A police crime scene investigator has slammed the BBC over its coverage of the Sarah Payne murder.

A BBC1 documentary ignored the vital work of Sussex Police scenes of crime officers, according to a letter in this month's force magazine Patrol.

Colin Cheney, a scenes-of-crime officer based at Haywards Heath, wrote: "Over the four weeks of the trial, much had been publicised about the importance of the forensic evidence.

"In fact, some might say it was key in securing the conviction of Roy Whiting."

Mr Cheney was on holiday when Sarah's body was found and did not work on the case.

However, he said: "I was aware of the enormous amount of time and effort that went into the investigation and I am proud of the contribution made to this case by my colleagues.

"What was disappointing about the programme was that no mention was made about the input and professional conduct of the entire Scientific Support Branch."

Mr Cheney said his criticism was aimed solely at the BBC documentary.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "The contribution made by everyone involved in the Sarah Payne inquiry and the successful prosecution of Roy Whiting, including that of the Scientific Branch, has been appreciated by the force, the Sussex Police Authority and by individuals throughout Sussex and the rest of the country."

A BBC spokeswoman said: "We are sorry if Mr Cheney is dissatisfied with the programme.

"It was produced by our Crimewatch team and it is incredibly conscious of the invaluable contribution scenes-of-crimes officers make in securing prosecutions and convictions of this nature."