The father of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne told how he attempted suicide in a desperate bid to be reunited with his daughter.

But Mike Payne pulled himself back from the brink during a drink and drugs binge by thinking of the four other children he would leave behind.

Mr Payne, 35, has just been released from hospital following his suicide bid last month and spent the last four weeks receiving therapy to treat his depression.

Reunited with his wife Sara and children Luke, Lee, Charlotte and four-month-old baby Ellie at their home in Surrey, he told a Sunday newspaper: "I remember taking three tablets but, as I swallowed each of them, all I could think about was the kids.

"The more I thought about them, the more I realised I couldn't go through with it. My kids mean more to me than life itself."

Sarah, eight, was kidnapped near her grandparents' home near Littlehampton in July 2000.

The tragedy hurt Mr Payne deeply and neither the arrest nor conviction of Roy Whiting for her abduction and murder did anything to stop the pain.

"I withdrew emotionally from my family and friends," he said. "But the feelings of guilt never went away."

Mr Payne's depression and drinking caused a split from his wife but the couple have since reconciled their differences.

He said: "Sara and I have spoken a lot over the past month about our future. We're not going to rush into anything but she has agreed to come out with me on a date, which is a result.

"As the doctor said, just take one day at a time. And that's exactly what I plan to do - with my life, my family, my future."