Sara Payne - child campaigner - battles for life

Sara Payne new Victims' Champion
Child protection campaigner Sara Payne has been appointed to the new post of Victims' Champion.

The one-year post will provide an independent voice to the more than 1.5m yearly victims and witnesses of crime.

Mrs Payne's eight-year-old daughter, Sarah, was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting. Mrs Payne was appointed an MBE in the New Year's Honours.

Parliament is currently reviewing proposals for the intended longer-term appointment of a Victims' Commissioner.

'Voice of victims'

Mrs Payne told the BBC: "The one thing I want to achieve is that victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system... I was treated very, very well and I would like to see other people treated in the same way.

"We are not looking at masses and masses of changes, but I am here to challenge the government when they are doing something wrong."

Mrs Payne said her role would also be to acknowledge positive work by the government and that she hoped to prepare the ground for the Victims' Commissioner next year.

Mrs Payne said that for the past eight years she had been campaigning for victims to have a louder voice, and for the government to listen more closely to what they have to say.


"I am proud I will now be their champion, and welcome my appointment to this very important role. I look forward to bringing the voice of victims and witnesses to the heart of government," she said.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: "Victims are the most important people in the criminal justice system. We must always ensure that their voice is heard loud and clear by policy-makers and campaigners.

"I know that Sara will be an excellent advocate for them. Her job will be to bring the concerns of victims of crime into sharp focus, making sure their views are heard when big decisions about policing or the criminal justice system are made."

The appointment was made by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Attorney General Baroness Scotland.

Baroness Scotland said the role would "help put the spotlight upon the complexities" of crime and "better equip prosecutors to provide a better service to individual victims, their families".

'Sarah's Law'

Parliament is currently reviewing the government's proposals for the intended appointment of a Victims' Commissioner, outlined in the recent Coroners and Justice Bill.

Subject to enactment of this element of the Bill, the government said it expects to be able to begin a full recruitment process for the post of Victims' Commissioner within one year.

Mrs Payne joined forces with the News of the World newspaper to launch the For Sarah campaign, which called for parents to be given the right to know about convicted sex offenders living near them.

The so-called "Sarah's Law" was partly inspired by Megan's Law in the United States, which was introduced after the rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka in 1994.

The campaign has resulted in pilot schemes in four police forces that allow parents or guardians to check whether people who have access to their children are convicted sex offenders.





Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/surrey/7850785.stm

Published: 2009/01/26 11:29:24 GMT

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What an outstanding woman she is.

SharonS wrote: What an outstanding woman she is.

I agree. She has found the courage to use her own tragedy to give her the strength and understanding to work for others.
Good Luck to her

fair playto her.A real victim of crime fighting for justice for others. Let's hope they bring in Sara's law too. She has fought hard to get her law to be brought in and I don't think she is the type to give in without a fight.

I admire her tremendously and think she is a very brave lady.
I hope she does well and ignores the comments of some people who have seen fit to criticise her parenting.
Good luck to her.

God bless her.
Something truly wonderful to come out of something that was too awful for words.

A lovely way to keep her beautiful daughters name alive..... almost like she didn't die in vain x

Sara Payne in fight for her life: Vigil for child campaigner hit by brain surgery relapse

By David Wilkes
Last updated at 9:01 AM on 24th December 2009

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Sara Payne

Fighter: Seriously ill Sara Payne battled to pass Sarah's Law after her daughter's murder

Child protection campaigner Sara Payne was in a 'life-threatening condition' in hospital today after suffering a rare complication from a previous brain operation.

Relatives were keeping a vigil at the bedside of Mrs Payne, 40, whose eight-year-old daughter Sarah was killed by a convicted paedophile nine years ago.

In the wake of her tragedy, she led a campaign called Sarah's Law to fight for the right of parents to know if paedophiles are living near them.

Last year Mrs Payne underwent three and a half hours of life-saving surgery to seal the bleeding from an aneurysm - a swollen blood vessel - in her head.

She made a good recovery but was rushed back to St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London, this week.

A clip inserted during the operation is understood to have come loose, resulting in bleeding that has put her life at risk again.

A friend said: 'Relatives were warned on Tuesday that she might not survive the day. But Sara has always been a fighter and although she is still gravely ill the prognosis is better today.'

It is understood mother-of-four Mrs Payne - who was appointed Victims' Champion by the Government earlier this year - was able to recognise family members yesterday, an encouraging improvement in her condition.

But there are fears the internal bleeding may have caused some lasting damage, the friend said.

Mrs Payne is likely to remain in hospital for several days, and her daughters Charlotte, 15, and five-year-old Ellie will be looked after by relatives over Christmas. Her sons Lee and Luke are 22 and 21. Mrs Payne is separated from her children's father Michael Payne.

An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in its wall. As the blood passes through the weakened part of the vessel, the blood pressure causes it to bulge outwards like a balloon.

If the aneurysm grows too big, there is a danger it will rupture and cause potentially fatal internal bleeding and organ damage.
Roy Whiting
Sarah Payne

Murderer: Paedophile Roy Whiting killed eight-year-old Sarah Payne in July 2000
Family torn apart: Sarah's father Michael has since split with his wife

Family torn apart: Sarah's father Michael has since split with his wife

In the UK each year, an estimated 1,400 people die as a result of a ruptured aneurysms in the brain.

In many cases, the exact cause is unclear, but known risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure and a family history of aneurysms.

Mrs Payne's father Brian Williams, who died two years ago, had been left paralysed by an aneurysm at 55.

Treatment usually involves clipping the aneurysm closed with a tiny metal clip, plugging the flow of blood with coils of metal wires or removing a section of the blood vessel and replacing it with a piece of tubing, known as a graft.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Surgeons said it was a 'rare but known complication'.

Miss Payne had the operation 18 months ago. While recuperating in hospital, she kept in touch by email with her Sarah's Law campaign.

Sarah Payne was abducted by paedophile Roy Whiting as she played in a field in West Sussex in July 2000. Her body was found in a shallow grave two weeks later.

Whiting, 44, was jailed for life in December 2001.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1238135/Sara-Payne-fight-life-Vigil-child-campaigner-hit-brain-surgery-relapse.html#ixzz0ab0np5LU


:( xx nanadebbie

Thanks for posting Nanadebbie

How sad - here's hoping she pulls through.

so sad. her family must wonder what they have done to deserve this on top of everything else.

miracles do happen, hope she receives one and pulls through. Thoughts and prayers for her and her family.

the things this poor woman has had to deal with

thoughts and prayers for her and her family

let's hope she pulls through

Our thoughts and prayers are for Sara and her family.

I do pray she gets well and pulls through this terrible time
for the sake of her family and all who love her.

Poor lady. In my eyes she is a REAL heroine. The very best of luck to her and I hope things turn out well.

How much suffering that family have endured already. Sarah is a very brave and courageous lady. My thoughts and prayers are with Sarah and her family at this time. I hope that she will get better soon. xxx

E.T.A. Thank you nanadebbie for posting this article about Sarah xx

Get well soon Sara.

Be strong and NEVER give up the fight xxxx

What has happened to her family is terrible. She is a strong women and I hope she survives and will recover.

God bless Sara, our prayers are with you.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jZ_KX009Ukdi5HnXHPPVepRpm8bA

Payne better after brain surgery
(UKPA) – 6 hours ago

Quote
The mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne is responding well to treatment after being taken to hospital with complications after brain surgery, a family source has said.

Child protection campaigner Sara Payne, 40, fell ill on Wednesday and was initially thought to be in a "life-threatening condition".

A family source said she had responded well to treatment and her condition has not worsened since she was admitted.

He said: "The early signs of her treatment were positive."

Friend Michele Elliott, founder and director of campaign group Kidscape, said: "Sara is the most wonderful and indomitable person and if anyone can get through this, it's her.

"Everyone needs to pray and send their good thoughts at this difficult time. I have been in tears."

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: "Our thoughts are with Sara and her family."

Relatives and friends, including fellow campaigner Shy Keenan, have been at her hospital bedside.

Mrs Payne had a life-saving operation to cure a ruptured aneurysm last year. She is thought to be receiving treatment at St George's Hospital, in Tooting, south London.

Since the death of her daughter Sarah at the hands of paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000, Mrs Payne has become a prominent campaigner for victims' rights. She took up the Government-appointed post of Victims' Champion at the end of January.
Unquote

The power of prayer and surgery seem to be working

Hi all
I hope Sara Payne getting better soon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1238135/Sara-Payne-fight-life-Vigil-child-campaigner-hit-brain-surgery-relapse.html
A Glimmer of Hope.... Mail Online.

Hello malena, Thank you for posting the article that says Sara is responding to treatment. A good sign and hopefully she will progress well.
That news has lifted my spirits.
I will keep her and her family in my thoughts and prayers.
with all my very best wishes from Rose xxx

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/653140/SARA-PAYNE-IS-A-FIGHTER-NOT-A-QUITTER.html

Best wishes and thoughts to Sara and her children.

I'm really glad to know Sara is improving; she's a brave woman and has come through so much. My best wishes to her and her family.

"SARA PAYNE IS A FIGHTER NOT A QUITTER" - Sister tells of victims campaigner's battle for life.

By Hayley Barlow and Guy Basnett, 27/12/2009

DESPERATELY ill Sara Payne was urged by her shattered family last night to keep on fighting. There were signs of hope as the stricken victims campaigner began responding to comforting squeezes of her hand by squeezing back.
And as brave Sara lay in hospital hooked up to life support systems she even managed to open one eye with her fingers.
Younger sister Fiona Crook, 36 - who has kept a vigil at her hospital bedside since she fell ill on Monday from complications following previous brain surgery - told the News of the World:
"She's always been so strong. She's never given up. In my heart of hearts, I feel she'll get through this. But, I have to be honest and say I'm not sure, and I'm prepared for the worst. Everyone has a limit, and Sara's been to that limit so many times already. You worry, what if she thinks to herself I can't take any more of this? She's been through so much in her life - but she's a fighter, not a quitter."

At one stage medics gave Sara, 40, just a 50-50 chance of survival. She remains under round-the-clock care in a neurological intensive care unit on a ventilator.

The mum - who has battled to keep children safe from paedophiles since her eight-year-old daughter Sarah was murdered in 2000 - has undergone two life-saving brain operations in 36 hours.

She first suffered a brain aneurysm 18 months ago - and doctors believe she has either suffered a second burst blood vessel or a clip used to heal the original one has somehow worked loose.
Sister Fiona - who looks remarkably like her - said: "The doctors said two aneurysms would be extremely unlucky. And they'd hardly heard of a clip coming loose before. Sara's been so unfortunate. It's unbelievable. If I could say anything to her now, it would be wake up. Please just wake up."

But she said her sister had been responding to questions with squeezes - one for yes and two for no - from her right hand although there is no movement down her left side.
"And there was a very special moment in the hospital yesterday which shows, despite everything, Sara's sense of humour is very much intact," said Fiona.
"A doctor was repeatedly asking her to open her eyes. She wouldn't. So I said to her 'for goodness sake Sara just open your eyes' - and just like that she lifted her right arm and prised open one eye using her finger and thumb. She's got her eyes closed, but she's aware. It's incredible just how strong she is. It's as if she knows it isn't her time yet, and she's not going anywhere."

Sara fell ill with an agonising headache just after 10pm on Monday at her home in Hersham, Surrey. Fiona said: "It just suddenly came on. She became concerned, and did a few tests that she'd seen from a stroke awareness advert." The family called an ambulance, and Sara was rushed to nearby St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey. After an assessment there she was transferred to St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London - the unit where she was treated for her original aneurysm.
The Sarah's Law campaigner then underwent a gruelling four-hour operation on Tuesday and seemed to stabilise.
But she suffered complications, developing a massive blood clot in the brain, and was rushed in for yet another emergency four-hour operation on Wednesday afternoon.
But she suffered complications, developing a massive blood clot in the brain, and was rushed in for yet another emergency four-hour operation on Wednesday afternoon.
Fiona said: "The doctors said her chances of survival were 50-50 and that if she survived this operation the next few days were critical. But no one could ask for more than the wonderful, dedicated one-on-one nursing care she is getting." For her children, Ellie, aged six, Charlotte, 15, and eldest boys Luke, 21, and Lee, 22, it has been a devastating week.

Fiona said: "We've been completely honest with the children. When Sarah was abducted my sister made a point of always being honest with the kids.
So we've been the same. We've left it up to them whether they come to hospital to see her. So far they've not wanted to. I think they are scared of what they might see."

And for Fiona who has spent nearly all her life near to Sara, the pain is almost too much to bear. Fighting back tears, she said: "We're incredibly close. I don't really function without Sara. We've always been there for each other. She's always been strong for me. We bounce off each other."

As Fiona talks about her sister, she repeatedly touches the silver figure of Christ on the cross hanging around her neck - given to her by Sara on her 31st birthday.

Sara had worn it throughout her daughter's abduction by paedophile Roy Whiting after being given it by a well-wisher to ensure that the schoolgirl was brought home safely.

Then she passed it to her beloved younger sister. Fiona said: "It did it's job, because at least we got Sarah back in the end." The cross is a symbol of the tragedies Sara has suffered. After losing her daughter, she then lost her eldest brother Paul to lung cancer in January 2003. In the same year, Sara gave birth to her youngest child Ellie, but lost her twin.

Only a year later, her mum, Elizabeth Williams, died of lung cancer. And in 2007 her father Brian Williams died of pneumonia.
Fiona said: "Sometimes you think, how much more can one person take?. She doesn't deserve this."

But Sara's credentials as a battler are strong. Over the last nine-and-a-half years she's campaigned in her daughter's memory, with the help of the News of the World, for Sarah's Law. It calls for the legal right of parents and carers to have contolled access to information about high risk predatory sex offenders in the area who may pose a risk to their childen.

Sara - who always describes herself as a mum of five because she believes Sarah is still with her - took her campaign to Parliament, to party conferences, and to rallies up and down the length of Britain.

She has worked tirelessly with two Prime Ministers and five Home Secretaries.

Her reward came when pilot schemes of a version of Sarah's Law were rolled out across the UK. And In the New Years Honours, almost exactly a year ago, she was awarded an MBE. At the end of January Sarah was appointed the Government's Victims Champion. Fiona said: "It's surreal to think of what she's achieved. She was just a barmaid, and now look where she is. Gordon Brown has been in touch to say he is thinking of her, and Jack Straw has also passed on his best wishes, along with Jacqui Smith. We've had an unbelievable amount of support."


Justice Secretary Mr Straw said last night: "Sara is very much in everyone's thoughts at the moment. We are hoping and praying for her and her family at this difficult time. She is regarded with enormous affection by all who know her."


Sara Payne - tireless campaigner


Murdered - her daughter Sarah

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Get well Sara - the world needs people like you and your time is not up yet. Thinking of you and wishing you well x