Heartbroken family pay tribute to father of Sarah Payne who was found dead at his home
THE HEARTBROKEN children of Michael Payne, father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah, today paid tribute to him following his death.
Tragic Michael Payne, father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne, had battled with alcoholism since the death of his eight-year-old daughter.
The 45-year-old was found dead at his home in Park Wood, Maidstone, Kent where he had been living since separating from Sarah's mother Sara, also 45.
Sarah was kidnapped and murdered by Roy Whiting in July 2000.
She had been playing in a cornfield with her brothers and sisters near her grandparents' home in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex when she was snatched by the paedophile Whiting and driven away in his van.
Her body was discovered in nearby Pulborough 16 days later.
Whiting was given a life sentence a year later and ordered to serve a minimum of 40 years.
Mr Payne's "heartbroken" daughter Charlotte, 19, posted a picture of her father on Facebook last night along with the message: "Heartbroken to say the least.
"No matter what happened and how many mistakes we all made.
Heartbroken to say the least
"You will always be my daddy."
His son Lee, 27, a personal trainer, also paid tribute online and wrote: "Dad, you had your demons and troubles but you had a good heart and was a decent man.
"I hope now you have found peace at last! RIP, you will be missed. We are all heartbroken."In a message to her 3,745 followers on Twitter, Mr Payne's former wife thanked peopled online for all of their "kindness" and "understanding".
Fellow child protection campaigner Shy Keenan, a close friend of Mrs Payne, wrote: "Sara thanks you all (more than she can say right now) for your love, kindness and understanding at this very painful time in their lives.
"Sara wants to be left alone to care for her grief-stricken family and respectfully requests that the media leave her and her children alone."
For Sarah Payne's parents, the grief eventually tore them apart, causing them to separate in 2003 and Mr Payne's life to spiral out of control.
The couple were expecting their fifth child at the time and blamed the trauma of Sarah's murder for their separation.
He said: "I've a lot of anger and bitterness inside me. I'm full of guilt and rage that I wasn't there to protect my little girl from that man."
In 2011, he was jailed for 16 months for glassing one of his brothers Stephen Payne in a drunken brawl.
His brother suffered severe injuries to his arm and the back of his head requiring stitches.
Police told The Sun last night that Mr Payne’s death was not being treated as suspicious.
