A MAN was charged yesterday with the murder of schoolgirl Sarah Payne.

Roy Whiting, 42, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, was also charged with the kidnapping of the eight-year-old, who was snatched last summer, Sussex Police said.

Detective Superintendent Peter Kennett, who led the hunt for Sarah's killer, said Mr Whiting will appear before magistrates at Chichester, West Sussex, today at 10am.

Mr Whiting was arrested yesterday morning in Kent and driven to Bognor police station, West Sussex, for questioning.

Sarah, from Hersham, Surrey, disappeared near her grandparents' home in Kingston Gorse, near Littlehampton, on July 1.

Her partially-buried body was found 16 days later in a field just off the A29 near Pulborough, about 15 miles north of where she was last seen. Police believe she was strangled or suffocated.

Sarah had been playing with her brothers Lee, 13, Luke, 11, and six-year-old sister Charlotte after a day on the beach.

A massive police operation was launched. At its peak, up to 2,000 people a day were contacting detectives.

Police took more than 33,000 calls in the month the youngster went missing.

Det Supt Kennett made the announcement that Mr Whiting had been charged four hours after the suspect arrived at Bognor police station.

In a statement read on the police station steps, he said: "At 3.20pm this afternoon, Roy William Whiting was charged with the murder of Sarah Payne. He was also additionally charged with the kidnap of Sarah. He will be appearing at Chichester magistrates' court at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

"Sara and Michael (Sarah's parents) have been informed that Whiting has been charged."

Mr and Mrs Payne were unavailable for comment last night