Sarah Payne’s mother Sara made an emotional ‘final visit’ to the place where her daughter was abducted and murdered 19 years ago in an ITV documentary last night (Thursday July 4).
Hosted by Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid, Sarah Payne: The Untold Story saw Sara make the harrowing journey in order to ‘exorcise ghosts’.
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The abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah from a field near her grandparents’ home in Sussex in July 2000 shocked the nation.
It was revealed that Ray Whiting, a convicted paedophile who committed a similar crime previously, carried out the terrible crime.
After Sarah’s tragic murder, Sara, 50, campaigned to change the law so that concerned parents could access the sex offender register.
And in the documentary, interviews with friends and family shed new light on the day Sarah was abducted and told how Sara and her surviving children – Lee, who was 13 at the time, Luke, then 12, and Charlotte, then six – coped with the trauma.
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Sara said that it will be the last time she will visit the beach.
“If I close my eyes I can see her and I can hear her and see her running around just shouting,” she said.
“The last thing I remember is Sarah just waving and she was like ‘go, go, go… we’ll see you at home’.”
Speaking to The Mirror, Sara said: “It was very difficult to do but it needed to be done. It was like exorcising ghosts. It was something I did once, I probably won’t do that again.
“It is very painful but every now and then you need to touch on stuff to find out where you are,” she continued.
“You never know how far you have come until you look behind you.”
Heartbroken viewers were quick to show Sara their support.
Sarah would be so proud of what her mum’s done ❤️Incredible strength. In awe of her watching this. That poor family. Roy Whiting should burn in hell #SarahPayneTheUntoldStory #SarahPayne
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) July 4, 2019
Sara Paynes strength has always astounded me after all the trauma she has gone through. She used her grief to save other children. You couldn't want a better memorial for your childs passing. #sarahpayne
— linnea (@linnea_1987) July 4, 2019
Remember the Sarah Payne murder. Still shocking and upsetting today. Her mum is still probably one of the most remarkable and inspirational people out there. 💪🏻
— Mulligan (@mrmull84) July 4, 2019
So sad that such a lovely family should have to suffer like this. They have articulated their agony so movingly. I hope they can one day find peace and have happy lives #sarahpayne
— Debra🌻 (@sunflowerdeb16) July 4, 2019
When you read the definition of strength it does not compare to Sara the true living definition of strength #sarahpayne
— marelli (@beautifulpop) July 4, 2019
One viewer wrote: “When you read the definition of strength it does not compare to Sara the true living definition of strength #sarahpayne”
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