CRIME THAT ROCKED BRITAIN A mother’s betrayal and comparisons with Madeleine McCann: How the ‘disappearance’ of Shannon Matthews sparked a class war

CRIME THAT ROCKED BRITAIN

A mother’s betrayal and comparisons with Madeleine McCann: How the ‘disappearance’ of Shannon Matthews sparked a class war


https://www.thesun.ie/living/523953/a-mothers-betrayal-and-comparisons-with-madeleine-mccann-how-the-disappearance-of-shannon-matthews-sparked-a-class-war/


The MOORSIDE Drama Based On A True Story Of Shannon Mathews - toby noakes channel (No guarantee how long available)




PART !




PART 2

Can somebody copy the article over here please?

CRIME THAT ROCKED BRITAIN

A mother’s betrayal and comparisons with Madeleine McCann: How the ‘disappearance’ of Shannon Matthews sparked a class war


The nine-year-old went missing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, after she didn’t return home from a school swimming trip on February 19, 2008

By HAYLEY RICHARDSON


2nd February 2017, 6:13 pm

THE shocking ‘disappearance’ of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews rocked the nation in 2008.

The nine-year-old went missing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, after she didn’t return home from a school swimming trip on February 19, 2008.


When Shannon went missing in February 2008, it sparked a huge missing persons investigation
It launched a major missing person police operation, with the case bearing a chilling similarity to that of Madeleine McCann, who’d disappeared from her bed in a holiday apartment in the Algarve less than a year previously.

It also sparked a class war as to how the two cases of missing children were handled, with no national postering campaign for Shannon, while pictures of Madeleine were plastered all over the world.

By March 5, more than 250 officers and 60 detectives – almost 10 per cent of the entire operational force – was involved in the investigation, which cost £3.2million.

This made it the biggest police search for a missing person in the area since the Yorkshire Ripper investigation, which happened 30 years earlier.

Karen Matthews didn't ask how Shannon was when found

Shannon's mum Karen Matthews turned out to be behind her disappearance, concocting an evil kidnap plot in an attempt to get her hands on the reward money

Despite this, the initial media frenzy surrounding her disappearance had died down by the second week.

While Madeleine frequently continued to appear in the news, Shannon's uncle Neil Hyett claimed he wished he could find a way to reignite public interest in his niece.

Speaking from the sparse community centre which housed the leaflet and poster campaign, he admitted: "It's all gone quiet, hasn't it?
"Last week, you couldn't park for television vans. Now they've all been sent away on other stories."

Shannon was eventually found alive on March 14, 2008 at her stepfather Craig Meehan's uncle's house – less than a mile away from where she disappeared.

It was part of a sick kidnap plot concocted by her mother Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan, then 39.

Shannon had been kept at Donovan’s home, drugged and tethered, while her mother cried crocodile tears on TV which tugged at the heartstrings of millions.
The West Yorkshire Police scoured 3,000 homes in the area and questioned 1,500 motorists about the youngster’s disappearance

The young girl was discovered lying alongside Meehan's uncle Donovan in a space under a divan bed in his flat in Batley Carr, after neighbours told police they’d heard a child moving around.

Donovan then confessed he and Shannon’s mum Karen Matthews had plotted her daughter’s abduction together and planned to pocket the reward money, including the £50,000 put up by The Sun, to find the missing child.

The callous idea was that Donovan would eventually ‘find’ Shannon in Dewsbury market in view of CCTV cameras, hand her to the police and claim the cash, which he’d then split with the mum-of-seven.
Shannon had been kept at Michael Donovan’s home, drugged and tethered, while her mother cried crocodile tears on TV which tugged at the heartstrings of millions

Matthews and Donovan were convicted of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

It was reported ‘neither showed any emotion’ as the jury at Leeds Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts after a six-hour deliberation.


Matthews was sentenced to eight years at Foston Hall prison, Derbyshire, where she served just four years.

The outpouring of grief and stunning acts of generosity from Shannon’s local community, particularly the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon, was palpable Residents came together in an attempt to find the missing schoolgirl
She was dubbed ‘the most hated mum in Britain’ for the sick crime.

Her boyfriend-of-five-years Meehan, a supermarket fishmonger, was not involved in the extortion plot but was found to be in possession of child pornography during police investigations and later jailed.

In December 2008 it was reported police believed Matthews was inspired by the generous public donations to the Madeleine McCann fund, set up after the three-year-old went missing in May 2007 while on holiday with her parents.



Shannon's case bore a chilling similarity to that of Madeleine McCann, who’d disappeared from her bed in a holiday apartment in the Algarve less than a year previously. Det Supt Brennan said: "Madeleine McCann gave them the idea - the fund money.
“Clearly the McCann case was still in everybody's mind. Karen Matthews is pure evil.“It's difficult to understand what type of mother would subject her own daughter to such a wicked and evil crime."

Clarence Mitchell, spokesman at the time for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, said: "It's beyond belief anyone could have sought to exploit poor Madeleine's plight in this way."

The outpouring of grief and stunning acts of generosity from Shannon’s local community, particularly the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon, was palpable.

Yet observations were made as to how social class influenced the rewards offered and how the publicity given to the two campaigns to find missing children differed greatly.


Police believed Matthews was inspired by the McCann case

Sir Richard Branson, J K Rowling and Wayne Rooney all contributed towards the £2.6million Madeleine reward fund, with appeals being made by high profile sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.

The McCanns had Premier League footballers wearing Madeleine T-shirts and athletes running in yellow ribbons, but campaigners for Shannon were denied access to the grounds when handing out leaflets at a Leeds Rhinos match.

After nine days, 465 stories about Madeleine had appeared in the press, with public donations topping £1.1million.

Meanwhile Shannon’s case generated 242 stories, rewards of £500 from Wakefield pensioner Winston Bedford and £5,000 from Huddersfield firm Joseph International, and "thousands at best" from public donations.

A report in the Guardian claimed part of the reason Shannon's disappearance attracted less attention than Madeleine's was down to her working class background.

It stated: "Unlike the supposedly middle class McCann family, with their 'respectable' careers in medicine, Karen lacks eloquence.

"Neither she nor her daughter are photogenic. There are not 'cute' pictures of the girl and no video of her."

The Sun offered up a £50,000 reward for finding Shannon, championed by Matthews and her boyfriend at the time, Craig Meehan

Unlike Kate and Gerry McCann, the people of Dewsbury Moor didn’t have the same connections, friends in the media or finances to champion their campaign to find Shannon in the same way.

One leafletter claimed their effort to find Shannon was “just like the McCanns’... though their campaign is rich and to be honest we haven't got a lot here".

While Madeleine disappeared from a picturesque beach resort in Portugal, Reverend Canon Kevin Partington, rector of Dewsbury, referred to Shannon’s hometown Dewsbury Moor as "an area of acute social deprivation", reported The Independent.

The McCanns lived in a detached house in Leicestershire, while Shannon resided in a three-bedroom council house with her six siblings.

Reports about Matthews’ ‘heartfelt’ pleas to find her daughter often pointed out her seven children by five different fathers.
Though Julie Bushby, a former close friend of Matthews who chaired the Moorside Tenants' Association, pointed out during the hunt: “Two children have gone missing, that's the point.


The hunt for Shannon was the biggest police search for a missing person in the area since the Yorkshire Ripper investigation

“Everyone feels the same when that happens: rich, pauper, whatever. Good luck to Kate McCann. It's the kids we're looking for isn't it? Not the mothers.”

West End star Sheridan Smith plays Julie in the upcoming BBC drama The Moorside, which retells the story of the manhunt from the perspective of the friends of Matthews.

Sheridan, who befriended the Moorside community stalwart during filming, told Radio Times: “Julie was terribly betrayed by Karen, and she received a lot of ridicule and abuse for apparently being taken in by her.


“But, she is a kind and courageous woman with a massive heart who just refused to believe the absolute worst of Karen.”

Matthews was released from prison in April 2012 and began her new life with a drastic makeover, which saw her replace her long red hair with a trendy copper crop.


West End star Sheridan Smith plays Julie Bushby in the upcoming BBC drama The Moorside

https://www.thesun.ie/living/523953/a-mothers-betrayal-and-comparisons-with-madeleine-mccann-how-the-disappearance-of-shannon-matthews-sparked-a-class-war/

Thank you very much!

After nine days, 465 stories about Madeleine had appeared in the press, with public donations topping £1.1million.

Meanwhile Shannon’s case generated 242 stories, rewards of £500 from Wakefield pensioner Winston Bedford and £5,000 from Huddersfield firm Joseph International, and "thousands at best" from public donations.

A report in the Guardian claimed part of the reason Shannon's disappearance attracted less attention than Madeleine's was down to her working class background.

It stated: "Unlike the supposedly middle class McCann family, with their 'respectable' careers in medicine, Karen lacks eloquence.

"Neither she nor her daughter are photogenic. There are not 'cute' pictures of the girl and no video of her."
.
The Sun offered up a £50,000 reward for finding Shannon, championed by Matthews and her boyfriend at the time, Craig Meehan

Unlike Kate and Gerry McCann, the people of Dewsbury Moor didn’t have the same connections, friends in the media or finances to champion their campaign to find Shannon in the same way.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And you 'think' the Scum would have printed 'this particular STORY' BEFORE the 'judgement' FOR GA?

I think NOT!

Hi Jeanmonroe,GoGete'rmGoncalo,Yes it is so remarkable that the MSM are now broadcasting this film documentary and has (JM)stated,why didn't they show the promotion of this event,a week ago,as they must have had the series completed,where the MSM aware of a certain Court dates decision and why the necessity to show it now,sympathy,empathy towards Madeleine's parents,testing the Water?
Yet we see once again by the MSM,failing to show who ripped off the"Find Madeleine Fund"but openly castigating the Guilty parties who tried to deceive the Public of a faked Abduction to obtain Money,where will the public's empathy or sympathy lie,if it ever proven of a faked Abduction in Madeleine's McCann's disappearance?

So we have an upcoming BBC production on Shannon Matthews, the Moorside... Paving the way for what, the Mcside? .... let's not forget that Matthews was a FAKED ABDUCTION no less, so comparison with "status" isn't the only message here in my opinion!

Shannon Matthews is not yet 18 years old and is still a minor as I understand things. This young girl had her life turned upside down and her existence is now further blighted by dramatisation (which comes with artistic licence) and potentially protracts her suffering.....not even a wad of cash can ever lessen this young girl's suffering. I'm interested in how Shannon Matthews has been considered in this production and how she has been potentially awarded any privacy and the right to a private life or has been offered a sickly deal by publicists.

My mistake, Shannon Matthews is 18 years old.

The rest of my post stands. Will Shannon become a celebrity victim? I really hope not.

Family fury over Shannon Matthews TV kidnap drama as relatives fear it'll tear them apart all over again

As the two-part show starring Sheridan Smith is about to air, the family - who have disowned mother Karen - say they have considered taking legal action

The family of Karen Matthews are furious over next week’s TV drama about the fake kidnap of her daughter Shannon.

Relatives of Matthews – dubbed Britain’s most hated mum after the phoney abduction – claim they weren’t consulted about the BBC1 show.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/family-fury-over-shannon-matthews-9759253


When the truth comes out, Kate, you'll also be dubbed 'Britains most hated mum after a phoney abduction.'  In fact, you'll go to the number one position. 

What happened to Shannon while Karen was in prison? Was she in foster care? And what about after Karen was released? Were they reunited? Or did Shannon remain in care? If the latter is true then its difficult to see why the family think they should have been consulted

splurgegun wrote:What happened to Shannon while Karen was in prison? Was she in foster care? And what about after Karen was released?  Were they reunited? Or did Shannon remain in care? If the latter is true then its difficult to see why the family think they should have been consulted

THE grandparents of Shannon Matthews have told of their heartbreak at being barred from giving her a normal family life with her brothers and sisters.

BySunday People

• 00:00, 13 MAR 2011
  
• Updated06:49, 11 FEB 2013
  

Shannon Matthews article


The grandparents of Shannon Matthews have told of their heartbreak at being barred from giving her a normal family life with her brothers and sisters.

June and Gordon Matthews spoke out to mark the third anniversary tomorrow of the kidnapped nine-year-old’s rescue after a terrifying 24-day ordeal.

The youngster, who had been drugged and tethered, was hidden inside a divan bed by her evil mum Karen as part of a sick bid to get a £50,000 ransom.

Karen, 33, was jailed for eight years and Shannon and her brothers and sisters were put into care with new identities.

And June, who’s not seen them since, said: “I think of them every day and I’m heartbroken that because of Karen they can’t see their grandparents.

“It has been three years of hell – the only thing that gets us through the day is knowing they are in good hands.

“We have faith that whoever is caring for our grandkids is doing a good job – better than Karen could ever do.

“But not being able to see them and cuddle them is so tough.”

Shannon was held captive at the home of Michael Donovan, 40. He hatched the vile kidnap plot with Karen, who had seven kids by five different men.

His nephew Craig Meehan, 22 – later jailed for downloading child-porn – was Karen’s toyboy lover at the time.

June, 68, said: “When Shannon was found, we were ecstatic we would see her again after three terrifying weeks.

“But when Karen was arrested our world turned upside down again.”

That night, social workers took three of Shannon’s siblings to June’s home in Dewsbury, West Yorks, and asked the couple to look after them.

Shannon was still being questioned by cops at the time and Karen’s other three children were with their father.

June said: “The kids had come straight from Karen’s and they were filthy.

“Their faces were dirty and they had no change of clothes, so we bathed them, fed them and a friend went to a ­supermarket to get them some new clothes.

“But later that evening a police ­liaison officer and a social worker came and told us they needed to take the children. It was the last time we ever saw them.”

June and Gordon, 70, claim they were promised visiting rights for the kids in care – but insist this has yet to happen.

They also say all they have been told about the youngsters is they are “doing well” in their new homes.

June said: “We do understand they ­needed to start new lives after what went on and we only want the best for them.

“But it’s heartbreaking as a grandma not to see them.

“Shannon’s old enough to remember us and she will be wondering why we aren’t around any more.

“I hate the thought she may think we don’t love her any more because we love her to bits. We love them all.”

She went on: “It would be amazing to see them and give Shannon a big hug after everything she went through. Social workers have said the kids will be able to get in touch when they’re old enough – and I hope to God they do.”

June added: “We did nothing wrong but we’re being punished every day.”

For two years after the children were taken away, June bought them birthday and Christmas gifts.

But she said: “I’ve had to stop now because the social workers told us they don’t need them.

“They say they get enough from their new families.

“I’m also not allowed to give them letters – the social workers say it is for the kids’ benefit.

“I understand that – but I think it’s rotten. I feel we’ve been forgotten.”

June said the last time she bought Christmas presents for Shannon and her siblings it took social workers six months to pick them up.

She went on: “The woman who came seemed friendly and said, ‘They have a lot, haven’t they?’

“But it meant their Christmas gifts were delivered in the summer.

“And I still don’t know if the kids got them because we were never told.”

Before Shannon went missing in 2008, June and Gordon saw their grandchildren every week – and often had them to stay for the weekend.

They claim several of Karen’s kids have lived with them at times. And they told how they even cared for Shannon for two months after she was born as their daughter couldn’t cope.

June said: “Me and Gordon have always doted on those kids.

“Our spare room had bunks and a wardrobe full of toys and clothes for them for when they stayed.”

The couple have since downsized to a one-bed bungalow.

June said: “We left all their things behind when we moved – we have no use for them now and having their old clothes and drawings around just ­reminded us what we’re missing.”

But she and Gordon are convinced they will not be forgotten by Shannon and their other grandchildren.

June said: “I think one day there’ll be a little tap on the door and it will be Shannon.

“She’ll find us when she’s old enough to come looking.

“People say they’ll forget us but they won’t – they’ve been brought up with us, lived with us and love us.”

She said Shannon was “a really good kid, quiet and polite”.

June went on: “She enjoyed helping me with housework and used to say, ‘I’m doing all my chores, Grandma’.

“And she loved to draw. She was a great little artist.”

June added: “In the old house we had pictures of Shannon and the kids all over the walls in the living room.

“Now I keep them in the bedroom so I can see them before I go to sleep and when I wake up.

“But I couldn’t be surrounded by them all day – it’s too difficult.

“I’d love some new photos of the children – a school photo once a year would make a world of difference.

“But we get nothing – no pictures, no little letters, no news.”

And June vowed she can never forgive Karen for what she did to Shannon and her other children.

She said: “In time those kids will end up hating Karen.

“I know she is my daughter but I can’t forgive her.

“We’ll never visit her in jail – we wouldn’t even if she had got life. What she put those kids through was evil.

“I’ll never speak to her again. She can rot in hell.

“She didn’t deserve those kids and I hope she ­never sees them again.” Mum-of-seven June told how Gordon had a stroke after Karen’s sick plot was ­exposed and has been in and out of ­hospital ever since.

She went on: “Karen won’t change – she’s a nasty person.

“She’s put her dad and me through hell and to me she is dead.

“I don’t count her as my daughter now and the rest of the family don’t want anything to do with her either.

“My other kids all have families of their own and are good people.

“It makes me sad Shannon and the others won’t grow up around their cousins but they have photographs and know who they are.”

And Gordon said: “Wherever they are, those kids are cared for.

“They are well clothed, well fed and they will get more love and attention than Karen would ever give them.

“Karen was brought up in a decent home and I could never work out why she lived the way she did.

“We helped her out all the time, whether it was a few pounds for gas or to buy food and clothes.”

Gordon added: “I’m sure we will see Shannon and all our grandkids some time.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/family/shannon-matthews-three-years-on-1696239

@RosieandSam

Very sad indeed for the grandparents.

I've read similar stories about custody battles and such where the grandparents have no rights whatsoever

aquila wrote:Shannon Matthews ............ had her life turned upside down and her existence is now further blighted by dramatisation (which comes with artistic licence) and potentially protracts her suffering.....not even a wad of cash can ever lessen this young girl's suffering. I'm interested in how Shannon Matthews has been considered in this production and how she has been potentially awarded any privacy and the right to a private life or has been offered a sickly deal by publicists.

I would expect Shannon to still have a lot of questions regarding what happened to her. I think it's possible this dramatisation may answer some of those for her (and her siblings) and help them put it into perspective.

I hope the children are one day reunited with their grandparents.

The timing of this documentary is interesting coinciding with the Amaral v McCann Supreme Court result?

In both cases it is the children who are the victims due to the actions of adults who should have known better. 

My thoughts as always are with them .

sandancer wrote:In both cases it is the children who are the victims due to the actions of adults who should have known better. 

My thoughts as always are with them .

Agreed, sadly the "children" are not at the top of the list of their priorities!

Good grief, it isn't all about THEM!


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2814032/kate-gerry-mccann-brand-the-moorside-shannon-matthews-insensitive/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2814032/kate-gerry-mccann-brand-the-moorside-shannon-matthews-insensitive/#comments
 
 
'THEY THINK IT'S APPALLING' Kate and Gerry McCann brand new Shannon Matthews TV drama, The Moorside ‘insensitive’ over scenes featuring Maddie’s disappearance
 
A friend of the couple claims they think it was made in 'poor taste' and was bad timing considering 2017 marks ten years since daughter Maddie disappeared
 
BY TRACEY KANDOHLA 8th February 2017, 11:28 am
 
………………………….
 
Come on Tracey, get a grip!  The Sun’s comment moderators are not doing a very good job!
 
 
SamTheMan
6 minutes ago
 
shows you doesn't it, poor people get sent to prison for their crimes but if you have money you can get away with disposing of your child and telling lies upon lies!...
PAUL ARCHER
9 minutes ago
 
I am sick of the McCann's through Clarence Mitchell highjacking stories for their perceived been fit.
I suggest people reading this , look at the Portuguese Supreme Court decision as regards the McCann's.
It is an eye opener.
Robert Mansfield
3 minutes ago
 
@PAUL ARCHER  The McCann's and Mitchell, should be more concerned with hiding their possible guilty secret. The truth will eventually come out, and they will just fade into the sunset.
Robert Mansfield
2 minutes ago
 
@PAUL ARCHER  Do you have a link to it?
PAUL ARCHER
just now
 
 
I will provide one as soon as I can paste it.
You can try google, or the UK Justice Forum, where this case is discussed.
Debbie Taylor
13 minutes ago
 
I think it is 'appalling' that you (McCanns) as supposedly responsible parents, went out with friends to enjoy yourselves and left 3 children alone. Whatever your social class and I am amazed that because of your status you have never been charged with anything, not even neglect. Why are you still taking up important space in our media? I am also surprised that you scoffed at the chance of free advertising when you have continually lived off the proceeds of your daughters funding. Perhaps you should both crawl back under that rock of yours until your next hand out is due or you successfully 'sue' someone else who gets to close to the truth. Thousands of children go missing in the UK, yet some we never even hear about. I just consider myself grateful that I was never one of your patients, never mind family.
Yellow and Black
19 minutes ago
 
Probably it was too close to home for the McCanns.  
jbird65
23 minutes ago
 
Who cares what those murdering scumbags think ?
Adam McCartney
36 minutes ago
 
The McCanns can complain as much as they like. At the end of the day the put getting hammered with their mates over the safety of their kids. They are definitely hiding something and have profited hugely through the find Maddie fund. They are dodgy people who are only getting national media sympathy because of their social class. SCUMBAGS.

Courtesy of PeterMac

It was on again a couple of days ago during the early evening and I managed to watch it

Just a few quick notes.  I hope I managed to record it.


Some interesting parallels with the McCann parents’ behaviour

From “Faking it - Tears of a Crime”


Shannon Matthews case

after 9 days Karen Matthews went on TV. The professional observer pointed out that she was not drawn, was wearing make up, and not distracted.    check

The observation that she was not crying was however, dismissed: There is no rule which says you have to”.   check
but overall it was a display of unusual behaviour
check

The Professor from Lancaster University pointed to the micro gestures, tiny shoulder shrug
and that she was enjoying the attention - perhaps a little too much.
check

There was also a priest - totally naif and duped by what he was told.
check


Tia Sharpe, murdered by Stuart Hazell.

The prof. explained about the tiny rise in blood pressure, which shows up on a polygraph, but can be detected by looking at someone’s ears, and watching as they touch their nose.

The ears and nose start to feel unnaturally hot, and the impulse is to touch, to stop the ‘tickling’ sensation.     check. check. check. check

In that case the Senior detective explained why, although they suspected all was not right from very early on, the system (HOLMES II) did not confirm this, as the Police had been told that she had been seen.    check

This statement therefore “verified’ the account Hazell had given.    check

There was then plain human error in not searching the loft space, and the first visit by the dog also involved over 40 people at the scene.   

He too went on TV  and started saying  “People have seen her, people said they have seen her . . .”  check

Another observer points to the pulled up lip, which is said to display contempt of the person asking the question, asymmetric face.   check. check. check

The second time a dog was introduced everyone else was ordered out of the house, it alerted immediately and the body was found.    check

The neighbour who had given the false story was arrested and got 5 months imprisonment for “Wasting Police Time.”   check

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38906967
 
Mark Simpson: How Karen Matthews made a fool out of me
           
48 minutes ago

From the section 
UK
 
Shannon Matthews's disappearance in a 2008 hoax-kidnapping is being recounted in a BBC drama. BBC News's Mark Simpson, who reported on the case, looks back at the deception.
 
Karen Matthews made a fool out of me.
 
I looked into her sunken eyes, saw that she was petrified and gave her the benefit of the doubt.
 
Maybe my judgement was coloured by the fact that she chose to give me her first interview.
 
Maybe it was clouded by seeing inside her small semi-detached house, and the grim conditions in which she and her seven children were living.
 
Maybe I was so cold at the time, my brain froze.
 
Karen's daughter Shannon, nine, disappeared on the coldest night of the year in February 2008.
 
Police divers who searched a lake near her home in Dewsbury Moor in West Yorkshire had to break through ice to get into the water. The air temperature had dipped to -4C.
 
The night Karen agreed to talk to me, I was shaking with cold after spending hour after hour talking live on the BBC News Channel (or BBC News 24 as it was then).
Karen spotted me out of her front window and came out to talk. She was shaking too, but out of fear.
 
She was scared - scared of being found out.
 
She gave me no eye contact. She looked down the barrel of the BBC camera and said; "Shannon if you're out there, please come home. We love you to bits, we miss you so much. Please, I'm begging you baby, come home."
 
When the police saw her interview on the BBC Ten O'Clock News, they were annoyed.
 
They had advised her not to talk to the media. They were as surprised as me that she agreed to give me an interview.
 
So was this erratic behaviour the first sign that all that was not what it seemed?
 
In hindsight, it may seem so, but at the time, it seemed simply a desperate act by a desperate mother.
 
Fresh in my mind were the Soham murders of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. When children disappeared for more than 48 hours, the outcome was usually not good.
 
That is why there was such a huge community effort to try to find Shannon. People realised that time was short.
 
Yes, I did wonder if Karen Matthews was telling the truth. Everyone did.
However, I believed her. And I was not alone.

As well as searching hedges and parkland, the police drew up a map showing where convicted paedophiles lived in the Dewsbury area.

They checked, and double-checked. There was no sign of Shannon.

As days turned to weeks, the more convinced detectives became that Shannon would not be coming home.
However, Karen's friends and neighbours never gave up, and neither did the police.

About 10% of the force's officers were put on the case and more than £3m was spent in what was one of the largest search operations since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.

Shannon was eventually found, 24 days after she disappeared. A BBC colleague got a tip-off and phoned me.

I was shopping in Ikea in Leeds at the time, and nearly dropped my phone on a multi-coloured Swedish rug when I heard the news.

As I drove down the A6110 to Dewsbury, I wondered if Karen would give me an interview again.
We could do it in the same spot where we had first spoken.

The only difference would be that this time she would be with Shannon beside her.

The tears would turn to cheers. For once, it would be a story with a happy ending.

What a fool I was.

It later emerged that Shannon had been kept drugged and hidden in the base of a divan bed by the very people appealing for her safe return.
  
That September Karen, and Michael Donovan, the uncle of Karen's partner, went on trial for kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. They were jailed for eight years after the court heard about their plot to hide the child and claim a £50,000 reward that subsequently had been offered by the Sun.

The NoTW offered a reward of"One Million Pounds" for the"Safe" return of Madeleine McCann,what did the Owners/proprietors of the News of The World know,that we do not know?

splurgegun wrote:@RosieandSam

Very sad indeed for the grandparents.

I've read similar stories about custody battles and such where the grandparents have no rights whatsoever

What I don't understand is the grandparents saying they were promised visits but they never materialised. If there's no legal reason for them to not have contact, wouldn't most fight for it, not just accept it? There could be more to this story.

  I do feel sorry for the kids having no contact with grandparents, if there is no reason they shouldn't.

There are situations at the other end of the scale where a parent is trying to protect their child from their own abusive parent (the grandparent). I've read about such situations and there is no way a grandparent can force a relationship with the grandchild. All they are allowed to do is make an application to appeal, and even this may not be heard. The parents rights and wishes trump the Grandparents. Obviously in this case it was greatly to the child's detriment and that is awful, but legally there's not much grandparents can insist on.

Gerry and Kate Mccann are seething all over the place today at being compared with these Council House types. At least Shannon Matthews hopefully has a good life now. Never mind, Gerry, every time Madeleine's name is raised in the media, the Fund coffers must get a boost.