On 10 July, police announced that they had received information regarding the sighting of a girl who matched Sarah's description at Knutsford Services on the M6 motorway in Cheshire on the morning after her disappearance.
Three days later, Michael and Sara Payne were warned by police to "prepare for the worst", explaining that the emphasis of their inquiries had shifted and that there was a possibility that their daughter might not be found safe and well.
[4] On 17 July, a body was found in a field near Pulborough, West Sussex, 15 miles (24 km) from Kingston Gorse, where Payne was last seen.
[10] On 23 July 2000, Whiting stole a Vauxhall Nova in Crawley and was pursued by police at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) before he crashed into a parked vehicle.
[18] A strand of blonde hair on a T-shirt was found in Whiting's van; a DNA test established there was a one-in-a-billion chance of it belonging to anyone other than Payne.
The jury also heard the testimony of two motorists who recalled a white van being parked at the roadside and pulling off a track on the evening of 1 July 2000, near the site where Payne's body was later found.
[19] On 12 December 2001, after a four-week trial before Mr Justice Curtis and a jury, Whiting was convicted of the abduction and murder of Payne and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
On the day after Whiting's conviction, the Home Office commented that such a system would be "unworkable," as it could drive paedophiles "underground", making it more difficult for the police to monitor and locate them, and it would put them in danger of vigilante attacks.
Twenty forensic experts from the fields of entomology, palynology and environmental profiling, oil and lubricant analysis, pathology, geology, and archaeology were employed.
[23] On 24 November 2002, Home Secretary David Blunkett ordered that Roy Whiting serve a minimum of 50 years in prison, making him ineligible for parole until 2051, when he would be 92.
[27] Whiting's lawyers argued that the 50-year tariff was politically motivated, as the decision was made at a time when the government was under fire from the public and media over a firefighters' strike.
He also developed a keen interest in banger racing–he built his own car and earned a slot driving for the Gatwick Flyers under the name "Flying Fish".
[31] Whiting was released from prison in November 1997, having served 2 years and 5 months of his 4-year sentence, and was one of the first people in Britain to go on the sex offenders' register.
In June 2004 convicted murderer Rickie Tregaskis was found guilty of carrying out the attack, which left Whiting with a 6-inch (150 mm) scar on his right cheek.
His injuries were described as "minor"[38] The campaign for Sarah's Law was spearheaded by the News of the World, and began in July 2000 in response to Payne's murder.
Their belief was proved correct 17 months later when Roy Whiting was found guilty of the murder, and it was revealed that he already had a conviction for abducting and indecently assaulting an eight-year-old girl.
A modified scheme, whereby parents can enquire about a named individual who has regular access to their children, was introduced in four pilot areas of England and Wales in September 2008.
In August 2010 the Home Office announced that, after proving successful, the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme would be extended to cover the whole of England and Wales by spring 2011.
[3] Sara Payne was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in December 2008 for her work toward the passing of Sarah's Law.
[45] He separated from Sara after 18 years of marriage in August 2003, and subsequently became an alcoholic, leading to a 16-month jail term for attacking his brother with a glass in December 2011, while intoxicated.