Mother of beaten footballer Robbie Hughes has emerged positive from a meeting with Sara Payne.

Maggie Hughes, of Wallington, met the Victims’ Champion last week to discuss how the Government could support British citizens who were victims of crime abroad.

She said meeting Mrs Payne was like “meeting her idol” and she felt so empowered after the meeting her “Christmas had come early”.

She said: “Instead of talking to me from across the table she came round to sit right next to me.

“I felt like she was really paying attention and genuinely cared. It was like talking to a friend.

“A lot of good points were raised during the meeting and she came up with some fantastic ideas."

Mrs Hughes originally wrote to Mrs Hughes in January asking for help in getting justice for her son who needed four life saving operations after he was attacked in Malia, Crete in June 2008.

The meeting comes after a conference last week in which Mrs Hughes met with victims from around the country along with Foreign Office director of consular services Julian Braithwaite.

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.

The victims’ commissioner took up her Government-appointed post at the end of January.

Mrs Payne said: “Regardless of where in the world you become a victim of crime you still need the right support and Maggie has raised some serious issues about the tragic case of her son.

“Early next year the government will be appointing the first independent Victims’ Commissioner and I will be advising whoever takes up the post to investigate this issue further and call on the government to make the necessary reforms.”

Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington, Tom Brake said: “This is a cross-party issue.”

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.