Sarah Payne's killer hid under bed as Monster Mansion inmate tried to stab him

A child murdererhad to hide under a bed inside the notorious Monster Mansion jail after an inmate tried to stab him in the face.

Roy Whiting, who is serving life with a minimum term of 40 years at HMP Wakefield, was jailed after he killed Sarah Payne. The eight-year-old was playing by her grandparents house when he kidnapped her on July 1, 2000. Her body was located 17 days later.

Whiting was attacked by fellow inmate, Andrew Light, who had previously told workers that he wanted to hurt a "n****e". A prison officer reported hearing Light tell Whiting: "See you later Roy, that's for Sarah Payne."

On Friday, Leeds Crown Court heard how Light had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article during his trial for attempted murder - a charge the jury failed to come to a verdict on. Prosecutors said it was not in the public interest to pursue that charge, and Light was to be sentenced for those he had admitted.

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Prosecutor Michael Smith told the court Light was serving a sentence for murder. He had attacked his friend in 2002. His Honour Judge Robin Mairs told Light: "There was an argument between the two of you after your discovery he had a sexual interest in children and you stabbed him repeatedly with two knives. He had 29 stab wounds to the body and head. You embedded the top of a knife into his skull."

Whiting, who was found guilty of abduction and murder on December 12, 2001, has been attacked a number of times while serving his sentence at HMP Wakefield. The judge said 26-year-old Light had served time at a hospital after his conviction before moving to HMP Wakefield, which has been dubbed "Monster Mansion" due to its high-profile inmates.

He said: "At Ashworth Hospital your time there was often spent in isolation. You were transferred to Wakefield on fourth of August 2023 and was said to have lingering paranoia. Records show you expressing to professionals you were struggling to be around 'n*****' as you said and the volume of prisoners. You told health workers you 'felt like killing a n***e.'"

The court heard Light started to use spice and complained of being in debt to suppliers on the wing. He said he wanted to relocate and spoke of self-harm. The judge said: "On second of January 2024, you described worrying about hurting someone. Roy Whiting was serving a sentence. He attracted notoriety in the press and has already been the subject of attacks in prison where he has ben stabbed and slashed.

"Some time prior to the attack you had fashioned a knife from a piece of wood or acquired the weapon. There was little contact between you two the previous day. You entered his cell and set about stabbing him repeatedly."

Light stabbed Whiting to his head and face. As he tried to escape the cell by grabbing onto a cupboard, Light pulled him back inside. Whiting attempted to stop the blows by holding up his arms before losing his balance and falling on the bed. Judge Mairs said: "The alerting of the officers provided opportunity for him to roll under the bed to relative safety."

It was said that Light went on to refer to Whiting as "People like him." The judge added: "I find this was an attack on him because he was a child sex offender. The assault was frenzied and persistent", reports Yorkshire Live.

The court heard Light, now at HMP Whitemoor, has a long-standing diagnosis of unstable personality disorder, and he was suffering from mental illness at the time of the attack. Mitigating, John Eldridge, told the court: "He is at Whitemoor and it is an environment he is more comfortable in than he was in Wakefield and Manchester. It is apparent he can find the prison environment when more people are around difficult to manage."

Mr Eldridge said Light had suffered a "deterioration" in his condition at the time of the attack on Whiting. He said: "He is supported by medication and that is not always a straight forward issue for him. He has spent over 20 years in a hospital environment and prison." Light was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of three years.