An inquest into the 12-year old south London schoolgirl Tia Sharp’s murder, was opened at the South London Coroner’s Court in Croydon, where her body was formally identified.

During the five-minute hearing, no further details were given, including the cause of the child’s death. The accused in the case, Stuart Hazell, has not made an to appearance in court until now, although yesterday he appeared via a video link at the Old Bailey from Belmarsh prison, where he is under remand.

This has angered the relatives of the deceased, leading them to believe that he was being meted out with special treatment. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 19, 2023 for case management hearing. A provisional trial date has been set for January 21, 2013.

A post mortem examination had been scheduled to take place yesterday but halted at the weekend and no details have been provided about whether it was recommenced. Details of where Tia’s body was discovered have also not been officially released. A serious case review has been initiated by Merton Council, which is responsible for Mitcham, south London, where Tia lived with her mother.

It may be noted that last Friday, Tia’s body was discovered at her grandmother Christine Sharp’s home in New Addington and Hazell, 37, partner of Christine Sharp, was arrested on the same day, charged with murdering the 12-year old.

Hazell, Christine and her next-door neighbour Paul Meehan, were the initial suspects in the case before investigating officers found strong evidence to single out Hazell and grant bail to the other two persons.

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Tia Sharp murder: Accused to appear in court, community grieves