GREAT BRITAIN • Tia SHARP, 12 ~ London England

9 August 2012 Last updated at 10:40 ET

Tia Sharp: Shannon Matthews police help in hunt

Police from the force that investigated the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews have been consulted in the search for missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp, Scotland Yard has confirmed.






Tia Sharp has never gone missing before

Tia, 12, disappeared on Friday on her way to shop at the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police are involved to draw on their expertise.

Police warned local searchers not to enter private property after two people were threatened with a weapon.

Eighty officers are involved in the search for Tia, who went missing after a visit to her grandmother's house in New Addington in Croydon.

The disappearance of nine-year-old Shannon in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, prompted a large-scale police search in 2008.

Twenty-four days later she was found alive under a bed in Batley Carr, less than a mile from her home.

Shannon's mother Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan - the uncle of Ms Matthews's partner - were convicted in December 2008 of the child's kidnap, which they committed in a plan to claim £50,000 in reward money.

A Met spokesman said it was "routine" to liaise with all forces that have dealt with similar cases.

"This case is like the Shannon Matthews case," he said.

"This is a missing persons case and we are putting all our resources into finding her."

Stuart Hazell - the partner of Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp - was questioned by police as a witness for more than two hours on Wednesday.

The search for Tia has prompted a huge community effort with hundreds of people turning out to search woodland and fields and hand out leaflets.

But police have confirmed that at about 00:15 BST on Thursday two people from a search party were threatened with a weapon as they tried to search a garage in Foxcombe, New Addington.
'Confronted by homeowner'

A Met police spokesman said: "Two people from the search party were confronted by the homeowner.

"It was alleged the homeowner threatened the residents with a weapon.

"This was later reported at a local police station and officers from Croydon CID are now investigating. No arrests were made."

The police force has reminded people not to enter private property without permission.

Local councillor Carole Bonner said police had asked residents to concentrate on giving out leaflets and not to conduct their own searches.

She said: "People want to be doing something."

She added that local people had "proved their worth" in their "fantastic" efforts so far.

Sue Randall, secretary of Croydon Rugby Club, which had become a gathering point, said she has been advised by police to close the club until further notice.

About 200 people turned out there to search woodland on Tuesday.

Ms Randall said: "They have told us to concentrate on handing out leaflets.

"I suppose they don't want people to go out on their own and contaminate evidence."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19193973

Missing Croydon schoolgirl Tia Sharp: Police interview boyfriend of grandmother

Written by Leila Zerai Lead Stories
Aug 8, 2012

Police are interviewing the boyfriend of Tia Sharp’s grandmother as a witness in the investigation into the schoolgirl’s disappearance.

Officers arrived at the home of Christine Sharp at The Lindens estate in New Addington in Croydon at 5.30pm today and Stuart Hazell, 37, left with them a few minutes later

However, Scotland Yard said that Hazell “had not been arrested” and made it clear that he was being interviewed “as a witness.”

Hazell is reported to be the last person to see Tia before she went missing, although there are conflicting accounts as to whether this was at her grandmother’s home or at East Croydon Tram Station.

Police have received over 60 reported sightings of Tia, although none of them could be confirmed. However, they did confirm that one witness had given a statement saying that Tia had left her grandmother’s house at midday on Friday August 3.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola from the Metropolitan Police said: “We know Tia was at her grandmother’s house and slept late on the morning of Friday August 3. She then left to get the bus. She told her grandmother’s partner she was going out. He was the last person to see her, that we are aware of at this time.”

Tia normally lives with her mother, Natalie Sharp, and step-father, David Niles, in Mitcham, but often stays with her grandmother in New Addington.

Police had been searching the grandmother’s house earlier today. A police search dog and two handlers went into the grandmother’s home for around half an hour this afternoon whilst Scola updated the family on the latest developments about the investigation. Police also searched nearby woodland again earlier this morning. Around 60 police officers had searched the area of Birch Wood yesterday, about one mile from where Tia went missing.

A number of police officers have been brought in to aid the investigation, including officers originally posted to cover the Olympics. Police have focused on reviewing CCTV footage as they try to confirm where Tia went missing. They have so far searched about 120 hours of footage, roughly a sixth of the total CCTV footage that they have obtained.

ublic support for the search has continued. Around 100 people gathered at Croydon Rugby Club last night to meet with police and help with the search for the girl and some are expected to continue looking today. A large Facebook group has been arranging for posters and fliers to be printed and distributed across south London.

The MP for Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, also urged locals to join in the search. “I’m the father of young children myself so I want to help. I’d urge anyone with information to get in touch with the police,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tia’s stepfather David Niles, 29, said that the family were “in bits”. Although not Tia’s biological father, he said that he had “been there since day dot”.

“Just find my little girl,” he urged.

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2012/08/missing-croydon-schoolgirl-tia-sharp-grandmothers-boyfriend-being-interviewed-by-police/

Tia Sharp's step-grandad admits 'shady past' but denies harming 12-year-old
Tia Sharp's step-grandfather Stuart Hazell has admitted he has a "shady past" but insists he would never do anything to hurt the girl he "loves to bits".

By Victoria Ward and Martin Evans
6:02PM BST 09 Aug 2012

The last person known to have seen missing school girl Tia Sharp has admitted he had a "shady past" but insisted he would never do anything to hurt the girl he "loves to bits".

Stuart Hazell, 37, the partner of Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp, 46, broke down as he described the moment he realised she had gone out alone last Friday and begged her to return.

He described the family's agonising wait for positive information and his disbelief that 12-year-old Tia had apparently not been captured on any CCTV cameras.

Mr Hazell, who previously dated Tia's mother Natalie Sharp, 30, and has served two jail sentences for supplying crack cocaine and the possession of a machete, said: "My previous has got nothing to do with it. Everyone's got a shady past.

"Did I do anything to Tia? No I b----- didn't. I'd never think of that.

"I loved her to bits, she's like my own daughter. She's got a lovely home. I can't work out what's going on.

"She's a happy-go-lucky golden angel. She's perfect."

Mr Hazell disclosed that he had given Tia £10 for doing a few chores around the house and tidying up the garden.

He said that on the morning she disappeared, she had been playing computer games while he did the housework and hoovering.

At 12.10pm, she got up and left having previously told him she wanted to buy some new shoes, although she did not take her mobile phone which was charging or a travel card.

"She said 'uhh goodbye' and I said, 'well make sure you're back at 6pm' and she went, 'yeah, yeah, yeah' and that was it," he said. "The door closed and she walks out."

Asked is he had a message for Tia, he told ITV News: "Just come home babe, come and eat your dinner. I want my £10 back for the garden. I want things back to normal.

"I want to find her in McDonald's sitting there spending my tenner."

Mr Hazell said he felt that people were "pointing the finger" at him because he had been the last person to see her. But he said he was confident that a neighbour who told police he saw Tia leave the house alone was genuine as he knew her well and had even been able to describe "the pattern on her top".

Mr Hazell was interviewed by detectives on Wednesday but insisted he had just wanted to clarify his statement.

Police spent several hours searching through bins on the estate where Mr Hazell and Mrs Sharp live in New Addington, south London.

Scotland Yard confirmed that they were liasing with other police forces which had dealt with similar cases. They are trawling through 800 hours of CCTV footage and have drafted in 80 officers to work on the investigation.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9465223/Tia-Sharps-step-grandad-admits-shady-past-but-denies-harming-12-year-old.html

Tia Sharp: Police seal off area around grandmother's house

Friday 10th August 2012

1:22pm Up to 20 police officers have cordoned off the house at the Lindens.

1:25pm A Met police spokesman said: "The media briefing that was arranged for 2pm today, Friday 10 August, with SE London Area Commander Neil Basu regarding the disappearance of 12-year-old Tia Sharp has been postponed.

"The area around The Lindens has been sealed off as part of pre-planned search."

1:42pm Hannah Williamson reports

Up to 30 police officers came along the alley and created a cordon outside the grandmother's house in the Lindens New Addington where Tia was last seen. The Met said this was part of a pre planned search but they have cancelled a planned 2pm conference so everyone is expecting major development in the case.

1:47pm DCI Nick Scola, who is leading the search for Tia, said: "This morning a member of the family left the address by agreement so we could carry out a planned forensic search of the property. This search will start shortly."

2:02pm Forensic officers wearing protective boiler suits are preparing to search the home.

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/localnews/9866868.No_trace_of_Tia_Sharp_one_week_on/

@BBCLondonNews
Police confirm a #murder enquiry has been launched after body found in New Addington, following a search. Family of #Tia #Sharp informed.
10:50 AM - 10 Aug 12

@Channel4News
The body found at the home of Tia Sharp's grandmother is undergoing forensic tests. #c4news
10:56 AM - 10 Aug 12

Tia Sharp: police find body at home of grandmother
Detectives hunting missing 12-year-old Tia Sharp have found a body at her grandmother’s house, Scotland Yard have confirmed.

By Martin Evans, Richard Alleyne
4:57PM BST 10 Aug 2012

Detectives hunting missing 12-year-old Tia Sharp have found a body at her grandmother’s house, Scotland Yard have confirmed.

A murder inquiry has now been launched and police have said they are seeking to interview Stuart Hazel, the boyfriend of Tia’s grandmother Christine Sharp in connection with the case.

Scotland Yard have warned people not to approach Mr Hazell and have said there have been no arrests at this stage.

The family of Tia, who disappeared last Friday from Mrs Sharp’s address at 20 The Lindens, New Addington, have been informed of the discovery.

A post mortem examination will be held in due course.

Mr Hazell yesterday gave an interview in which he insisted he had nothing to do with Tia’s disappearance.

Earlier today more than 20 officers arrived at The Lindens on the New Addington estate, near Croydon, south London, and placed a cordon around the property where Christine Sharp, 46, lives with her boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, 37.

Scotland Yard said the area was sealed off as part of pre-planned search and that a media briefing that had been arranged with Area Commander Neil Basu had been postponed.

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9467555/Tia-Sharp-police-find-body-at-home-of-grandmother.html

Tia Sharp's Body Found At Grandmother Christine Sharp's House, 2 Arrested



LONDON -- British police announced Saturday that they'd made two more
arrests in the case of a 12-year-old girl whose body was found at her
grandmother's home a week after she went missing.


Scotland Yard said in a statement that a 46-year-old woman was
arrested on suspicion of murder and that a 39-year-old man was arrested
on suspicion of "assisting an offender" in the case of Tia Sharp, whose
disappearance from south London drew interest from across the U.K.


Neither suspect was identified by name, in line with British
practice. Police did not disclose what relationship, if any, the
suspects had with the victim. Stuart Hazell, the 37-year-old partner of
Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp, has already been arrested following a
city-wide manhunt.


Tia disappeared on Friday of last week and her family's anguished
appeals for information helped the story rise to the top of the national
news bulletins. Britain's tabloid press have devoted increasing amounts
of space to the case, with The Sun newspaper offering 25,000 pounds
(nearly $40,000) for the tip leading to Tia's safe return.
The
discovery of her body at Christine Sharp's house – her last known
whereabouts – led to anger and disbelief in Britain's press,
particularly since police had already searched the premises several
times. The story even managed to displace much of the feel-good Olympic
coverage from the front pages of the nation's tabloids.


"WHY DID IT TAKE COPS 8 DAYS?" the Daily Mirror asked its readers,
with the figure 8 outlined in red. The Daily Mail was even more
critical. Under a bold-faced headline reading, "SHAMBLES," it wrote:
"Despite a week-long hunt by 100 police with dogs, Tia is found dead in
her granny's house, which officers had searched THREE times."


Former Scotland Yard Commander John O'Connor told The Sun that police
could have done better. "That child should have been found much
quicker," he was quoted as saying.


Police have not specified where exactly in the house Tia's body was
found. But Scotland Yard Commander Neil Basu said Friday that police had
been juggling several different leads, with detectives sifting through
60 sightings of the missing girl, 300 calls, and 800 hours of
surveillance footage.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/11/tia-sharp-murder-arrests-grandmothers-house_n_1767276.html

Police admit human error caused delay in hunt for Tia Sharp’s body
The 12-year-old has been missing since last Friday. Yesterday, a body was discovered in her grandmother’s house.

Yesterday, 5:42 PM

METROPOLITAN POLICE in London have issued a statement apologising to the mother of 12-year-old Tia Sharp for the delay in finding a body in the search for her missing daughter.

Commander Neil Basu has explained the circumstances under which a number of searches of the house where Tia was last seen last Friday – the home of her grandmother Christine Sharp, who has since been arrested on suspicion of murder along with her partner Stuart Hazell.

A 39 year old man – reported to be neighbour Paul Meehan – has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Basu said that four scene examinations of the property in New Addington in south east London were carried out.

The initial examination was carried out when Tia was reported missing last Friday 4 August. That visit was not regarded as a full search of the property.

A second visit to conduct a full search of the property was conducted on 5 August, with the search lasting around two hours. Commander Basu said that all parts of the premises were searched including the location were a body was discovered yesterday, on 10 August.

A third visit involving the use of a body recovery dog took place on 8 August. As with the second visit, this was not a full search of the house.

Police have now admitted that following an early review of procedures, it is “clear that human error delayed the discovery of the body within the house”.

Following further investigation police decided that a further intrusive search of the property was necessary, and led to the discovery of a body.

Commander Basu said: "On behalf of the Metropolitan Police I apologise for the distress and concern this delay will have caused."

http://www.thejournal.ie/tia-sharp-missing-apology-554976-Aug2012/

Tia Sharp's body was found wrapped in black bedsheet in grandmother's loft

The body of 12-year-old Tia Sharp was found wrapped in a black bedsheet in a black bag in the loft of her grandmother's house, it has emerged.

Separately, Stuart Hazell, the 37-year-old man accused of her murder, was remanded in custody as he was sent for trial at London's Old Bailey after appearing before Camberwell Green magistrates via videolink.

Wearing a blue T-shirt, he was seated at a table in Sutton police station during the five-minute hearing. A policewoman stood behind him throughout.

Hazell, the partner of Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp, 46, is charged with the murder of the schoolgirl on a date between 2 and 11 August.

He confirmed his name, date of birth and address at The Lindens, New Addington, south London. He gave no plea. When asked by the clerk of the court if he understood the charge, he replied: "Yes. I do".

He will appear before the Old Bailey by videolink on Wednesday and a plea and case management hearing is set for 19 November.

Details of the case were not opened in court as the chairman of the bench, Charu Joglekar, said it was an indictable offence and magistrates did not have jurisdiction. No family members attended the brief hearing.

Tia's body was discovered on Friday afternoon in the terraced council house where her grandmother lived with Hazell. Hazell was arrested several hours later in a field in nearby Merton.

The schoolgirl, who regularly visited her grandmother, was reported missing on Friday 3 August. Police had visited the premises frequently since then.

A specialist team searched the house in the early hours of Sunday 5 August and apparently examined the loft where Tia's body was discovered five days later by another team.

The Metropolitan police has apologised to Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, 30, saying that human error was to blame for their failure to find her body sooner. That failure is now the subject of an internal Metropolitan police inquiry.

The cause of Tia's death has not yet been established but it is understood that police are examining a theory that she may have been smothered. A postmortem examination was halted on Saturday night and is expected to recommence this week. Although officers await formal identification of a body found at The Lindens on Friday, the alleged victim is named in the murder charge as Tia Sharp.

More than 100 officers were drafted in to search for the missing schoolgirl. Friends, neighbours and members of the local community carried out their own searches and handed out thousands of leaflets bearing Tia's photograph.

Christine Sharp, Tia's grandmother, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday but bailed on Sunday until October.

Her neighbour Paul Meehan, 39, was bailed on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, and her partner, David Niles, 29, who live 10 miles away in Mitcham, Surrey, visited a shrine of hundreds of flowers and cards on the pavement near The Lindens on Sunday. The couple left a white orchid, a teddy bear and a card before Sharp was led away sobbing.

Tia's natural father, Steven Carter, who lives in Northampton but came to London to help with the search, said he would miss her for ever. He told ITV News: "I'm heartbroken, angry, robbed. Robbed of my beautiful little girl who I will never see again, hold, kiss, touch. I don't know what to say … I want justice for my daughter – the proper way."

Of the last time he saw Tia, he said: "She jumped in my arms, she told me she loved me, we spoke about her school, what she was doing … she called me Daddy. I'll miss her forever."

Detectives examined more than 800 hours of CCTV footage and received more than 300 calls to the incident room during the search with 60 reported sightings.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/aug/13/tia-sharp-body-found-bedsheet-loft?newsfeed=true

STUART HAZELL, CHRISTINE SHARP'S PARTNER, CHARGED WITH MURDERING TIA SHARP
08/12/2012

The partner of the grandmother of a missing British schoolgirl was charged Saturday with the 12-year-old's murder, police said.

The charge came as police apologized to Tia Sharp's mother after they
failed to find the girl's body in her grandmother's house the first
three times they searched it.


Scotland Yard blamed "human error" and apologized for "the distress
and concern" caused by the delay in finding Sharp's body, which was
discovered Friday in the house – her last known whereabouts – one week
after she disappeared in south London.


Stuart Hazell, the 37-year-old partner of Tia's grandmother Christine
Sharp, has been charged with murder and will appear in court on Monday.
Two others, a 46-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder and a
39-year-old man suspected of "assisting an offender," have been bailed
to return to a London police station, they said.


Neither suspect was identified by name in line with British
practice, and police did not disclose what relationship, if any, the
suspects had with the victim. The Press Association and the BBC said the
woman was Christina Sharp, and the man was a neighbor.


It is not yet known how the schoolgirl died, and a post-mortem examination is expected to take place Sunday.
From HUFF POST: VIEW A TIMELINE OF THE CASE
The discovery of Tia Sharp's body led to anger and disbelief in
Britain. The family's frantic search and appeals had even managed to
displace much of the feel-good Olympic coverage from the front pages of
the nation's tabloids, with at one point The Sun offering 25,000 pounds
(nearly $40,000) for the tip that led to the girl's safe return.


The Daily Mirror newspaper asked its readers "WHY DID IT TAKE COPS 8
DAYS?" with the figure 8 outlined in red. The Daily Mail was even more
critical, writing under a bold-faced "SHAMBLES" headline: "Despite a
week-long hunt by 100 police with dogs, Tia is found dead in her
granny's house, which officers had searched THREE times."


Police have not specified exactly where in the house the body was
found, but Scotland Yard Commander Neil Basu said Friday they had been
juggling several different leads with detectives sifting through 60
sightings of the missing girl, 300 calls, and 800 hours of surveillance
footage.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/12/stuart-hazell-christina-sharp-tia-sharp-murder_n_1769626.html?ref=topbar

Tia Sharp: step-grandfather appears at Old Bailey charged with murder
Stuart Hazell, who is accused of murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp, appeared via videolink at the Old Bailey today.

Stuart Hazell, who is accused of murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink today

He is currently being kept in isolation and being watched 24 hours a day by prison warders amid fears of attacks by other inmates.

Hazell, who is on remand at high security Belmarsh Prison, appeared at the Old Bailey today after the case was committed from Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on Monday.

Hazell appeared via videolink because police feared vigilante attacks in court after dozens of death threats were posted online. He was seen wearing an orange t-shirt, sitting beside a prison guard.

The case was adjourned until November. No bail application was made.

t was reported that Hazell had faced further death threats in prison.

A source told The Sun newspaper said: "Everyone in the kitchen was talking about him arriving.

"Inmates are talking of death threats. You can hear his name being shouted out from cells.

"He's being kept in isolation and under 24-hour watch for his own safety."

Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9476467/Tia-Sharp-step-grandfather-appears-at-Old-Bailey-charged-with-murder.html

Lanterns released in memory of Tia Sharp

Written by Eastlondonlines
Aug 21, 2012


Pic: Ahmed Mahin Fayaz, Flickr

Hundreds of Chinese lanterns were released by locals in New Addington in memory of murdered 12-year-old Tia Sharp, whose body was found last week.

Locals who had helped with the search for the missing Mitcham girl, met at The Lindens where her body was discovered, and joined with members of the community to mourn her death with the display of hundreds of lanterns lighting up the night sky.

A huge campaign was launched by locals and backed by celebrities after Tia Sharp was reported missing on August 3. Local residents and friends set up Facebook groups, printed posters and fliers to search for Sharp.

On August 10, Sharp’s body was discovered by police wrapped in a black sheet inside a bag in the loft of Sharp’s grandmother’s house.

The grandmother, Christine Sharp, 46, was arrested on suspicion of murder on August 12, but has since been bailed with no charges made.

The grandmother’s partner Stuart Hazell, has been charged with murder, but will remain in custody until November.

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2012/08/chinese-lanterns-released-in-memory-of-tia/

Tia Sharp: Grandmother of murdered schoolgirl told to keep away from the funeral
Christine Sharp, 46, is currently on police bail in connection with death of the 12 year old girl

By Tom Pettifor
20 Aug 2012 01:23

The grandmother of murdered schoolgirl Tia Sharp has been warned not to attend her funeral over concerns for her safety.

Christine Sharp, 46, is currently on police bail following her arrest over the 12-year-old’s death.

And she has already been warned by police not to return to New Addington in South London after Tia’s body was found wrapped in a bed sheet in her loft there.

Mrs Sharp, who is said to have doted on Tia and spent many weekends looking after her, is currently staying in a secret location and has not been answering her phone.

One friend said: “People have told her it’s not a good idea to go to the funeral.”

Her former live-in boyfriend Stuart Hazell, 37, has been charged with the murder.

Tia’s body could be released to the family following the post mortem which concluded last week without determining a cause of death.

However the funeral could be delayed if Hazell exercises his right to have another pathologist examine the remains.

Tia was reported missing on August 3 and police found her body seven days later after a fourth search of Mrs Sharp’s home.

Officers apologised to Tia’s mum Natalie, 31, for the delay.

Hazell, 37, who appeared via videolink at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, is being held at top security Belmarsh jail.

Sharp and her neighbour Paul Meehan, 39‚ held on suspicion of assisting an offender‚ have been bailed by police until October.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tia-sharp-murder-grandmother-christine-1270036

Tia Sharp: Cause of death may never be known
The family of the schoolgirl Tia Sharp may never find out how the 12-year-old died after a post-mortem examination was inconclusive, it was reported.

By Telegraph reporters
9:06AM BST 05 Sep 2012

Tia's body was found in the loft of the house where her grandmother Christine Sharp lived after she disappeared last month.

Her remains were wrapped in a sheet and a plastic bag in the house in New Addington in south London.

Forensic tests have so far been unable to determine how she died.

Stuart Hazell, the boyfriend of Sharp, has been charged with Tia's murder. Her grandmother was also arrested but has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Hazell's lawyers have asked for a pathologist to carry out a second post-mortem examination, according to the Daily Mirror.



Scotland Yard said: "There are still some tests outstanding but Tia's body has been released to the defence who are conducting their own post mortem."

Her family planned to hold her funeral at the end of the month.

Hazell, 37, who is in custody, is due to stand trial in January.

Sharp's neighbour, Paul Meehan, 39, has been bailed on suspicion of assisting an offender.

An inquest was opened into Tia's death shortly after her body was discovered.

Coroner Roy Palmer asked for a second post-mortem examination to take place as soon as possible so her body could be released to her family.

The inquest, at South London Coroner's Court in Croydon, was adjourned until a later date.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9521934/Tia-Sharp-Cause-of-death-may-never-be-known.html

Funeral date set for tragic schoolgirl Tia Sharp

5:01pm Tuesday 11th September 2012

Family and friends will say goodbye to tragic schoolgirl Tia Sharp at her funeral this week.

Hundreds are expected to turn out to pay their respects on Friday to the Pollards Hill school girl, found dead in a New Addington loft on August 10.

The funeral procession is expected to travel down Bushey Road past Raynes Park High School, where she attended, before progressing to Garth Road Crematorium, by Merton and Sutton Joint Cemetery, for a private service.

Family have asked those wishing to turn out on the streets to see the procession to dress in a black and pink theme.

Read More: http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/localnews/9922702.Funeral_date_set_for_Tia_Sharp/

Tia Sharp death: No action against grandmother Christine Sharp

7 December 2012 Last updated at 07:55 ET

No further action will be taken against the grandmother of 12-year-old Tia Sharp over the schoolgirl's death, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Christine Sharp, 46, was arrested on suspicion of murder after Tia's body was found in her house in New Addington, Croydon, in August.

Tia's body was found a week after she was reported missing on 3 August.

Mrs Sharp's partner, 37-year-old Stuart Hazell, has been charged with the girl's murder.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the decision not to pursue any action against Mrs Sharp was taken on 4 December.

A 39-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender remains on bail until mid-December.

Hundreds of people from the local community joined in the search for the schoolgirl.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20641344

Accused Stuart Hazell in court over murder of schoolgirl Tia Sharp

18 Jan 2013 11:32

THE 12-year-old went missing from her south London home in August last year before her body was later found at her grandmother's home.

THE man accused of murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp appeared at the Old Bailey today and was further remanded in custody.

Stuart Hazell, 37, was remanded to a plea and case management hearing on March 8.

He appeared by videolink from Belmarsh prison, south London, for the brief hearing.

A trial date has been fixed for May 7 at the Old Bailey.

Hazell, from New Addington, south London, is charged with murdering the schoolgirl between August 2 and 11 last year.

Tia's body was found at her grandmother Christine Sharp's home in New Addington a week after she was reported missing. Hazell is the partner of Ms Sharp, 46.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tia-sharp-murder-accused-in-court-1543302

Tia Sharp: Neighbour Denies Time-Wasting
A Croydon man denies wasting police time over the hunt for murdered schoolgirl Tia Sharp last year.

A neighbour of the grandmother of murdered schoolgirl Tia Sharp has denied wasting police time.

Paul Meehan, 40, is accused of causing wasteful employment of the police by making a false report saying he had information linked to an inquiry in August last year.

Meehan, from Croydon, south London, entered a not guilty plea at Croydon Magistrates' Court.

During the short hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address and to deny the offence.

He was released on bail and will next appear at the same court on May 3 for a one-day trial.

Meehan is the neighbour of Tia's grandmother, Christine Sharp, whose boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, is due to stand trial for the 12-year-old's murder in May.

Tia's body was found in the loft of her grandmother's house in New Addington, south London, in August last year, more than a week after she went missing.

Hazell, 37, from New Addington, is charged with murdering the schoolgirl between August 2 and 11.

Christine Sharp was arrested on suspicion of murder but in December she was told she would face no further action in relation to the case.

The disappearance of the schoolgirl sparked a huge search around the Croydon area with family members leading the campaign.

Police officers had previously visited Christine Sharp's home, but it was only days into the search that Tia's body was discovered hidden in the loft.

http://news.sky.com/story/1058164/tia-sharp-neighbour-denies-time-wasting

Tia Sharp’s step-grandad ‘killed her then took photo of her naked body’



THE step-grandfather of schoolgirl Tia Sharp took a photo of her naked body after he sexually assaulted and murdered her, the Old Bailey heard today.

Stuart Hazell posed the lifeless 12-year-old face down on her bloodstained bed and took a picture "for the purposes of sexual excitement", a jury was told.

He then wrapped her corpse in bin bags and hid it in the loft of the home he shared with Tia's grandmother Christine Bicknell, it is claimed.

Hazell, 37, was the only other person in the house at the time of her "sudden and violent" death, jurors were told.

Prosecutors said he had a "sexual attraction" to his partner's granddaughter and had secretly filmed Tia sleeping in the weeks before she died.

Detectives also found a sex toy with Tia’s blood on it in Hazell's bedroom drawer, it is claimed.

Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said this detail was "a very important fact in the case".

He added: "For that reason the prosecution case is that Stuart Hazell had a sexual attraction to Tia Sharp.

"There was some form of sexual assault, something of that kind, and that is the reason he killed her."

The jury heard Hazell will claim Tia died in an accident, possibly by falling down the stairs at the house in New Addington, south London.

But Mr Edis said: "Accident had nothing to do with this."

Tia's mother Natalie fled the court in tears as the prosecution outlined its case at the start of Hazell's trial.

Mr Edis said police found two memory cards containing an "extensive" stash of obscene images of underage girls along with some pictures and videos of Tia.

There were 11 still images of Tia and three covert video clips of the schoolgirl sleeping in her bedroom, plus one of her rubbing cream into her legs, it was said.

The jury were then shown a photo which Mr Edis said showed a "dead, naked, pre-pubescent girl" lying face down on Tia’s bed. Blood could be seen on the bedclothes next to her body.

The prosecutor said the photo — in which the girl's face is not visible — was taken some time between 3am and 6am.

Hazell allegedly visited internet sites popular with paedophiles and searched for terms including "naked little girlies” and “schoolgirl nudes”.

He is said to have visited a website about incest on August 6 last year — three days after he allegedly killed Tia and while her body was lying hidden in the loft.

Tia was last seen making the journey from her mother’s home in Mitcham to her grandmother Christine’s home on August 2 last year, the court heard.

But Christine was at out at work on an overnight shift at a care home — and Tia died in the early hours of the next morning, it was said.

Mr Edis told the jury: "She died a sudden and we suggest violent death at the home where Christine Bicknell and Stuart Hazell lived and where Tia used to come to stay quite often."

Despite two police searches, missing Tia’s body was not found in the loft of the house until a week later on August 10, jurors were told.

Mr Edis continued: “What we know is that after she died he put her in the loft. That is not what you would normally do if someone who has suffered an accident, is it?

"Generally speaking if someone suffers an accident you call an ambulance. That is not what happened here. He undoubtedly hid her body in the loft in order to hide it."

Mr Edis told the jury they would have to decide whether this was planned or a "panic-stricken reaction to an accident."

He said Tia's corpse had been wrapped in sheets and then bin bags and sealed with sellotape.

The QC said: "As you can imagine, that’s not a particularly easy thing to do with a dead human being. But that’s what had been done, no doubt to prevent leakage.

"It was done for a purpose, a reason - something you may want to think about when you are thinking about the panic."

A second bin bag contained items of clothing including damaged spectacles, jeans, a pair of trainers and an Umbro top.

The sports jacket had traces of Hazell’s DNA inside the collar and Tia’s blood on the outside, it was said.

Hazell later told prison officers Tia had broken her neck falling down stairs and insisted "I'm not a nonce," the court heard.

Earlier, as the jury of seven men and five women were sworn in to try the case, the judge warned them to put their emotions aside.

Mr Justice Nicol said: "You are going to hear the victim was a 12-year-old
girl.
"Cases like these can arouse emotion but you must set emotion aside.

"It is your job at the end of the case to decide it on the evidence, coolly, calmly, rationally, not on the basis of your reaction to what you hear."

Hazell denies murder. The trial continues.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4918381/tia-sharps-step-grandad-sexually-assaulted-her.html

This guy should have his genitals cut off by one million paper cuts then hung with piano wire. He does not deserve to live. Hopefully the jury will see through his lies. William

Stuart Hazell admits murdering 12-year-old schoolgirl Tia Sharp in dramatic plea change claiming her family has 'suffered enough'

Convicted drug dealer Stuart Hazell, 37, previously claimed his step granddaughter fell down the stairs
In his statement Hazell claimed: 'Tia's family have suffered enough' and he did not want to put them through any further stages of the trial
Police officers searched Hazell’s loft three times before finding Tia’s body

The jury previously heard he had visited child porn websites
Court hears Hazell has convictions for racially aggravated common assault, dealing cocaine and possessing a machete in 2010, for which he was jailed for 12 months

The former window cleaner will be sentenced at the Old Bailey today

By Martin Robinson, Tom Kelly and Hugo Gye
PUBLISHED:05:15 EST, 13 May 2013

Convicted drug dealer Stuart Hazell has today admitted murdering his 12-year-old step granddaughter Tia Sharp after dramatically changing his plea to guilty a week into his Old Bailey trial.

The 37-year-old's QC, Lord Carlile, said the killer believes 'Tia's family have suffered enough', so decided to confess to the crime.

After the discovery of her body and his arrest a week after her disappearance last summer, Hazell said the schoolgirl had fallen down the stairs in an accident at the home he shared with her grandmother in New Addington, south London.

The former window cleaner had also claimed one of his neighbours had killed Tia and moved her body into his attic through interlinked lofts in the terrace houses, and that police were ‘fitting him up’.

But today he admitted sexually assaulting Tia, before suffocating her, photographing her dead body on a bed and then wrapping her corpse in plastic and storing it in a loft.


Change of plea: The step grandfather of Tia Sharp, Stuart Hazell, has today admitted he murdered her


Scene: Police sniffer dogs leaving Tia Sharp's grandmother's house in New Addington, where Hazell suffocated her

This morning the jury was brought back in and the charge was formally re-read to the defendant.

Dressed in a t-shirt, he bowed his head, shuffled his feet and then pleaded guilty prompting sobs and gasps from the public gallery.

Lord Carlile, representing Hazell, said his client wanted to make it known that 'Tia's family have suffered enough and he did not want to put them through any further stages of this trial or this process.'


Bereaved: Tia's mother Natalie Sharp (front) and her grandmother, Hazell's ex Christine Bicknell, arrive at the Old Bailey today

The court heard that Hazell had a number of previous convictions.

These included convictions for racially aggravated common assault in 2002, dealing cocaine in 2003 and possession of a machete in a public place in 2010, for which he was jailed for 12 months.

He also had convictions for burglary and theft.

It came after four days of graphic evidence during which Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, frequently had to leave the courtroom, visibly distressed.

The prosecution case included a grotesque photograph of a girl alleged to be Tia after she died, which was found on a memory card belonging to Hazell.

In the picture, a naked girl, whose face cannot be seen, is posed on all fours on a bed.

The prosecution were sure this was Tia.

Hazell then hid her body in bin bags in the loft, where it was found a week later.

The Old Bailey heard that in the weeks before her death Hazell, 37, who was obsessed with paedophile websites, had repeatedly filmed Tia as she slept – and on one occasion as she rubbed cream on her legs while in her underwear.


Family: New pictures show Tia Sharp getting a cake from her mother Natalie Sharp on her birthday

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Tia's mother Natalie Sharp said that Tia was her grandmother Christine's 'mini-me' and 'her life', adding 'When the trial is done, everything is over for everyone else, but it won't be for us.

'I gave the ultimate trust to Stuart and there is so much that I want to ask him.

'Sometimes I feel pity, that I want to hurt him, but I can never hurt him like he has hurt me.

'Since Tia was taken, I have lost my trust in everyone. It is too hard for me to believe that she is really gone. I try to think of her being on a sleepover at her friend's house.

'Jack, my eldest son who is three, asked me just this week if Tia was coming home from school soon. I've had to tell him the truth. It made him really cry. I told him that Tia is a star in the sky and now when we go up to say goodnight, we look out of the bedroom window and speak to the star, the one that was bought in Tia's name.

'I breathe for my children. I fear anyone hurting my boys. I fear that if anyone touches my sons or does anything to them, what I might do, I am so scared and angry. I have been so badly hurt by people I don't know and who know nothing of me'

Tia's father, Steve Carter, broke down in tears as Hazell changed his plea, and later said in a statement: 'We will never get the opportunity to share her 13th, 16th, 18th or 21st birthdays.

'We will never have the chance to see Tia walk down the aisle and get married, and have children of her own. We have all lost someone special.'

Prosecutors believe Tia was murdered in the early hours of August 3 last year while she was alone with Hazell as her grandmother worked overnight at a care home.

Christine Bicknell called Hazell from work and said she could hear Tia laughing in the background as they watched TV, the court heard. Hazell sent Miss Bicknell a text at 10.12pm saying:‘Tia’s going to bed after Family Guy baby then I’m going to pass out.’

Another message from him at 11.44pm said: ‘Night, night baby, call you tomorrow.’

But the prosecution claim instead of going to bed, he attacked Tia over the next few hours.

The Old Bailey also heard that he told his father he regretted Tia's death 'every second of every day' in a letter begging for forgiveness.

He wrote to his dad Keith from Belmarsh prison in August last year, saying he had made 'one mistake and my whole world has collapsed'.

He told his father that he wishes he could 'turn back the clock' and that he was unable to eat or sleep in prison.

The letter had two pictures of sad faces drawn on it and had two words written at the top: 'Forgive me'.


Looking for forgiveness: Stuart Hazell's letter to his father Keith in which he said that Tia Sharp's death was an accident and that he regrets it 'every second of every day'

The jury heard that Hazell was a man that Tia has 'idolised', and were shown CCTV footage of her final hours beside her killer.


'Sorry': The letter from Hazell was signed off with a sad face

The 12-year-old was seen on her last journey chatting cheerfully with him as they shopped in the local supermarket.

While on remand at Belmarsh Prison, Hazell told guards that Tia had broken her neck accidentally falling down the stairs.

But pathologists were unable to find any evidence of a broken neck or skull fracture consistent with dying from a fall.

When Tia was reported missing, Hazell told her family and police that he had seen her leaving his house to meet a friend.

Relatives, friends and neighbours carried out a huge search.

During the week-long hunt, Tia’s mother went to stay at Hazell’s house, unaware that her daughter’s body was hidden upstairs.

Hazell even made a TV appeal for Tia’s safe return and criticised those who suggested he had something to do with her disappearance.

In an interview Hazell gave to ITV he appealed for Tia’s safe return, insisted she was like his own child, described her as ‘a golden angel’ and said he did not know what had happened to her.

Mr Justice Nicol is due to sentence Hazell later today.

He is certain to receive a life sentence but the judge will have to decide the minimum number of years he will be kept behind bars.


sTogether: Tia Sharp can be seen on a shopping trip on August 2 with Hazell, her grandmother's former boyfriend and the man who today admitted her murder

Grim: Hazell sexually assaulted and murdered Tia later in the night following this shopping trip


Trial: Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Hazell meeting Tia in Croydon, shopping in a co-op store and taking a tram home to New Addington. The pair are pictured together

Stuart Hazell's guilty plea comes after months of lies about Tia Sharp's final movements.

During the week-long hunt for the then missing schoolgirl, Hazell, 37, a convicted drug dealer, denied abducting her, saying she was 'like my own daughter'.

At the time Hazell was the partner of Tia's grandmother Christine.

He said at the time: 'My previous has got nothing to do with it. Everyone's got a shady past. Did I do anything to Tia? No I bloody didn't. I'd never think of that.'

He described Tia as 'a happy-go-lucky golden angel' and said there had been no problems at her 'loving home' before she vanished.

Hazell said he and Tia had been alone at the home he shared with Christine in south London on the Thursday night and Friday morning when she disappeared.

On the Friday, he said, she left the house at 12.10pm, having previously told him she wanted to buy some new shoes.

She did not take her mobile phone, which was charging, or a travel card and had no bag when she left.

Hazell broke down as he spoke, supported by Tia's uncle David Sharp.

Both wore white 'Find Tia' T-shirts and a large picture of the schoolgirl was pinned to the wall behind them.

Hazell said he felt people were 'pointing the finger' at him because he had been the last person to see her.

Hazell said: 'I know deep down in my heart that Tia walked out of my house.

'I know she was seen walking down the pathway, she made her way down that track. What happened after that. I don't know.'

Police searched Hazell’s loft THREE TIMES before finding Tia’s body

Police unsuccessfully searched the loft where Tia Sharp’s body was hidden twice but only discovered her on the third attempt.

Tia’s body was found wrapped in a sheet and layers of plastic in the loft of her grandmother’s home on August 10 last year, a week after she went missing.

It was only when detectives noticed a smell of decomposition in the upstairs of Christine Bicknell’s house that she was finally found.


Failures: Police forensics teams (pictured on day Tia was found) took three attempts over a week to successfully search the loft she was hidden in

A police constable first went into the loft on August 4, climbing up on a stool balanced on a chair.

He said: 'I was searching for a missing girl and from what I could see the loft seemed very clear. I thought "she is not hiding in here".'

The following day a specialist team came in and one officer said he would have recognised the smell of a decomposing body if it had been apparent.

His colleague said he took about 25 minutes to search the loft, including moving black bags around that the team believed were too light to contain anything significant.

Later, a search dog was brought to the house in New Addington, south London, and indicated that there was something above one of the bedrooms, but the animal was too large to take into the loft.

On August 10 a detective noticed the smell of decomposition in the house, which Ms Bicknell mistakenly thought was cat faeces.

Another dog also indicated that something might be in the loft of the house and Tia’s body was then found.

Detective Constable Daniel Chatfield, who found Tia’s body as he and a crime scene manager searched the loft, said: 'The loft was extremely confined, it was very hot and quite chaotic, so there were a lot of boxes and bags around the hatch entrances which needed to be moved in order to search further into the loft.

'After about 10 minutes my colleague Mr Langley had alerted me to what he believed to be the body of Tia.'

In the wake of Tia’s death, Scotland Yard apologised to her family that it had taken so long to find her.

Addict Hazell was obsessed with child porn and searched for girls who looked like Tia

Stuart Hazell sought out child pornography, including images of young girls who looked like Tia Sharp.

He had previously filmed the 12-year-old while she slept, and caught her on camera rubbing cream into her legs.

The schoolgirl's killer had previously been in relationships with both her mother and her grandmother.

Hazell first met Tia's grandmother Christine Bicknell around 2003 or 2004, when she was working as a barmaid at a pub in Merton, South London.

He then had a relationship with her daughter Natalie Sharp, Tia's mother, but it lasted no more than a couple of weeks.

Hazell started seeing Ms Sharp in April 2007, and a month later moved into her house in New Addington.

The killer took to Google to look up pornographic pictures of young girls, police discovered after searching his house following his arrest last August.

He apparently sought out images of girls who looked especially like Tia, wearing glasses and having their hair in a ponytail.

Hazell was obsessed with paedophile websites, and apparently acted out his fantasies by taking pictures of Tia, the granddaughter of his then girlfriend Christine Bicknell.


Guilty: Hazell was addicted to child porn and would search out images of children who looked like Tia Sharp
Police found 11 photographs and three video clips showing the girl sleeping on two memory cards hidden in his home.

At least one of the cards had been stashed in the doorway of a cupboard.

Police said they believed he had removed the bathroom door so he could spy on the girl, and modified the light socket in her room to create a 'spyhole'.

The most shocking image was taken after the schoolgirl's death, according to the prosecution.

It showed Tia naked lying on a bed, and was captured a few hours after she died for Hazell's 'sexual excitement', prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said during the trial.

He sexually assaulted her before suffocating her and hiding her body in Ms Bicknell's attic.

Hazell had also collected images of young girls being abused, and visited a site devoted to glorifying incest.

Forensic analysis of his mobile phone records showed that he had been looking up child pornography via Google.

Friday August 3 2012
Tia Sharp is seen leaving her grandmother Christine Bicknell's home in New Addington, South-East London, at around midday. The 12-year-old told relatives she was going to the Whitgift Centre in Croydon. It later emerged that she was killed that night and her body stashed in the attic of the house

Monday August 6
Tia's family makes an emotional plea for her to return home as police find no trace of her on CCTV footage.

Tuesday August 7
A CCTV image of Tia outside the local Co-op is released as her grandmother says she hopes it will jog someone's memory. The last person who saw Tia is reported to be Ms Bicknell's partner, Stuart Hazell.

Wednesday August 8
Police take a German shepherd dog into Tia's grandmother's house. Volunteers and members of the local community continue to hand out posters, wear 'Find Tia' T-shirts and conduct their own searches. Hazell, 37, is voluntarily questioned by police.

Thursday August 9
Police search bins outside Tia's grandmother's home and around the estate where she lives, using sticks to scour through rubbish. Hazell says he was not the last person to see her and makes an emotional plea for her to return home.

Friday August 10
Two detectives arrive at Tia's grandmother's house in the morning, leaving 30 minutes later with brown evidence bags. A police sniffer dog is brought to the property. Police seal off the area around the house at 1pm for a 'pre-arranged search'. At 4.45pm police say they have found a body at the house. Hazell is arrested and held on suspicion of murder.

Saturday August11
Ms Bicknell is questioned and Paul Meehan, a 39-year-old neighbour, is taken into custody on suspicion of assisting an offender. The pair are released on bail.

Sunday August 12
Hazell is charged with the murder of Tia Sharp and held in custody ahead of his first court appearance.

Monday August 13
Hazell is sent for trial.

Friday September14
Tia's funeral is held at Morden Cemetery.

Tuesday May 7 2013
Hazell pleads not guilty to murder as his trial begins at the Old Bailey

Monday May 13
The defendant changes his plea to guilty after several days of harrowing testimony, saying the girl's family has 'suffered enough'.


Investigation: A forensics officer outside the house of Tia's grandmother after her body was found there

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323735/Stuart-Hazell-admits-murdering-12-year-old-schoolgirl-Tia-Sharp-dramatic-plea-change-claiming-family-suffered-enough.html

‘Beast’ — Tia Sharp’s killer Stuart Hazell jailed for 38 years

EVIL Stuart Hazell must serve at least 38 years behind bars for the sex murder of schoolgirl Tia Sharp, a judge ruled today.

The monster was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum of 38 years before he can be considered for release.

There were sobs from the public gallery and Tia's grandad Stephen Carter shouted out "beast" as the killer was led down to the cells at the Old Bailey.

Hazell, 37, brutally molested and suffocated Tia — his partner's granddaughter — while he was meant to be looking after her in August last year.

He photographed the 12-year-old's naked corpse before dressing it in pyjamas and stashing it in the loft — then callously joined hundreds searching for the missing youngster.

It comes after Tia's heartbroken mum Natalie exclusively told The Sun she wants to stare Hazell in the eye and ask him: "Why did you hurt my Tia?"

The judge, Mr Justice Nicol, told Hazell: “She was a sparky girl who was full of life but you took that life from her.

"All that lay ahead of her — a career, loves and family of her own — will now never be.

"And the loss of her has been devastating for her mother, her father and all her relatives and friends.

“The tragedy of their loss and her death is because of your act in murdering Tia Sharp. You are responsible.”

Tia’s grandmother Christine Bicknell could be seen crying and hugging a relative as the judge passed sentence.

Afterwards Tia's dad Steven Carter — who yesterday said Hazell should be hanged — clenched his fist as he left the court.

He said: "It’s not justice, justice would be if she was here.”

His dad Stephen said the jail term was "not really long enough".

Tia's mum Natalie Sharp, who hugged a friend outside court, merely shook her head when asked if she was pleased with the sentence.

She was driven away in a taxi without making any further comments.

Hazell, a convicted drug dealer and thug, had lived with Christine in New Addington, south London, for more than five years before Tia died.

The window cleaner, who also briefly dated Tia’s mother Natalie around a decade ago, developed a twisted sexual obsession for the schoolgirl, secretly filming her while she was asleep and putting cream on her legs.

Police say he removed a bathroom door so he could spy on the youngster and had also modified a light fitting to make a spyhole.

He also trawled the internet for obscene images of young girls resembling his step-granddaughter.

The judge ruled out imposing a whole-life tariff but said the crime was so serious Hazell may never get parole.

Mr Justice Nicol said: "There is no doubt that you had developed a sexual interest in Tia.

"The records of your internet searching on your mobile phone make abundantly clear that you were looking out for pornographic pictures of pre-teen girls, which Tia was; pornographic pictures of girls who wore glasses, which Tia did; even pictures involving incest.

“Tia was not your blood relation, but there was the bond between you because of your relationship with Christine, and from time to time you referred to yourself as Tia’s grandfather."

Hazell dramatically changed his plea to guilty yesterday claiming he was filled with "remorse" and wanted to spare Tia's family any further torment.

But the judge blasted Hazell — who had maintained Tia died by falling down stairs — for forcing her family to hear four days of graphic evidence of how he molested and killed her.

The judge went on: “It is an aggravating feature that your victim was so young. So too is your abuse of trust.

"Tia’s mother allowed her to come and stay with you because she trusted you to look after her. Christine was at work that night, she trusted you to look after her.

“By first sexually assaulting and then killing Tia you betrayed that trust in the most grievous way possible. And that breach of trust reverberates still.

“Tia’s mother has spoken of how she now finds it hard to trust other people in many other ways.

“I have said that I cannot be sure that the photograph of Tia was taken after her death but, whenever the picture was taken, it shows that, beyond the sexual assault itself, you further degraded that young girl by photographing her in such a dreadful position.”

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola said after the sentencing: “I am very pleased at today’s sentence.

"A minimum of 38 years is satisfying for both the investigating team and Tia’s friends and family.

“Hazell will have a very long time in prison to think about what he has done.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4927098/murderer-stuart-hazell-jailed-for-at-least-38-years.html

Innocent ... victim Tia Sharp

This monster should have paid with his life. But at least some justice is done. William