Disappearance of Shannon Matthews
| Date | 19 February – 14 March 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England |
| Accused | Michael Donovan Karen Matthews |
| Charges |
Abduction, false imprisonment (Donovan) Child neglect, perverting the course of justice (Matthews) |
| Trial | 11 November – 4 December 2008 |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Abduction, false imprisonment, perverting the course of justice |
| Sentence | 8 years |
On 19 February 2008, Shannon Louise Matthews (born 9 September 1998), a nine-year-old girl, was reported missing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. The search for her became a major missing person police operation which was compared to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. She was found on 14 March 2008 at a house in Batley Carr, near Dewsbury. The house was the home of 39-year-old Michael Donovan, uncle of Craig Meehan – the boyfriend of the kidnapped girl's mother, Karen Matthews.
The kidnapping was subsequently discovered to have been planned by Karen and Donovan to generate money from the publicity. Donovan was to have eventually "found" Shannon, taken her to a police station and claimed the reward money, which would be split between Donovan and the child's mother.
Donovan – also known as Paul Drake – was arrested at the scene, and charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment. Karen Matthews was charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice on 8 April 2008. The joint trial of Donovan and Matthews at Leeds Crown Court commenced on 11 November 2008 and concluded on 4 December with both defendants found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and perverting the course of justice. They were both given eight-year prison sentences.
Craig Meehan was convicted of possessing child pornography which was discovered on his computer during the investigation, but had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
Nine-year-old Shannon Matthews was seen at 15:10 on 19 February 2008, outside her school, Westmoor Junior School, Dewsbury Moor, after a visit to the Dewsbury Sports Centre swimming pool. The school was about half a mile from her home. At 18:48 Karen Matthews rang the police to report her daughter missing after she had not returned home from school. The West Yorkshire Police started the search which eventually involved more than 200 officers.
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