I want to express my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the Payne family. It is a parent's worst nightmare to lose a child in such a tragic way.
It is hard to imagine anything being of much consolation at a time like this, but the closeness of the Payne family and the way the country has shared in their grief will hopefully be of some help.
Although we know little about the perpetrator of this particular appalling crime, I continue to have very strong concerns about the release of paedophiles unless it can be shown some form of treatment has been effective.
When child sex offender Robert Oliver was in Brighton I made representations to the home secretary about the possibility of sentencing being changed so the most serious offenders would be given an open-ended sentence with release only considered if the risk of re-offending was dramatically reduced through treatment.
The Home Office is currently looking at such an approach. It will not be easy to change the law but improvements need to be made. In the meantime, I strongly support tighter restrictions being placed on released sex offenders.
Congratulations to the Argus for its diligent and sensitive coverage of this most difficult of stories.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article