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06/12/01 - Sarah suspect claims it's
all a coincidence
By Paul Harris and Christian Gysin
Daily Mail
THE man accused of killing Sarah Payne turned down every
opportunity to tell police he was innocent, a court
heard yesterday. He refused to eliminate himself from
their inquiries - even at the moment he knew he was
going to be charged with the murder of the eight-year-old.
But a mass of forensic evidence meant only one thing,
the prosecution claimed: Roy Whiting was the man who
kidnapped, killed and buried her. The only other explanation
was that the 42-year-old mechanic and jobbing builder
was the victim of a series of 'unhappy coincidences'
that tied him to her abduction and murder, said Timothy
Langdale, QC.
A jury at Lewes Crown Court listened for more than an
hour as Whiting tried to dismiss both forensic and other
evidence -but failed to explain why an innocent man
would behave in the way he did when questioned only
hours after her disappearance.
At one stage Mr Langdale interrupted one of his answers
and asked: 'You're just making this up as you go along,
aren't you?' Whiting's calm and softly-spoken appearance
in the witness box brougnt the defence case to a close
on day 14 of the trial.
MR Langdale told the court about 22 tiny fibres, recovered
after Sarah's naked body was discovered in a shallow
grave, which he said associated Whiting with Sarah.
They were found on items recovered from his white van
a red sweatshirt, his socks, some clown-patterned curtain
material and two seat covers. The QC said the discovery
of the fibres was revealed to Whiting during his third
police interview on February 6 this year. Mr Langdale:
'You must have been appalled to discover that you, an
entirely innocent man, had got a problem with fibres
linking you to the death of this little girl.
The game was up, wasn't it?' Whiting: 'No.' He added
that he had given no explanation for them purely on
the advice of his lawyer, who told him to make no comment.
One fibre 'indistinguishable' from those in the curtain
was found on the Velcro strap of Sarah's little black
shoe. Asked if this was simply coincidence, Whiting
shrugged his shoulders.
Was it also coincidence that four other fibres 'indistinguishable'
from his red sweatshirt were found on the same shoe?
'Yes," said Whiting. 'It's a very common sweatshirt.'
Four more fibres were found in Sarah's hair. Whiting:
'As I say, it's a very common sweatshirt.' Other fibres
from articles in his van were found in the bag that
police used to remove Sarah's body.
Some from his socks were found in her hair. 'They're
common socks,' Whiting said. 'I've got four pairs.'
Mr Langdale asked: 'So it's a whole series of unfortunate
coincidences?' Whiting: 'Yes.' A single blonde hair
from Sarah was found on Whiting's red sweatshirt. That
too, said Whiting, was a coincidence.
Mr Langdale asked if Whiting wanted the court to believe
that he was the 'unfortunate victim of an extraordinary
accident' in which Sarah's hair had been transferred
by mistake by police or forensic officers. Whiting said
that was what he was asking. SARAH'S brother Lee said
he saw the driver of a van wearing a white T-shirt under
a checked shirt driving away from the lane where Sarah
was snatched on Saturday, Jury 1, last year.
Yesterday, Whiting was asked to explain why he might
have taken off a white T-shirt and checked shirt in
his van and left them there before walking into his
flat on Saturday night. Whiting said it was hot day
and he 'might have changed his tops' in the van that
evening 'if I was hot and sweaty'.
Mr Langdale asked why he might have been sweaty. Whiting
said he could not remember. MR Langdale asked Whiting
about three small scratches on his body found 24 hours
after Sarah had vanished, one on his chest and two on
his arms. Whiting said he might have got one while working
on the engine of his van. Mr Langdale: 'Has it got anything
to do with that girl in your van?' Whiting: 'No - as
far as I know.'
Mr Langdale: 'Has it got anything to do with the fact
that she was in your van?' Whiting: 'No - it's got nothing
to do with that fact.' MR Langdale detailed a series
of police interviews during which Whiting answered 'no
comment'. He said there had been opportunities for an
innocent man to eliminate himself from the inquiry simply
by telling the police the truth.
Whiting agreed, but said he had been following the advice
of his solicitor. Whiting, of Littlehampton, West Sussex,
denies abducting and murdering Sarah.
The case continues.
'Changing appearances'
THE prosecution claim Whiting changed his appearance
to confuse any later identification. Yesterday he agreed
that his appearance was usually unkempt, scruffy, and
with a couple of days' beard growth. But his friend
Terry Heath had told the court he had seen him on the
Sunday after Sarah's disappearance looking 'very smart
and very dean - steamcleaned'.
Whiting denied that he had had a bath on the Sunday
but then admitted he might have done so on the Saturday
night, then shaved on the Sunday. The prosecution says
Whiting changed the rear doors on his van the day after
Sarah was snatched, replacing them with ones that made
the van look different.
Whiting said he thought he did this on the Saturday,
before Sarah disappeared, but was only '80 per cent'
sure. Mr Langdale accused him of 'hedging his bets'
over whether it was Saturday or Sunday, in case someone
came forward in response to publicity and pinned it
down to the Sunday. Whiting denied the suggestion. |
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