A 41-year-old man has been arrested today on suspicion of the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne.

Police confirmed just before noon that a man, named as Roy Whiting, is being questioned about the killing of the Sussex youngster.

The arrest came at Crawley magistrates' court this morning, where Whiting had appeared on unrelated motoring offences. Formerly from the Littlehampton area, he had previously been questioned in connection with Sarah's disappearance but was later released without charged.

Covered in a blue blanket, Whiting was being driven to an undisclosed police station in Sussex.

Sarah's body was discovered on July 17 by a passer-by near the A29, ten miles north of Littlehampton, where she lived.

She had been missing from her home for two weeks, leading to one of the biggest police searches of its kind the South has ever seen.

Sarah's parents, Michael and Sara, have made repeated appeals on television and in national newspapers for information about the events leading up to her abduction and murder.

Thousands of calls have been made to police in connection with the investigation.

Today Sarah's family paid a final visit to the spot where members of the public have laid flowers in memory of the murdered eight-year-old. Thousands have left tributes by the side of the A29 at Pulborough, West Sussex.

Sarah's family said they wanted to pay a private visit to the spot before the tributes are cleared away. They are considering using toys left at the location in the memorial service which they are planning for Sarah.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.