Alan Ladley thinks of those fateful days every year at this time.

The detective superintendent, whose team brought killer Roy Whiting to justice, is close to retiring but the memories will live with him for the rest of his life.

Sarah Payne was abducted from near her grandparents' home in East Preston and Ladley and his team search in vain for 17 days until a farm worker found her remains less than 12 miles away.

He said: "I can't help but think about it.

"It starts a few days before the anniversary and on the day itself it becomes even more poignant.

"I get embroiled in the emotions all over again and find myself getting involved in the details of what happened.

"I remember the sadness and the thought nothing could have been done to have prevented Whiting from taking Sarah.

"I think of Sarah, how she met her death which, I believe, was mercifully quick.

"I recall the feelings we had during the days spent searching for her, how we clung to the hope we would find her alive.

"Her death was terrible but I will always have a feeling of pride and gratitude to Sussex Police, to the staff and team who did such a professional job in getting Whiting before he could strike again."

Mr Ladley was dealing with the case when his wife Sue was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She made a full recovery.

Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Yeo, in overall charge of Operation Maple, was the man who broke the news of Sarah's death to her family.

He won praise for his sensitive handling of the case.

Peter Kennett, the detective superintendent who fronted the case in the early days, has left the force but now helps train senior investigating officers.

The father of three girls, he retired from Sussex Police to the West Country soon after the case to be reunited with his wife after a separation.

He said the murder would never leave him: "Even now, every time I see a picture of Sarah I get a lump in my throat. I can't help it. I became personally involved."

Yesterday, Sarah's grandfather Terry Payne made a pilgrimage to eight-year-old Sarah's grave in Hersham, Surrey.

He and his wife Lesley are leaving their home in Kingston Gorse for a new life in Devon.

Their home has too many memories and they are rarely visited by Sarah's brothers and sisters who cannot face being near where she was abducted.

Lesley, 50, said: "It's the only way we will be able to see the rest of the family on a regular basis.

"At the moment they simply can't bring themselves to visit us because the house holds so many memories.

"There is no way they can get to us without passing the field where Sarah was abducted."

Mr Payne said the decision to leave Kingston Gorse was difficult because the couple had fallen in love with the village since moving there ten years ago. He said: "Every time an anniversary pops up it is just too much."

Their daughter-in-law Sara has become a new woman.

Sara Payne was thrust into national prominence by the case and became a champion of those who believe the public has a right to find out where paedophiles live.

The Sarah's Law campaign gave her an avenue to channel her sadness and anger. She found strength to meet top politicians, appear before millions on TV to lobby for support, and speak out on child killings.

It helped her come to terms with her loss but there was a price.

Her marriage to Sarah's father Michael broke down and at one point he found himself in court on a domestic violence charge.

Whiting, 45, formerly of St Augustine Road, Littlehampton, was jailed for life and is at HMP Wakefield.

He will almost certainly die in prison. Home Secretary David Blunkett ordered he should stay behind bars for at least 50 years.

Mr Blunkett slapped a maximum jail tariff on Whiting and he will be at least 93 before he is even considered for parole.

Mr Kennett said: "He would kill again. He would kill another little girl and we must not allow that to happen."