Sarah Payne killer 'dead man walking' who has been slashed, scalded and stabbed

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Sarah Payne was murdered by evil Roy Whiting (Image: PA)
Sarah Payne was murdered by evil Roy Whiting (Image: PA)

Paedophile killer Roy Whiting has had a target on his back ever since he was put behind bars for the callous murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne.

His evil crime horrified the nation, including those already serving time. Eight-year-old Sarah was snatched from a quiet country lane on the evening of July 1, 2000, before being sexually assaulted, stabbed in the neck and dumped in a shallow grave.

The young girl had been staying with her two brothers and sister at her grandparents' house in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex. It was during a game of hide-and-seek that she hit her head and ran off crying out of sight, where she was then taken by warped Whiting.

A frantic search took hold but 16 days passed until her naked body was found a few miles away. Convicted paedophile Whiting, who was jailed for four years for a sex attack on a nine-year-old in 1995, had turned his van into a 'moving prison' equipped with knife, rope, baby oil and plastic ties looped like handcuffs.

The then-41-year-old was brought to justice in December 2001. He was jailed for at least 40 years and will be 82 when he is eligible for parole. Since being behind bars, Whiting has admitted he is a "dead man walking". Here, The Mirror takes a look at all the times the marked convict has been attacked in HMP Wakefield, also known as Monster Mansion...

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Sarah Payne killer 'dead man walking' who has been slashed, scalded and stabbedRoy Whiting was convicted of murdering schoolgirl Sarah Payne (PA)

'Soaked in blood'

Roy Whiting was left soaked in blood after a frenzied stabbing in his maximum security jail, the Mirror can reveal today. Sources claim the paedophile was repeatedly knifed inside HMP Wakefield.

Prison guards raced to rescue the 65-year-old and gave him treatment after the assault this weekend. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. A source said: "Whiting is hated in prison. He was stabbed and was covered in blood. They were trying to kill him."

Fighting for his life

In 2018, Whiting was repeatedly stabbed in his prison cell by two fellow inmates screaming "you f***ing nonce", it was reported. The killer wasn't breathing after his attackers knifed him in the upper body with makeshift blades, and punched and kicked him in the face and head.

Convicted murderers Richard Prendergast and Kevin Hyden, both 40 at the time, didn't stop stabbing Whiting, then-61, until baton-wielding prison officers forced the cell door open, a court heard. Whiting was in respiratory arrest when a nurse found him and she inserted a plastic tube to give him an airway and save his life, it was reported.

Sarah Payne killer 'dead man walking' who has been slashed, scalded and stabbedWakefield Prison is also known as 'Monster Mansion' (PA)

Prendergast and Hyden both admitted a Section 18 wounding with intent when they appeared via video link at Leeds Crown Court, the Sun reported. The two convicted murderers were jailed for a further seven-and-half years after attacking Whiting at the West Yorkshire prison.

Whiting claimed the two inmates stormed into his cell screaming before they began stabbing him on November 8, 2018. He said in a statement after the attack: "The two immediately began to stab and punch me to my head and body." Whiting said in the statement: "I looked down at the floor and I was laid in a pool of my own blood. It was everywhere."

He suffered multiple stab wounds, a busted lip, cuts to his face and two black eyes, and lost consciousness as prison officers intervened. The court heard that Whiting's life was saved by a prison nurse who was called to his cell.

She said: "I do believe that my actions on this day did save Roy Whiting’s life, due to the severity of the injuries he had received and the quick response having qualified medics on the scene." A prison officer, who stopped the attack, said he believes Whiting would have been killed had staff not intervened with their batons drawn when they did.

A prison service spokesperson told Mirror Online at the time: "A prisoner at HMP Wakefield was attacked on Thursday evening and received hospital treatment. The prisoner is now back in the prison in a stable condition and the incident is being investigated by the police."

Scalding

Whiting was reportedly battered and scalded in a brutal prison attack by fellow inmate in 2016. He was apparently beaten with a hot water flask.

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A source told the Sun: "He got clobbered from behind. It wasn't major but shows he's still a target." He received medical treatment within the jail but did not need to be taken to hospital, according to the report.

Stabbed in the eye

Sarah Payne killer 'dead man walking' who has been slashed, scalded and stabbedWhiting has faced several attacks while in prison (PA)

In 2011, he was stabbed in the eye with a sharpened toilet brush. He was attacked by a fellow inmate, double killer Gary Vinter, 53, who sneaked into Whiting's jail cell and savaged him with a sharpened plastic toilet brush handle.

Whiting reportedly screamed in agony as the weapon was plunged into his eye socket. The tip of the makeshift weapon broke and left a piece of plastic in Whiting's eye socket.

The attack happened shortly after Wakefield Prison's inmates were released from their cells in the morning. A source said: "The man walked up to Whiting and plunged the sharpened handle into his face. Staff reacted quickly and Whiting was very lucky they were there otherwise it could have been far worse."

The inmate was taken to the healthcare wing of the maximum security jail and later told he would not lose his sight. He was transferred to a specialist hospital where he was spotted with severe bruising.

Razor blade slashing

On August 4, 2002, murderer Rickie Tregaskis slashed Whiting's cheek with a razor blade, leaving a 6-inch scar. The sicko told a jury that the attack took place when he returned from filling up his flask with hot water on the D wing of the jail.

Whiting told the court: "I noticed out of the corner of my eye movement and felt a sharp stinging pain." He recalled putting his hand on the right side of his face and feeling blood.

"As soon as I felt the stinging against my face, I put my hand up and I was covered in blood. I turned round to see who was there," he added. He claimed he didn't know who had carried out the attack.

'Dead man walking'

In 2019, it was reported that Whiting wished to sue prison authorities for £10,000 after he was attacked for the fourth time. He admitted he was a "dead man walking" and claimed warders had failed to protect him from dangerous inmates.

A source told the Daily Star: "Whiting is sensing some cash so he can sit in his cell all day and not work. He has to clock on in the workshop to earn money because if he makes himself unemployed he will get about £2.50-a-week.

"He reckons the fact that he has to leave his cell each day to go to work makes him a target and says it is only a matter of time before he's done in properly. He says the prison has failed to look after him and is going to go for £10,000 and then he’ll have enough cash in his prison bank account not to work."

The Ministry of Justice does not comment on individual prisoners.

Saffron Otter

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