Stuart Hazell gets 38 years for the murder of Tia Sharp

Yesterday was the fifth day of the trial of Stuart Hazell for the murder of Tia Sharp. He had denied killing the 12 year old from before his arrest last August, but yesterday in a dramatic move he changed his plea to guilty, to, he said, save her family from further distress.

After the case was adjourned, Tia’s father Steven Carter made a statement outside the Central Criminal Court. Not mincing his words, he said he would like to see Hazell hanged, and appealed for privacy from the media.

This morning, in sentencing Hazell, trial judge Mr Justice Nicol said: “Tia’s mother trusted you to look after Tia. You have breached that trust in the most grievous way possible”.

He set Hazell’s tariff at 38 years, only 2 years less than that of Soham murderer Ian Huntley. Huntley received a 40 year tariff for the 2002 murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. One of the things Hazell said was that he was nothing like Huntley. Ironically, he has much in common with him. Both Huntley and Hazell went on camera as the last person to see the victim/victims alive; both murdered for no rational reason; both crimes were initially missing persons investigations; and Hazell’s crime was committed 11 years to the day after Huntley’s. Also like Huntley, Hazell is likely to be targeted by violent offenders, or simply other inmates who are out to make a name for themselves for “doing a nonce”.