Court date for Tia murder accused

THE man accused of murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp appeared at the Old Bailey yesterday. Stuart Hazell, 37, from New Addington, south London, is charged with murdering the schoolgirl between 2 August and 11 August.

He appeared via video-link from Belmarsh prison. No application for bail was made. Hazell was remanded in custody and will appear for a plea and case management hearing at the same court on 19 November.

Tia’s body was found at her grandmother Christine Sharp’s home in New Addington last Friday, a week after she was reported missing.

Hazell is the partner of Ms Sharp, 46, who was arrested on suspicion of murder but bailed on Sunday pending further inquiries. A post-mortem examination of Tia’s body is scheduled to resume today.