Tia hunt failings ‘not down to one officer’

The Metropolitan Police commissioner said yesterday the failure to find schoolgirl Tia Sharp’s body more quickly was not down to an individual officer.

Police teams searched the home of the 12-year-old’s grandmother in New Addington, south London, four times before her body was found in the loft.

It is understood the body was wrapped in bin bags.

The force has apologised to Tia’s mother Natalie Sharp for the delay in finding her and put it down to “human error”.

Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “If we thought it was an individual human error then that would explain it, but we’re carrying out a review because we’re not happy that explains it.”