Police in West Sussex believe a small black shoe, possibly casually discarded in a field, belongs to the murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne and are treating the discovery as a "very significant" development.
A woman walking near the village of Coolham, West Sussex, on Wednesday discovered the right-footed shoe in a hedge about four miles from where Sarah's body was found near Pulborough on Monday. Forensic experts were examining the shoe yesterday and police believe it could yield vital evidence.
Sussex Police superintendent Mr Phil Clarke said it looked as if the shoe was casually thrown into the hedge, but he said it was also possible that someone walking close to the hedge had placed it there. "It would appear that it has been discovered in a hedge and there has been no attempt to conceal it," he said.
While the discovery could prove important, Assistant Chief Constable Mr Nigel Yeo said police were still searching for the dark blue dress and second black shoe that Sarah was wearing when she disappeared during a family holiday near Littlehampton, West Sussex, on July 1st.
"In evidential terms I suppose the one thing I would be looking for that would be more significant would be the dress and the underwear," Mr Yeo said. "Certainly DNA could confirm that it is Sarah's shoe. There is the possibility of fibre from someone that has been in contact with it."
The disclosure about the shoe came after police revealed that two couples had come forward to report hearing screams on the night Sarah disappeared. The two couples have told police they were staying at a campsite at Fittleworth, about three miles from where Sarah's body was discovered, when they heard screams but did not feel there was anything to report at the time. It was only after Sarah's body was found that they realised they might have heard something significant.
It was also confirmed yesterday that a coroner was unable to establish the cause of death when a post-mortem was carried out on Monday. A spokesman for Sussex police said it was not unusual in a murder case that the cause of death could not be established at the first post-mortem. A number of factors, including the condition of the body, the weather and the extent of any injuries, could make it more difficult to establish the cause of death, the spokesman told The Irish Times.
Asked if any or all of these factors played a part in the Payne case, the spokesman said: "You have to remember that the body was in situ for a number of weeks. The body was not in the best of conditions when it was found and that certainly wouldn't have helped, so, yes, that would have been a contributing factor."
In murder cases a second, independent post-mortem is usually ordered by the defence for the purposes of a murder trial, the spokesman said. Though no one had been charged with Sarah Payne's murder, the spokesman said, a coroner could order a second post-mortem. A decision on this is expected next week.