The mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne has made a return visit to the court where her daughter's killer was jailed for life.

Sara Payne was speaking at Lewes Crown Court to volunteers working for the witness service, which provides support for victims and witnesses giving evidence in court proceedings.

Her eight-year-old daughter was murdered in July 2000 after disappearing while playing in a cornfield near the home of her grandparents in Kingston Gorse, near Littlehampton.

Her body was found 17 days later by a farm labourer in a field near Pulborough, 15 miles away.

Mechanic Roy Whiting, 49, who was renting a flat in Littlehampton, was convicted of her abduction and murder after a trial at Lewes Crown Court in the autumn of 2001.

Whiting, who denied the charges but already had a conviction for abduction and sexually assaulting a child, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he is never released from jail.

Since her death the little girl's mother has campaigned tirelessly for Sarah's Law, which aims to allow access to the sex offenders register so parents with young children can know if a child sex offender is living in their area.

Sara has also been giving talks to people working within the justice system to help them understand the difficulties facing victims of crimes and their families who are called to give evidence at trials.