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A Family's Heartbreak

Who are Sarah Payne’s brothers and sister and how old were they when their sister was murdered?

SARAH Payne's siblings were with her on the day she was kidnapped, which ultimately led to her death.

But why was Roy Whiting – who already had a conviction for abducting and indecently assaulting a little girl – free to kidnap and kill Sarah? We take a look at the case before tonight's ITV documentary.

 Luke and Charlotte Payne have opened up about the murder of their sister Sarah
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Luke and Charlotte Payne have opened up about the murder of their sister SarahCredit: Rex Features

Who are Sarah Payne's brothers and sister?

Sarah’s brothers and sister have opened up about dealing with their sister’s death for the first time since she was murdered in 2000.

Luke, Lee and Charlotte were all with eight-year-old Sarah when she was kidnapped by paedophile Roy Whiting 19 years ago.

Sarah was abducted and murdered as she played hide and seek with her siblings in a cornfield near her grandparent’s home in July 2000.

After 17 days of searching her body was found in a field near Oulborough, around 15 miles from where she disappeared in Kingston Gorse.

Her siblings told of their pain in a Channel 5 documentary where Luke and Lee Payne said she ran ahead of them before being snatched by Whiting.

Lee said: "I did for a few years beat myself up .... that if I ran faster ... I might have caught up with her."

 Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting
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Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered by paedophile Roy WhitingCredit: PA:Press Association

How old were they when their sister was murdered?

Sarah’s brother Lee — now 30 and a dad-of-one — was 13 when he ran to look for Sarah and saw killer Roy Whiting’s van speeding off.

Her other brother Luke, 12, and sister Charlotte, six, had already run to their grandparents’ house.

Lee said he felt guilty for years for not saving Sarah: “As I walked up the road Whiting drove the other way in his van. [He] gave me a little wave as he went.

Lee said he realised instantly that Whiting was "a real dodgy person", and that the ";way he smiled was very uneasy”.

He said: “When it comes to feeling guilt about the situation, I did for a few years beat myself up — that if I ran faster I might have caught up with her.”

Charlotte, who was five at the time, said "That could have been me. It just so happened it was her. You do get a guilt from that. You think 'why not me?'.”

 The parents of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne, Michael and Sara, and her siblings Luke (left), Lee and Charlotte
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The parents of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne, Michael and Sara, and her siblings Luke (left), Lee and CharlotteCredit: PA:Press Association

Luke revealed he told her to run away moments before she was snatched by Whiting after a petty row.

He said: “It plays through my head every day, when I close my eyes it's there. I can’t get away from it to be honest.

"I’m scared to sleep at night half the time — so I work until I pretty much drop.

“It’s the fear of what’s there when I close my eyes. I don’t get a lot of sleep.

“I dread the night, because it’s just you and your thoughts.”

Luke told a Channel 5 documentary that their late father Michael bought a sawn-off shotgun during Whiting’s trial — intending to shoot him if he was found not guilty.

What are Sarah Payne’s brothers and sister doing now?

Charlotte Payne is now a singer, reports.

The 22-year-old posts videos of herself singing on her Facebook page and lives with her mum Sara and her 13-year-old sister Ellie.

She admits to suffering from crippling anxiety until she was 18 as a result of the tragedy.

Luke Payne – who admits to still having trouble sleeping – is a horticulturist for a landscaping firm.

Lee Payne is now a personal trainer who enjoys going camping.

Sarah's dad Michael Payne died in 2014 aged 45 after turning to drink in his grief over his daughter's death.

  • Sarah Payne: The Untold Story airs on ITV at 9pm on July 4

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