ROY Whiting has been convicted of the "truly appalling" abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, whose grandmother lives on Sheppey. The 42-year-old killer, who had a previous child sex conviction, was told by trial judge Mr Justice Richard Curtis at Lewes Crown Court that he was "every parent's nightmare". The judge sentenced him to life and told him he should never be released.

The murdered girl's grandmother, Elizabeth Williams, lives at New Road at Minster, near Sheerness.

After sitting through the month-long trial, Sarah's parents made an impassioned plea for tougher sentencing for paedophiles.

Sara Payne, from Surrey, who has campaigned tirelessly for a "Sarah's Law" giving people the right to know about released paedophiles, said: "This doesn't make us happy but justice has been done. Sarah can rest in peace now."

Little Sarah's body was discovered in a field just off of the A29, near Pulborough, West Sussex.