Murder of Tia Sharp
| Date | 3 August 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | New Addington, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°21′24″N 0°01′02″W / 51.356573°N 0.017293°W |
| Deaths | Tia Sharp |
| Suspects | Stuart Hazell (37) Christine Sharp (46) Paul Meehan (39) |
| Charges | Murder (Hazell) |
Tia Sharp was a 12-year-old English schoolgirl who was reported missing from the home of her grandmother, Christine Sharp, in New Addington, on 3 August 2012. Police discovered her body in the loft of the house seven days later, on 10 August. Christine Sharp and Stuart Hazell, her partner and the former boyfriend of Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, were arrested later that day, both on suspicion of murder.[1] Hazell was charged with Tia's murder the following day. Sharp was released on bail.
Disappearance
Hazell told police that Tia had left the house to travel to Croydon, five miles away, to buy shoes in the Whitgift Centre.[2] On 7 August Tia's uncle, David Sharp, made a televised plea for Tia's safe return.[3] Fifty-five sightings were reported by members of the public, but none were substantiated.[4] Eighty police officers were assigned to the search, and 800 hours of CCTV footage were collected.[5]
Murder inquiry
On 10 August, a body was discovered in a black bed sheet in a black bag in the loft of Christine Sharp's home, after police searched it for the fourth time.[1] [6] Police launched a search for Hazell, and later that day arrested him on suspicion of murder, at Cannon Hill, Morden, after a tip-off from a member of the public.[7][8] It was later announced that two further arrests had been made: Tia's grandmother, Christine Sharp, on suspicion of murder, and her neighbour, Paul Meehan, on suspicion of assisting an offender. [9] Meehan and Sharp were subsequently released on bail.[9] Commander Neil Basu, the officer in charge of the investigation, apologised to Tia's mother for the delay in finding the body. He blamed human error and said that a review would be undertaken "to ensure such a failing is not repeated".[10]
Late in the evening of 11 August, Stuart Hazell was charged with the murder of Tia Sharp. He appeared before Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on the 13 August 2012, via video-link. No plea was entered, and the case was committed to the Old Bailey, with a first appearance on 15 August, also via video-link, and a preliminary hearing set for 19 November. [6] [9] He was remanded in custody to Belmarsh Prison, where he was kept in isolation for his own safety. [11]
A post-mortem on the body was begun on 10 August, and paused later that day. By 16 August, the post-mortem had still not been completed, but at an inquest into the death, which opened that day, it was confirmed that the body was that of Tia Sharp. [12]
References
- ^ a b "Tia Sharp: Grandmother Christine arrested over murder". BBC. Retrieved 2012-08-11. Cite error: The named reference "BBC-Arrest" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Stepfather's Agony Over Missing Tia Sharp". News.sky.com. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ^ "Missing Tia Sharp's uncle appeals for her safe return – video | UK news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ^ James Meikle and agencies. "Tia Sharp stepfather says family 'in bits' over missing London 12-year-old | UK news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ^ "Tia Sharp: Eighty officers in search for Croydon girl". BBC. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
- ^ a b "Tia Sharp:Stuart Hazell sent for trial". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "Tia Sharp search: Body found in grandmother's house". BBC News. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ Barrett, David; Leach, Ben (11 August 2012). "Tia Sharp: police face questions after body discovered in grandmother's house". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Tia Sharp: timeline of her disappearance". 12 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: Text "publisherThe Daily Telegraph" ignored (help) - ^ "Tia Sharp: Met Police admit body search error". Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Tia Sharp: step-grandfather in isolation amid fears of attacks from inmates at Belmarsh Prison". 15 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: Text "publisherThe Daily Telegraph" ignored (help) - ^ "Tia Sharp's body identified as inquest opens". The Guardian. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-16.