Child murderer Roy Whiting is reportedly fighting for his life after being ‘repeatedly stabbed’ with a makeshift blade while in his cell.
Whiting, 59, who’s serving a life sentence at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire for the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, was reportedly attacked by two convicted murderers on Thursday (November 8).
According to the Mirror, Whiting was left ‘drenched in blood’ and was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he received treatment for several stab wounds.
Medics allegedly feared he’d lost too much blood and wouldn’t survive the attack.
However, NHS staff managed to stabilise him, and he’s now reportedly back in prison.
A source told The Sun they believed, had Whiting been stabbed on the street he would have died, and it’s only thanks to the professionalism of prison officials and NHS staff he was able to survive the attack.
They said:
If Whiting had been stabbed in the street he might have died. Because he was in prison, every alarm was raised and he was rushed to hospital within minutes.
It’s a testament to the professionalism of the staff involved that he survived. He may not deserve it, but he’s a lucky man indeed.
A prison service spokesperson confirmed an attack took place at HMP Wakefield on Thursday evening adding the victim received hospital treatment and are now back in prison in a ‘stable condition’.
The incident is being investigated by the police.
Since his imprisonment back in 2001, a number of newspapers have reported there’s a price on Whiting’s head, and as a result, has been attacked several times in the past.
In 2002 Rickie Tregaskis attacked Whiting with a razor blade while fetching hot water. The attack left Whiting with a six-inch scar on his face.
Meanwhile, in 2011, convicted murderer Gary Vinter stabbed Whiting in the eyes with a sharpened toilet brush.
Whiting is serving a life sentence (40-year minimum) for abducting eight-year-old Sarah Payne from a country lane close to her grandparent’s house while she played hide and seek with her siblings.
Despite police finding sufficient evidence to convict Whiting, he denied all the allegations made against him. He was eventually was found guilty of Sarah’s murder in December 2001 and jailed for life.
After the widely publicised court case, it was revealed Whiting was already a convicted child sex offender.
This led to Sarah’s family campaigning for the government to allow controlled access to the sex offender registry.
The idea being parents could look up if a known child sex-offender was living in their area.
Sarah Payne’s mother Sara has insisted such a law would have saved her daughter’ s life.
After a successful modified version of the scheme ran in 2008 the Home Office announced in 2010 the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, also known as Sarah’s Law, would be extended to cover the whole of England and Wales.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.