The man accused of killing schoolgirl Tia Sharp today admitted her murder on the fifth day of his trial at the Old Bailey in London.

The man accused of murdering Tia Sharp in the UK wrote to his father from prison - begging for his forgiveness and claiming her death was an accident.

The man accused of murdering Tia Sharp tried to blame neighbours for her death and claimed he had been “fitted up” by police, a court heard today.

South London schoolgirl Tia Sharp "idolised" the man accused of murdering her and was "his cling-on", a court heard.

Stuart Hazell - the man accused of killing 12-year-old Tia Sharp in the UK - has pleaded not guilty to her murder.

In the UK, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said the failure to find Tia Sharp's body more quickly was not down to an individual officer.

The man accused of murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp appeared at the Old Bailey today.

The man accused of murdering schoolgirl Tia Sharp was remanded to custody after appearing in court in London yesterday.

The man accused of murdering schoolgirl Tia Sharp was remanded to custody today after appearing at court.

The man accused of murdering schoolgirl Tia Sharp will appear in court today.

A man will appear in court today charged with murdering a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in her grandmother’s home.

Detectives in Britain investigating the disappearance of schoolgirl Tia Sharp have charged her grandmother's partner with murder.

Police in the UK investigating the disappearance of schoolgirl Tia Sharp have apologised to her mother after admitting they should have found a body sooner.

Detectives investigating the disappearance of schoolgirl Tia Sharp have arrested two more people - a 46-year-old woman on suspicion of murder and a 39-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender, said Scotland Yard.

Detectives investigating the disappearance of missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp are questioning her grandmother’s partner on suspicion of murder.

Police have arrested the partner of the grandmother of 12-year-old Tia Sharp on suspicion of murder.

Police hunting the partner of the grandmother of 12-year-old Tia Sharp said tonight that he had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police hunting for missing 12-year-old Tia Sharp have found a body at her grandmother’s house.

The worried family of Tia Sharp have renewed their pleas for her to return home as the search for the missing schoolgirl reaches the one-week mark.

Police from the force that probed the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews have been consulted in the search for missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp, Scotland Yard have confirmed.

Police from the force that investigated the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews are now involved in the search for missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp, Scotland Yard confirmed today.

Police are trawling through CCTV to try to and find out what has happened to a 12-year-old girl who has gone missing in south east London.