Sarah Payne: Killer Roy Whiting stabbed in Wakefield prison

Roy Whiting, pictured in 2000, was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum of 40 years

The convicted killer who murdered eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000 has been stabbed at a top security prison.

Roy Whiting is serving a life sentence at the maximum security HMP Wakefield for the abduction and murder of Sarah.

She went missing in July 2000 while playing near her grandparents' home near Worthing in West Sussex and her body was found 17 days later.

The Prison Service said Whiting was treated for "minor injuries" following the incident on Sunday.

A spokesperson said: "A prisoner at HMP Wakefield was treated for minor injuries following an incident involving another offender."

They added it would be "inappropriate to comment further" while the police were investigating.

West Yorkshire Police said it had received a call at 17:14 GMT on Sunday "reporting a male prisoner had been stabbed".

"Inquiries are ongoing," a spokesperson added.

Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered by Roy Whiting in 2000

Sarah Payne, from Hersham in Surrey, went missing while playing near her grandparents' home on 1 July 2000.

Her body was found several miles away in a field, just off the A29, near Pulborough, 17 days later.

Whiting was jailed for life for her murder in December 2001.

He was ordered to serve a 50-year minimum term, but that was reduced by 10 years by the High Court in 2010.

Whiting has been attacked in prison on several occasions.

He was left with scar on his right cheek after he was attacked with a razor by Rickie Tregaskis, another convicted killer, in 2002.

In 2011, he was stabbed in the eye with a sharpened toilet brush handle by fellow inmate, twice-convicted murderer Gary Vinter.

Another two convicted murderers, Richard Prendergast and Kevin Hyden, were jailed for an additional seven and a half years each for attacking Whiting in his cell in 2018.

Before murdering Sarah, Whiting had previously spent time in prison for the kidnap and indecent assault of a nine-year-old girl in 1995.

The murder of Sarah Payne prompted the introduction of Sarah's Law following a campaign by her parents and the now-defunct News of the World.

The law gives parents powers to check with police whether people given regular unsupervised access to their children have any convictions for child sex offences and was extended to all police forces in England and Wales in 2011.