shannon matthews

Karen Matthews Guilty

December 4, 2008 By edinburghnapiernews 1 Comment

By Courtnay Baird

Both Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan have been found guilty of kidnap at Leeds Crown Court.

Karen Matthews was charged with kidnapping her own daughter, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice at her trial. The man who owned the house Shannon was found in, Michael Donovan, was also found guilty of the same.

Shannon Matthews who was nine years old at the time, went missing from her home in West Yorkshire for 24 days in February this year. Karen Matthews convinced police that her daughter had been kidnapped and a search costing 3.2 million was launched.

After more than three weeks had passed Shannon was found in Michael Donovan’s flat hiding under a bed. It was unveiled that the whole plan had been hatched by Shannon’s mother to get reward money.

Filed Under: Courts and Crime Tagged With: guilty, karen matthews, kidnap, shannon matthews

Shannon jury retire to make decision

December 3, 2008 By allisonsteven Leave a Comment

By Steven Allison

Today, the jury that heard all the lucid details of the Shannon Matthews kidnap case have retired to make a well informed decision.

The charges against the two accused, Shannon’s mother Karen Matthews, 33, and Shannon’s uncle Michael Donovan, 40, are that of perverting the course of justice, false imprisonment and kidnap.

The likelihood of either escaping sentence is slim to none as the evidence against them is damning. There is no question of doubt as to whether they both had an involvement in the charges brought against them, despite the fact that both deny them

The trial has lasted a mere three weeks and the twelve strong jury consisting of seven men and three women heard details of Shannon’s disappearance in Dewsbury Moor, Yorkshire, in February.

Karen Matthews has attempted to pin the crime on her former partner, Craig Meehan, who earlier this week, denied that he has ever subjected Shannon to any violence, after claims he had hit her in the past.

Donovan claims that the masterplan to cash in on the £50,000 reward for Shannon’s safe return was Matthews’ and he only followed it through in fear of what she would do to him.

We wait with baited breath as to the outcome.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: Craig Meehan, karen matthews, Micheal Donovan, shannon matthews

Shannon Matthews Case Continues

November 14, 2008 By faith90210 Leave a Comment

Matthews led into court.

By Faith Orr

Karen Matthews, the mother of Shannon Matthews who went missing for 24 days earlier this year, joked about wanting to have sex with policemen during her daughters disappearance, a court heard yesterday.

A friend has told how Matthews has a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character, lively and joking in private but solemn and subdued in public. Natalie Brown said that Matthew’s behaviour included a ‘girly moment’ when a neighbour commented on a police officer having a ‘cute bum’.

Alan Conrad QC, asked her whether ‘Matthews said she wanted to have sex with him in a room upstairs’. Brown confirmed this but said it had happened as they were all ‘laughing and joking’.

Matthews, 33, is accused of kidnapping and falsely imprisoning Shannon as well as perverting the course of justice along with Michael Donovan, 40. It is alleged that Donovan kept Shannon prisoner at his flat in Batley Carr.

The court also heard that when Matthews was given the news that her daughter had been found she was more interested in a mobile ringtone than Shannon’s wellbeing.

Detective Constable Alexander Grummitt said: “My phone rang as I was driving her to the police station. She said she liked the tune and asked me to bluetooth or text it to her.” He also added that Matthews did not enquire once about her daughter’s welfare during the journey.

It has also emerged that Donovan has been assaulted in Leeds prison where he is on remand during the three-week trial. It is understood Donovan was punched twice, but was not seriously hurt.

The jury has been told Shannon was drugged and restrained with a strap tied to a roof beam after her mother hatched a plan to make £50,000 from her faked kidnap.

The case has been adjourned until Monday.

More details on the background to the case can be read here.

Filed Under: Courts and Crime, Life and Society Tagged With: kidnap, shannon matthews

Shannon’s mother denies charges

November 12, 2008 By brownedmund Leave a Comment

By Edmund Brown

A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard today of how Shannon Matthews was drugged and held captive for 24 days in the flat of Michael Donovan, Karen Matthews former partners uncle.

shannon Matthews

Shannon’s mother Karen, along with Michael Donovan, is on trial for the kidnap and false imprisonment of her daughter. She has also been charged with perverting the course of justice after giving police false information. The court heard today that Karen Matthews plan was for Shannon to be released in a nearby supermarket for Michael Donovan to ‘find’ her after spending 24 days strapped to a rope in his flat. The court were also told how Shannon had been subdued on temazepam tablets and travel sickness pills to keep her dazed and confused during her horrendous ordeal.

Shannon was kidnapped on her way home from a school swimming trip by being tricked into the car owned by Michael Donovan. Police went to the house to interview Michael Donovan but there was no answer at that time. She was later found hidden inside the bed frame of a double size bed within the flat.

The search for Shannon was, for West Yorkshire police, the biggest operation they have ever encountered spending more than 3.2 million pounds and using more than 300 officers. There was also more than 800 CCTV tapes viewed around the half mile radius of where she disappeared whilst three-quarters of the UK’s specially trained dogs were also brought in.

The search for Shannon created widespread media attention resulting in her mother appealed to anyone who had information regarding the whereabouts of her daughter. After raising the alarm about the disappearance of her daughter she then gave several passionate appeals for the safe return of her daughter when all along she knew where she was.

Prosecuting QC, Julian Goose said in his opening statement that it was a “wicked and dishonest plan” created by Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan.

Both of the accused deny the charges. The case continues.

Filed Under: Courts and Crime, Life and Society Tagged With: karen matthews, kidnap, leeds crown court, shannon matthews