Second post mortem on Sarah

Sarah's murder sparked a nationwide hunt

A second post mortem examination is due to be carried out on the body of murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne.

The youngster's naked body was found last month in a field off the A29 in Pulborough, West Sussex, two weeks after she disappeared from farmland near her grandparents home in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, on 1 July.

Sarah's parents want her body released

A first post mortem examination proved inconclusive, but detectives believe the schoolgirl may have been suffocated or strangled.

The second examination was due to be carried out by a pathologist appointed by West Sussex coroner Roger Stone on Wednesday afternoon at Worthing hospital.

Sarah's family hope her body will be released following the examination, the results of which are not expected for several days.

Memorial service

Within hours of Sarah's disappearance, police launched a major investigation involving hundreds of people.

Initially it was thought she may have wandered off, but fears soon grew that she had been abducted.

Working closely with Sarah's family, Sussex Police appealed for anyone with any information to come forward. Although thousands responded, as time wore on hopes of finding Sarah alive began to fade.

After her body was discovered by a farm worker on 17 July the Sunday tabloid, News of the World, launched a hard-hitting campaign to name and shame thousands of sex offenders in Britain.

The campaign came under fire from the police and children's charities, resulting in senior executives at the newspaper making the decision to call it off on 5 August.

But the newspaper has pledged to continue the fight for Sarah's Law, based on Megan's Law in the US, which would see parents being given controlled access to information about paedophiles and judges being given the power to hand out unlimited sentences to dangerous offenders.

Sarah's parents, Michael and Sara Payne, fully supported the News of the World's initiative.

A public memorial service is being held for Sarah at Guildford Cathedral on Saturday.

A 41-year-old man, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, has been arrested twice in connection with the murder but on both occasions was released without charge.