Sarah ran off and while searching for her, her eldest brother, Lee, may have seen her abductor waving and smiling at him as he drove away with her in the back of his white van, prosecutor Mr Timothy Langdale, QC, told the court.
The jury at Lewes Crown Court was told Mr Whiting, 42, formerly from Littlehampton, West Sussex, denied kidnapping Sarah on July 1st last year and murdering her between June 30th and July 3rd.
Opening the case for the Crown, Mr Langdale told the jury that the abduction and murder of Sarah had been "an horrific crime".
He added there was "compelling evidence that points to Roy Whiting and Roy Whiting alone as the man responsible for kidnapping this girl and killing her".
PA