The man accused of killing schoolgirl Tia Sharp admitted her murder on the fifth day of his trial at the Old Bailey.
Stuart Hazell, 37, dramatically changed his plea this morning and admitted murdering the 12-year-old in August last year. Window cleaner Hazell hung his head in the dock as he changed his plea and jurors were asked to formally find him guilty.
Lord Carlile, representing Hazell, said his client wanted to make it known that “Tia’s family have suffered enough and he did not want to put them through any further stages of this trial or this process”.
Hazell, wearing a washed-out grey T-shirt, leaned forward as Lord Carlile asked for the charge to be put again. He clutched his hands in front of him and there was a slight pause when he was asked to plead. And then he said “guilty” as gasps from the public gallery rang around the oak-lined courtroom.
Tia’s father, Steve Carter, broke down in tears as Hazell changed his plea. The development came after four days of graphic evidence during which Tia’s mother, Natalie Sharp, frequently had to leave the courtroom, visibly distressed.
The prosecution case included a grotesque photograph of a girl alleged to be Tia after she died. In the shot, a naked girl, whose face cannot be seen, is posed on all fours on a bed.