Shannon Matthews - £50,000 pounds Of Ill Will Bait From The Sun (Newspaper)

SHANNON MATTHEWS - £50,000 pounds Of Ill Will Bait From The Sun (Newspaper)

Karen Matthews, Mother (Left) and Shannon Matthews (Right)

Shannon Was Reported Missing - When She Never Was
The Motivation - Money!



The Police Search for Shannon Matthews cost nearly £3.2 million. This was one of the largest searches ever carried out by West Yorkshire Police in England - 200 officers were mobilised, 1,800 properties were searched, 1,760 cars were stopped and three-quarters of all the UK's police dogs were used. Additional Costs will be incurred for Karen's incarceration in Prison, Serving Time at Her Majesty's Pleasure. Karen Matthews Pursued A £50,000 Liquid Cash Reward For Finding Shannon.

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The Story In Brief

The mother of Shannon Matthews has been found guilty of kidnapping the schoolgirl by drugging her and having her tethered to a wall in order to claim reward money offered for her safe return.

Karen Matthews, 33, and her accomplice, Michael Donovan, 40 - the uncle of Matthews' former partner, Craig Meehan - were today convicted of false imprisonment, kidnap and perverting the course of justice.

The pair concocted a plan in which Shannon was held in Donovan's flat for 24 days, drugged with temazepam and travel sickness tablets, and confined by an elastic strap with a noose on the end, a three-week trial was told. The pair had planned to release Shannon in Dewsbury market where she would be "found" by Donovan, who would then have claimed the various rewards.

Following the verdicts, which took the jury six hours to reach, Justice McCombe warned the pair that they faced a "substantial custodial sentence".

Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan, condemned the pair. "Karen Matthews is pure evil. She started deceiving those closest to her from the very moment that Shannon was kidnapped. Friends, neighbours and family were under the clear impression that Shannon was genuinely missing.''"It's difficult to understand what type of mother would subject her own daughter to such a wicked and evil crime."

After 24 days, Police found Shannon hidden inside the base of a bed in Donovan's flat on March 14. They smashed their way into the flat after reports of strange noises from neighbours.

Prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court that far from being grief-stricken, Matthews was "a proven, consummate, skillful and convincing liar". Sounds Familiar!

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Information Sources Including News Articles

Shannon Matthews' mother guilty of kidnapping own daughter - The Guardian - 4 December 2008

Shannon Disappearance Timeline - Yorkshire Evening Post - 4 December 2008

Shannon's "evil" mum guilty in kidnap case - Reuters - 4 December 2008

Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan abused Shannon's trust says CPS lawyer - The Crown Prosecution Service - 4 December 2008

Video: the Moment Karen Matthews Admits to Police She Lied - The Times - 4 December 2008

My First Post Highlighting This Story - West Yorkshire Police - Serious Failings in Interrogation? - 12 April 2008