The girl who never left home: The betrayal and murder of Tia Sharp

It's 2026!! Happy Bloody New Year Trevors! This week, after a bit of our usual rambling about poorly dogs (get well soon Ted), questionable New Year resolutions and why Rachel should probably never do another English Literature degree, we turn to one of the most shocking cases to come out of South London in recent years.

In August 2012, 12-year-old Tia Sharp went missing from her grandmother’s home in New Addington. What began as a desperate search, supported by her family, the local community and a nation watching on, would end in the most devastating way imaginable.

In this episode, we tell Tia’s story from the beginning. Who she was, the family who loved her, and the home she trusted. We follow the investigation as it unfolded, the media frenzy that surrounded it, and how suspicion slowly closed in on the man who had been hiding in plain sight all along.

We also examine the police search that failed her, the digital evidence that ultimately exposed the truth, and the trial that forced her family to hear the unthinkable. This is a case about trust, betrayal and the devastating consequences when the people meant to protect a child become the greatest danger.

As always, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains discussion of child harm, sexual violence and murder.

Sources include

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/r-v-stuart-hazell-sentencing.pdf
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23322132
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/aug/13/tia-sharp-body-found-bedsheet-loft
https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/16072013-agencies-cleared-of-any-blame-over-murder-of-croydon-schoolgirl-tia-sharp
https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/the-murder-of-tia-sharp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uOe7podWZY
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22513711
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tia_Sharp
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19128653
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19214964
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tia-sharp-murder-grandmother-christine-1270036
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19223080
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/aug/07/london-missing-tia-sharp-stepfather-speaks?newsfeed=true
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19590027
https://metro.co.uk/2016/03/22/murdered-tia-sharps-mum-accused-of-racist-assault-on-woman-in-lidl-car-park-5768936/
https://metro.co.uk/2016/03/23/tia-sharps-mum-and-gran-found-guilty-of-racism-5771335/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10209375/Tia-Sharp-neighbour-told-police-he-saw-her-leaving-house-when-she-was-already-dead.html

Support the show

Thanks for tuning in! If you loved diving into the dark corners of South London with us, don't forget to hit that subscribe button to never miss an episode of "Sinister South."

Also, follow us on Instagram @SinisterSouthPodcast for sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes content, and more cheeky banter, or www.sinistersouthpod.co.uk. Remember, every crime tells a story... and South is the best side of the river...

Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)