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| Tia Sharp police find body in grandmother's home | Tia Sharp police find body in grandmother's home |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police searching the home of the grandmother of the missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp have found a body, they said this afternoon. | Police searching the home of the grandmother of the missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp have found a body, they said this afternoon. |
| Officers said they are now seeking Stuart Hazell, the partner of Tia's grandmother. They warned the public not to approach him and people should call 999 immediately said if anyone saw him. | |
| Forensic officers began a full search of the home of Christine Sharp, 46, around lunchtime. Tia's grandmother agreed to leave her terraced house saying she would not obstruct the inquiry. | Forensic officers began a full search of the home of Christine Sharp, 46, around lunchtime. Tia's grandmother agreed to leave her terraced house saying she would not obstruct the inquiry. |
| It took less than four hours for forensic teams to find the body in the small house. There are likely to be questions asked about why a full forensic search was not carried out sooner, although police are required to have some evidence in order to mount such a search. | It took less than four hours for forensic teams to find the body in the small house. There are likely to be questions asked about why a full forensic search was not carried out sooner, although police are required to have some evidence in order to mount such a search. |
| Officers said they had discovered a body but no identification had yet taken place. A postmortem will be carried out in due course. | Officers said they had discovered a body but no identification had yet taken place. A postmortem will be carried out in due course. |
| The full forensic search will continue for days as police try to find evidence in the house to build a case against whoever was responsible for Tia's death. | The full forensic search will continue for days as police try to find evidence in the house to build a case against whoever was responsible for Tia's death. |
| Hazell spoke to ITV News on Thursday to deny any involvement in Tia's disappearance. It is believed that he was the last person to see her alive around noon a week ago on Friday 3 August. | Hazell spoke to ITV News on Thursday to deny any involvement in Tia's disappearance. It is believed that he was the last person to see her alive around noon a week ago on Friday 3 August. |
| Detectives have always been concerned that, despite claims that Tia left the house on 3 August, none of the CCTV seized and examined by officers showed any sign of the missing girl. | Detectives have always been concerned that, despite claims that Tia left the house on 3 August, none of the CCTV seized and examined by officers showed any sign of the missing girl. |
| Hazell has not been seen at the address on Friday and Ms Sharp said she did not know where he was. | Hazell has not been seen at the address on Friday and Ms Sharp said she did not know where he was. |
| The Metropolitan police said in a statement: "A murder inquiry has been launched after a body was found at 20 The Lindens, New Addington following a search of the property this afternoon. Enquiries are under way to establish the identity of the body. A postmortem will be held in due course." | The Metropolitan police said in a statement: "A murder inquiry has been launched after a body was found at 20 The Lindens, New Addington following a search of the property this afternoon. Enquiries are under way to establish the identity of the body. A postmortem will be held in due course." |
| They said Stuart Hazell "should not be approached and, if seen, people should call 999. There have been no arrests in connection with this investigation at this time". | They said Stuart Hazell "should not be approached and, if seen, people should call 999. There have been no arrests in connection with this investigation at this time". |
| The police said Tia's family had been informed of the discovery. | The police said Tia's family had been informed of the discovery. |
| The search for the 12-year-old has centred on Ms Sharp's home for the last week. Hazell was interviewed as a witness on Wednesday but not arrested. | The search for the 12-year-old has centred on Ms Sharp's home for the last week. Hazell was interviewed as a witness on Wednesday but not arrested. |
| The house being searched is a small terraced property, with a fenced back garden, Hazell lived there with Tia's grandmother. | The house being searched is a small terraced property, with a fenced back garden, Hazell lived there with Tia's grandmother. |
| He was the last person to report seeing her alive, and said Tia had left the house around noon last Friday to go into Croydon to buy a pair of flip flops. But there were no sightings of her in the town despite a massive publicity campaign for information. | He was the last person to report seeing her alive, and said Tia had left the house around noon last Friday to go into Croydon to buy a pair of flip flops. But there were no sightings of her in the town despite a massive publicity campaign for information. |
| Hazell is known to have several convictions, including one for possession of an offensive weapon, a machete, in February 2010 and drug offences. | Hazell is known to have several convictions, including one for possession of an offensive weapon, a machete, in February 2010 and drug offences. |