Sea of tributes to Tia as partner of grandmother faces court

The 12-year-old’s body was discovered at her grandmother Christine Sharp’s terrace house on Friday, a week after she was reported missing.

Her mother, step-father and father visited a shrine near the house in New Addington, near Croydon, yesterday, where residents who had supported the search for the missing schoolgirl have left flowers, teddy bears and candles.

Distraught Natalie Sharp, 30, had to be supported by her partner David Niles after laying a note and flowers on the pavement.

It read: “Our baby girl, We love you very much and always will. Sorry baby this neva (sic) should have happened. I wish I was there to protect you.” It was signed “Love Mum, Dad, Jack and Harry.”

Today, Stuart Hazell, 37, the partner of Tia’s grandmother Christine Sharp, is due to appear in court charged with the 12-year-old’s murder. Sharp, 46, was arrested on Saturday and held for questioning but later bailed, alongside 39-year-old Paul Meehan who was held by police on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The news that a body was discovered provoked shock and anger in a community which had rallied in an attempt to find Tia.

Candles and messages had been left near the grandmother’s house after a vigil last Monday, which had been attended by both Mr Niles and Tia’s biological father Steven Carter, from Northamptonshire.

These have now been added to with a sea of other tributes to the 12-year-old, with others laid outside the block of flats where she lived with her mother in Mitcham, south London, and the school she attended, Raynes Park High School, in Merton, in south-east London. Its headteacher Phillip Wheatley was among those last week to urge anyone with information about Tia’s disappearance to come forward.

Facebook pages that were last week aimed at finding the missing youngster are also now full of messages of tribute.

Police have apologised to Tia’s mother for not having found the body sooner after three previous searches of the property.

Police have not revealed where in the house the remains were discovered but officers were seen taking a ladder into the property last Friday, starting rumours it may have been in the loft.

Metropolitan Police South East London Area Commander Neil Basu said “human error” was to blame for not locating the body sooner.

“On behalf of the Metropolitan Police I apologise for the distress and concern this delay will have caused,” he said.

Mr Basu explained the first examination of the property on receiving the report last Friday was not a full search. He said mistakes were made on the second search two days later, which took two hours.

Mr Basu said the occupiers gave their consent to this search.

“All parts of the premises were searched including the location where a body was discovered, five days later, on Friday August 10,” he said.

“An early review has been 
conducted and it is now clear 
that human error delayed the discovery of the body within the house.

“We have apologised to Tia’s mother that our procedures did not lead to the discovery of the body on this search.”

He added: “A continuing review and examination of our search processes will be undertaken to ensure such a failing is not repeated.”