Few tears will be shed in Sussex for Roy Whiting, the child killer whose face was slashed with a knife while he was in Wakefield Prison.

Whiting was last year sentenced to life in jail after being convicted of murdering little Sarah Payne.

It is small wonder the first reaction of Sarah's father, Michael, was that he wasn't disturbed in the slightest.

Whiting already had a previous conviction for paedophilia and it is well known that sex offenders do not have an easy time in prison.

While it is tempting to consider what happened to Whiting was nothing less than he deserves, it cannot be condoned.

We live in a democracy that lays down laws and one of those is the right not to be attacked, even in prison.

The man who lunged at Whiting with a knife should himself, if convicted of assault, be punished for the offence.

Whiting was the victim of rough justice. It is likely to happen to him again during his long sentence.

But the punishment for his terrible crime is to stay in prison for the rest of his life, not to be slashed in the face by fellow inmates.