Prisoner said ‘that’s for Sarah Payne’ after stabbing her murderer in his cell

A prisoner told child killer Roy Whiting ‘that was for Sarah Payne’ after stabbing him with a shank in his jail cell, a court has heard.

Andrew Light, 45, is on trial accused of trying to kill Whiting, 66, with a crude wooden blade at the top security HMP Wakefield.

Whiting, who is serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of Sarah in July 2000, was targeted last February.

Prison officer Alex Dyson told jurors at Leeds Crown Court Light said to Whiting as he was led away: ‘See you later Roy. That was for Sarah Payne.’

Giving evidence, Mr Dyson said he was on a shift on D-Wing at around 4pm on February 11 when he heard ‘muffled’ cries of ‘boss, boss’ coming from cell D240.

Describing how he arrived to see Light stabbing Whiting, he said: ‘My initial thought was that he was causing major injury and that Whiting’s life was in immediate danger.

‘I could see lots of blood on the weapon and there was blood on the floor. Whiting was trying desperately to get away and he had a grip of the cupboard at his right-hand side of the cell.

‘But Light had a tight grip of him, and he could not get himself free.

‘Andrew Light had his left arm around Roy Whiting’s waist holding him, to stop him getting away. In his right hand he had a weapon, about six inches long, I couldn’t tell at the time what it was.

‘There was a lot of blood on Roy Whiting, there was a lot of blood on the floor and on the weapon, and he was stabbing him in his stomach, from behind.

‘He was stabbing him around the side, around the front in the stomach quite furiously.

‘He was using a lot of force. I thought at the time that he was killing him. There was a lot of blood. It looked horrific.’

PO Dyson said he activated his body-cam and summoned assistance while shouting for Light to ‘drop the weapon’, but the inmate ignored his orders.

The jury watched the clip, which showed PO Dyson brandishing a PAVA spray.

When fellow prison officers arrived the cell door was shut, leaving Light and Whiting in the cell together.

Whiting could be seen crawling under his bed for protection as Light resumed his attack.

Though the viewing hatch, PO Dyson saw him stab Whiting under the bed ‘at least a dozen times’, he said.

Guards then decided to enter the cell and cuff Light after he finally threw the weapon to the floor.

PO Dyson told the jury that it was protocol to lock a door when they had a ‘hostage situation’ and that had he entered alone whilst the attack was going on ‘I’d probably get stabbed’.

The officer described Light using ‘as much force as I think he could use’.

John Elvidge KC, representing Light, challenged PO Dyson’s recollection, suggesting those words were not picked up on the body cam audio.

PO Dyson replied: ‘I have heard it at some point because it is in my statement.’

Whiting suffered multiple cuts, including a bad cut to his ear, but his injuries were not life threatening, the court heard.

‘He was very lucky. He came off a lot better than he could have been,’ PO Dyson said.

Prison nurse Laura Mortimer-Reid was the first medical officer on the scene.

The jury watched video footage of a heavily bloodstained Whiting crawling back out from under the bed, bleeding from his left ear.

Mrs Mortimer-Reid said the wound to the ear was ‘quite deep’ and needed to be glued but other than that she described his injuries, including cuts to his hands and neck, as ‘superficial’ and ‘not life threatening’.

The jury has been told that Light has admitted possessing a bladed article in the prison and also pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Whiting.

Light denies attempted murder and wounding with intent.

The trial continues.

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