A man who was being questioned in connection with the murder of the schoolgirl Sarah Payne was yesterday released without charge on police bail, Rachel Donnelly writes from London.
Mr Roy Whiting (41) was re-arrested in Crawley, West Sussex on Monday and was released after 24 hours in police custody. He was returned to the custody of the Prison Service, which is holding him on remand pending a court appearance on a separate matter.
Sussex Police confirmed that the man, who was first arrested on July 2nd, the day after Sarah disappeared, had been released pending further inquiries. "Police can confirm that a Littlehampton man in his 40s, held in connection with the murder inquiry, is no longer being questioned by detectives," Sussex police spokesman Mr Nick Sandford said. The eight-year-old schoolgirl went missing on July 1st during a family holiday near Littlehampton, West Sussex. Her body was discovered in a field near Pulborough, West Sussex, two weeks ago.