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Sarah Payne: Roy Whiting's Attacker Sentenced

Sarah Payne: Roy Whiting's Attacker Sentenced

A double murderer stabbed notorious child killer Roy Whiting in the eye twice because he was a "dirty little nonce", a court has heard.

Gary Vinter, 42, picked a high-profile target in July 2011 because he wanted to change the conditions in which he was held at Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire.

Whiting, a convicted sex offender sentenced to life in prison in 2001 for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, received emergency care following the attack in his cell and has made a full recovery.

Vinter appeared via a videolink from Long Lartin Prison, Worcestershire, before Mr Justice Openshaw sitting at Newcastle Crown Court.

After hearing Andrew Kershaw, prosecuting, give an explanation for the gruesome attack, Vinter said: "He was a dirty little nonce. That's why I did it."

Vinter, from Middlesbrough, sneaked into Whiting's cell and used a sharpened plastic toilet brush handle to stab Whiting in both eyes.

"On the second stabbing, the tip of the weapon broke leaving a piece of plastic in this victim's eye socket," Mr Kershaw said.

Vinter then kicked and punched Whiting as he lay on the floor, before he left the cell.

Mr Kershaw had said there was no evidence of any animosity between the two.

"They had not spoken," he said. "They had only been on the same wing at Wakefield Prison for a few days."

But Vinter, who is serving a life sentence after murdering a workmate in 1996 and his estranged wife in 2008, picked out Whiting for his notoriety, the court heard.

"It was a cold-blooded premeditated attack intending to maim at least. It was calculated to manipulate the prison authorities into changing the conditions under which he was detained."

He told officers he had tried to kill Whiting, that as a "natural life" prisoner he had no hope and he had warned the authorities he would target a "high-profiler".

Whiting told the authorities how Vinter burst into his cell. In a statement read out in court, he said: "I was immediately punched and hit to the right eye and nose area and it made me stagger into the cell wall.

"I then felt a second punch or blow to the left side. Following the second blow, I was aware of a severe pain in my eye and my vision was now blurred in my left eye.

"I slid down the walls to the floor and I raised my arms to defend myself but felt further kicks and punches."

Whiting was treated at Pinderfields Hospital, where he received stitches in his eye lids and the shard of plastic was removed.

The court heard after three months of blurred vision in his left eye, he has made a full recovery apart from some numbness to the area.

Vinter admitted wounding with intent at a previous hearing and was given an indefinite sentence, with a notional minimum term of five years.

Mr Justice Openshaw said Vinter chose his victim because he was a "notorious child murderer" and an aggravating factor of the offence was Whiting's vulnerability.

He said: "There is no regret or remorse. On the contrary, the defendant derived and continues to derive considerable satisfaction from having committed this offence."

After sentencing, Vinter said: "Thank you very much judge, it has been a pleasure."

Vinter is appealing against his full life term before European Human Rights judges at the end of this month.

In 1996, Vinter was jailed for life for murdering Carl Edon, 22, a railway signalman. He was released in 2006 after serving a 10-year minimum term.

He was recalled to prison for his part in a pub brawl and then went on to murder his wife Anne White, 40, four years ago.

He had followed her around Middlesbrough pubs, then had her kidnapped to his mother's house where he stabbed her to death having failed in his attempt to strangle her.