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| Tia Sharp death: Stuart Hazell accused of killing her after sexual assault | Tia Sharp death: Stuart Hazell accused of killing her after sexual assault |
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| The man accused of murdering a 12-year-old girl, whose decomposing body was found in his loft, secretly filmed her to satisfy his sexual interest in the weeks before she was killed, the Old Bailey was told on Tuesday. | The man accused of murdering a 12-year-old girl, whose decomposing body was found in his loft, secretly filmed her to satisfy his sexual interest in the weeks before she was killed, the Old Bailey was told on Tuesday. |
| Stuart Hazell, 37, went to extensive lengths to hide the body of Tia Sharp after subjecting her to a sexual assault and smothering her in August last year, the jury was told. | Stuart Hazell, 37, went to extensive lengths to hide the body of Tia Sharp after subjecting her to a sexual assault and smothering her in August last year, the jury was told. |
| On the opening day of his murder trial, the court heard that Hazell had repeatedly accessed paedophile images of prepubescent girls on his mobile phone. Police also found two memory cards from Hazell's cameras which contained a series of secret photographs and videos of Tia, including footage of her sleeping and of her putting moisturiser on her legs. | On the opening day of his murder trial, the court heard that Hazell had repeatedly accessed paedophile images of prepubescent girls on his mobile phone. Police also found two memory cards from Hazell's cameras which contained a series of secret photographs and videos of Tia, including footage of her sleeping and of her putting moisturiser on her legs. |
| Hazell had tried to hide one of the memory sticks on the top of a door frame at his home, the court heard. After Tia was killed, he tried to create the lie that she had run away from home. | Hazell had tried to hide one of the memory sticks on the top of a door frame at his home, the court heard. After Tia was killed, he tried to create the lie that she had run away from home. |
| Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, left the court visibly distressed as the prosecution opened the case against Hazell – who denies murder. | Tia's mother, Natalie Sharp, left the court visibly distressed as the prosecution opened the case against Hazell – who denies murder. |
| She remained outside court when the jury was shown the last image taken by Hazell on his mobile phone – a picture he then copied to his camera and was found stored on one of the memory cards. The photograph was of a naked, prepubescent girl, whom the prosecution said was Tia Sharp, lying on her bed at her grandmother's home in New Addington, Croydon. There is blood visible on the bedding in the photograph, and in the corner of the picture the hand of one of the girl's dolls can be seen. The photograph was taken after Tia's death between 3am – 6am on 3 August last year and had been posed by Hazell, the prosecution said. | She remained outside court when the jury was shown the last image taken by Hazell on his mobile phone – a picture he then copied to his camera and was found stored on one of the memory cards. The photograph was of a naked, prepubescent girl, whom the prosecution said was Tia Sharp, lying on her bed at her grandmother's home in New Addington, Croydon. There is blood visible on the bedding in the photograph, and in the corner of the picture the hand of one of the girl's dolls can be seen. The photograph was taken after Tia's death between 3am – 6am on 3 August last year and had been posed by Hazell, the prosecution said. |
| Andrew Edis, QC, prosecuting said: "Tia Sharp died a sudden and we suggest violent death … The prosecution case is that Stuart Hazell had a sexual attraction for Tia Sharp. There was some form of sexual assault, and that was the reason he killed her." | Andrew Edis, QC, prosecuting said: "Tia Sharp died a sudden and we suggest violent death … The prosecution case is that Stuart Hazell had a sexual attraction for Tia Sharp. There was some form of sexual assault, and that was the reason he killed her." |
| Edis said Hazell tried to create a lie that Tia had run away from home last August and went to great lengths to hide her body and other items in the loft of his home. He wrapped the child's body in a sheet, before sealing it into a bin bag with sticky tape, and hiding it in the attic. "It had been meticulously wrapped and hidden." | Edis said Hazell tried to create a lie that Tia had run away from home last August and went to great lengths to hide her body and other items in the loft of his home. He wrapped the child's body in a sheet, before sealing it into a bin bag with sticky tape, and hiding it in the attic. "It had been meticulously wrapped and hidden." |
| Edis said the jury would hear the suggestion that Tia had died in an accident after falling downstairs and that Hazell had panicked and not known what to do. He said: "We know when she died, we know where she died, we know this – there were only two of them in the house at the time. So was it murder or may it have been an accident. | Edis said the jury would hear the suggestion that Tia had died in an accident after falling downstairs and that Hazell had panicked and not known what to do. He said: "We know when she died, we know where she died, we know this – there were only two of them in the house at the time. So was it murder or may it have been an accident. |
| "What we know is that after she died he put her into the loft – now that is not what you normally do with someone who has suffered an accident." | "What we know is that after she died he put her into the loft – now that is not what you normally do with someone who has suffered an accident." |
| Hazell also stored another bin bag containing incriminating items in the loft, the prosecution said. The contents included his T-shirt which was found to have the child's blood on it and a pair of his spectacles which were broken and carried one of Sharp's fingerprints on a lens. "The idea was to say that Tia Sharp had left home … this was the lie that was being prepared," said Edis. | Hazell also stored another bin bag containing incriminating items in the loft, the prosecution said. The contents included his T-shirt which was found to have the child's blood on it and a pair of his spectacles which were broken and carried one of Sharp's fingerprints on a lens. "The idea was to say that Tia Sharp had left home … this was the lie that was being prepared," said Edis. |
| Sharp – who regularly stayed with her grandmother Christine Bicknell and her boyfriend Hazell – was reported missing on 3 August last year by her grandmother. When the press laid siege to the house after Tia's disappearance he was effectively under house arrest and his plan to move the body somewhere else became extremely difficult, the court heard. Tia's body was found in the loft a week later. The decomposition was such that no cause of death was ascertained, although a pathologist will tell the court that smothering was the most likely form of death. | Sharp – who regularly stayed with her grandmother Christine Bicknell and her boyfriend Hazell – was reported missing on 3 August last year by her grandmother. When the press laid siege to the house after Tia's disappearance he was effectively under house arrest and his plan to move the body somewhere else became extremely difficult, the court heard. Tia's body was found in the loft a week later. The decomposition was such that no cause of death was ascertained, although a pathologist will tell the court that smothering was the most likely form of death. |
| Three days after he killed her – while the search for the child was ongoing – he had tried to access an incest/sex website on his phone, the court was told. | Three days after he killed her – while the search for the child was ongoing – he had tried to access an incest/sex website on his phone, the court was told. |
| Hazell was arrested on Friday 10 August after the child's body was discovered. He was remanded in custody at Belmarsh prison in London, where, the court heard, he spoke to a prison officer. | Hazell was arrested on Friday 10 August after the child's body was discovered. He was remanded in custody at Belmarsh prison in London, where, the court heard, he spoke to a prison officer. |
| "He told the officer: 'It wasn't sexual. I am not a nonce or a pervert,'" said Edis. "He said he had been playing with her on the top of the stairs and she fell down and broke her neck." | "He told the officer: 'It wasn't sexual. I am not a nonce or a pervert,'" said Edis. "He said he had been playing with her on the top of the stairs and she fell down and broke her neck." |
| In a letter to his father written from prison, Hazell said: "If I had a chance I would end it here. I've got no money, no fags, no hope. It's the Hazell curse." | In a letter to his father written from prison, Hazell said: "If I had a chance I would end it here. I've got no money, no fags, no hope. It's the Hazell curse." |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |
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