Latest news with #MichaelDonovan
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
‘Is THIS why she did it?' Shannon Matthews' mum's friend makes shock kidnapping claim in new documentary
SHANNON Matthews' mum stunned the nation when cops uncovered she had plotted the kidnap of her own daughter. The evil mother concocted her diabolical plan, with the help of the late Michael Donovan, in February 2008 in the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury. 7 7 7 She reported her nine-year-old daughter missing and sparked a 24-day search which cost West Yorkshire Police £3.2million and involved hundreds in the local community. Little Shannon was eventually found in the base of a divan bed at Donovan's flat. Donovan was the uncle of Karen Matthews' then-boyfriend Craig Meehan. It's thought the pair devised the fake kidnapping in a bid to claim the £50,000 reward money for eventually "finding" Shannon. They had planned to release the schoolgirl, "discover her" then take her to a police station and claim the reward before splitting. Donovan and Matthews were sentenced to eight years in jail each for the kidnapping. In April 2024, Donovan died from throat cancer. Meanwhile convicted paedophile Craig Meehan, and Karen's ex-boyfriend of five years, was never charged in connection with the abduction. He was however charged and found guilty of possessing child abuse images after detectives seized computer equipment from the house they shared at the time in Dewsbury. Meehan, then 22, was jailed in 2008 for 20 weeks. Brit boy, 6, arrested in £1.6m smuggling plot after 14kgs of drugs found stuffed in his case when he landed in Mauritius Now in a new documentary, The Hunt for Shannon Matthews | Mother Kidnaps Own Daughter, a former friend of Karen made a shocking claim. Petra Jamieson revealed a possible motive for the unthinkable plot. She said: "Did Karen know that Craig [Shannon's stepdad] had all those images of his computer? "Maybe she did. Maybe that's the reason she did what she did. To get Shannon away from him." 7 7 7 This comes after police revealed chilling footage of the moment Karen Matthews admitted she lied about Shannon's disappearance. She said she didn't tell police were Shannon was as she was scared "everybody would have a go at [her] for it". The mum-of-six's shocking admission came after Shannon was found drugged and tethered in a relative's grubby flat. In the disturbing interview Karen says she phoned police "so nobody would suspect her" after her daughter vanished. At one point the detective asks Karen if she phones police as "part of an act to make it look like she was missing, when she really knew she wasn't missing"- and the mum agrees this is what she had done. When the detective asks why she didn't tell police where Shannon was when they came to the house, the bleary-eyed mum says: "Because I was in front of everybody and everybody would have had a go at me for it." She then tries to backtrack, claiming she "knew Shannon was somewhere, but didn't know where". Matthews previously confessed to her role in the despicable scheme to pal Natalie Brown, another neighbour Julie Bushby and a police officer. Detective Constable Paul Kettlewell found Shannon hiding under a bed, tied up with a rope and drugged. As he retraced his footsteps for a BBC documentary, DC Kettlewell said: "When we gained a landing we found a further door that was locked. "And then I heard Shannon's voice from within this bedroom. I clearly heard her say 'stop it you're frightening me now'. "Although I knew I'd heard her, I didn't know where she was. And then I became aware of movement within the bed. "As I went across to the far side of the bed, Shannon's head appeared on that side. I reached over, picked Shannon up and carried her out. I couldn't believe that I'd found her. "We had Shannon and she was alive, I just couldn't believe it." The policeman added: "I asked her where Mike was. She said: 'He was where I was.' I said: 'In the house?' And she said: 'Under the bed.'" Following the horrific ordeal Shannon was taken off Karen and placed in the care of her local authority after the trial. She was given a new identity and is now living with a new family. 7
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
‘Britain's worst mum' Karen Matthews' chilling remark at fish & chip shop saw evil plot to kidnap OWN daughter unravel
KAREN Matthews' chilling remark at a chippy was when her evil plot to kidnap her own daughter started to unravel. The mum, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, was dubbed Britain's worst mother after engineering the scheme to kidnap nine-year-old Shannon. 5 5 5 Along with Michael Donovan, the uncle of her then-partner, she drugged and tethered the little girl to a bed in a bid to collect reward money. In 2008, hundreds of neighbours and friends desperately searched for Shannon, with Matthews appearing on TV to sob and plea for her daughter to come home. Shannon had vanished on her way home from a swimming lesson in her hometown. She was discovered 24 days later in a shock twist, stunning the nation when it was revealed her mum had planned the scheme to claim a £50,000 reward. More than 250 officers and 60 detectives were involved in the search with cops quizzing 1,500 motorists and searching 3,000 addresses before she was finally found in Michael Donovan 's grotty flat. Shannon had been sedated with temazepam for up to 20 months before her 'kidnap' and had a list of rules on how to behave to avoid being detected. In a new Prime Video documentary, neighbour Petra Jamieson revealed how Matthews' unusual behaviour first raised suspicions. Only two weeks after Shannon had been found - when Matthews' role was not yet known - she went to a fish and chips shop with Petra. Appearing on The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, Petra revealed how Matthews had a heartless reaction to being given free food out of sympathy. She said: "She looked at me and just said she should 'get rid of one of my kids more often'. "At the time, I just slapped her on the side of the arm… 'Why would you say that?'" She told the documentary that the entire community had been "bouncing around" when Shannon was finally found. And so she was unable to shake an odd feeling after Matthews' callous remark. Petra said she noticed her friend liked the "attention" of the media coverage her daughter's plight had brought. "She liked the fact that she could go into town, and everyone recognised her. People had sympathy for her and compassion, giving her hugs," she said. But despite this, she never suspected Matthews was involved and couldn't believe that a parent could do such a thing when it came to light. The nine-year-old was found tethered and drugged inside the base of a double bed at relative Michael Donovan's flat almost a month after she disappeared. An elasticated strap with a noose on the end was found in his loft and may have been used as a method of restraint when he went out. With it around her waist, Shannon would have been able to use the toilet and certain rooms, but not get out of the flat. After Shannon was found alive she was put into police protection - and the High Court granted her lifelong anonymity. She was given a new identity and went to live with a new family. On December 4, 2008, mum-of-seven Karen and Donovan were found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Both were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to eight years behind bars. Matthews, who has been dubbed Britain's Most Hated Mum, was released from prison in April 2012 after serving half her sentence. Meanwhile, Donovan had alleged she had threatened to burn his house down if he did not go through with the twisted kidnap. He died in April last year after collapsing at a hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Timeline of the Shannon Matthews kidnap plot A look at the events that unfolded following the disappearance of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews: February 19, 2008 - Shannon Matthews disappears and was last spotted outside Westmoor Junior School, Dewsbury. February 19, 2008 - Police announce that they have started a massive search involving more than 200 officers as concern grows for the missing girl. March 1, 2008 - Karen Matthews issues an emotional appeal for Shannon's return on the eve of Mother's Day. March 5, 2008 - Police release a recording of part of the 999 call Matthews made reporting Shannon missing. March 14, 2008 - Shannon is found alive and hidden in the base of a divan bed at a house at Michael Donovan's house in Batley Carr, West Yorkshire. April 9, 2008 - Karen Matthews is charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice over her daughter's disappearance - new charges of Kidnap and false imprisonment were later added. December 4, 2008 - Matthews and Donovan are found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice and both sentenced to eight years behind bars.
Daily Mail
13-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Chilling remark Karen Matthews made about her missing daughter Shannon that showed truth behind evil kidnap
A chilling remark exposing Karen Matthews ' true feelings about her daughter's disappearance has been revealed by one of her former neighbours in a new Amazon documentary. Matthews, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire, was dubbed 'Britain's worst mother' after engineering a plot with Michael Donovan, the uncle of her then-boyfriend, to kidnap nine-year-old Shannon. The pair held the young girl captive for 24 days in a plot to claim a £50,000 reward. Her captivity began when Donovan enticed the nine-year-old into his car on the way home from a school swimming trip on February 19, 2008. Police launched a £3.2million search for missing Shannon, only to discover that she had been tied up in Donovan's home. The youngster had been sedated with the adult sedative temazepam - not only during the kidnap but for up to 20 months prior - and provided a list of rules on how to behave to avoid being detected. She was eventually discovered by police hidden in the drawer of a divan bed in Donovan's bedroom, just a mile from her Dewsbury home. When Shannon was first reported missing on February 19, 2008 residents of Dewsbury's Moorside Estate flocked to support Karen through the trauma of having a missing child. But in a new Prime Video documentary, neighbour Petra Jamieson reveals how casually Karen spoke about her daughter's kidnap ordeal. Only two weeks after Shannon had been found, Petra went with Karen to a local fish and chip shop to buy dinner for her family. Aware of her daughter's plight, the proprietor said the food was on the house - iliciting a bizarre reply from Karen. Petra said: 'She looked at me and just said she should "get rid of one of my kids more often". At the time, I just slapped her on the side of the arm… "Why would you say that?"' In the new two-part documentary, The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, Petra recalls Karen begging for the return of her 'beautiful princess daughter'. The pair had become close friends since Petra lived just two doors down from Karen and their children attended the same school. Petra recalls Shannon as a 'pleasant, lovely girl to have around', who never caused any trouble and would just happily play with her siblings in the garden. Speaking in the doc she said that when Shannon was found the community was ecstatic and 'bouncing around'. But Petra said she could not escape the oddness of the remark in the chip shop - or how much her friend 'liked the attention' of being in the media. In the new Prime Video documentary, neighbour Petra Jamieson (pictured) reveals how casually Matthews spoke about her daughter's kidnap ordeal Karen Matthews is pictured in March 2008 holding her daughter's favourite teddy bear as she feigned an emotional appeal for her safe return She said: 'She liked the fact that she could go into town, and everyone recognised her. People had sympathy for her and compassion, giving her hugs.' Petra says she never suspected that Karen was behind her own daughter's disappearance and was horrified upon learning the truth - having once her former friend's biggest defender. In a 2008 Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary Shannon Matthews: The Family's Story, filmed before the truth came out about the kidnap plot, Petra can be seen fuming after reading a newspaper story in which Karen's parents claimed her children were physically assaulted by her partner Craig Meehan. The chip shop incident outlined by Petra is not the only example of Karen's seeming lightheartedness during her daughter's ordeal. Local journalist Richard Edwards also describes in the documentary how he went to interview Karen at home - only for her to pop out from behind the door as if she was playing hide and seek. Matthews and Donovan were both jailed for eight years at Leeds Crown Court in January 2009 and each served four years of their sentences before being released in 2012. Shannon and her siblings have been granted new identities and lifelong anonymity following a High Court injunction in 2020 and are kept apart from mother Karen. Petra says that she struggled to believe that her friend had hoodwinked her so completely. She said: 'Even though she admitted it, I wanted to see if she would sit and admit it in the court. At the end, she still couldn't be honest. She lied and lied and lied. Is that because she thought she could get away it? Who knows?' Karen Matthews' fellow plotter Michael Donovan died in April last year after collapsing at Three Valleys Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire. He had claimed to be a forensic psychologist named Wendy in a series of bizarre emails when attempting to shift the blame over the plot. Donovan alleged Matthews had threatened to burn his house down if he did not go through with the twisted kidnap plan of her daughter. In email to the Mirror, he told of having at least four different aliases - and the newspaper reported he had emailed others over the past year using the name Wendy. He wrote in one message to the newspaper: 'The plan to keep Shannon was only for a full week and not any further but Karen Matthews got greedy.' He also claimed Matthews' threats of setting his property ablaze scared him while he had Shannon in his flat, and that he had concerns for her life. He said the original plan was to release Shannon near Dewsbury town centre and then pretend to find her - picking her up and dashing her to the nearest police station to collect the reward and appear the hero.
Daily Mail
12-08-2025
- Daily Mail
I investigated Shannon Matthews' disappearance - here's the moment I KNEW her mum Karen was responsible before the lies came crashing down
A man who investigated Shannon Matthews ' disappearance has revealed the moment he knew that her mum Karen the person behind it all. Shannon was nine years old when she was reported missing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, back in February 2008. 24 days after she was reported missing, the young girl was found a few miles away at Karen's then-boyfriend Michael Donovan's house in a plot to claim a £50,000 reward. Richard Edwards, who was a local reporter at the time, and Karen's friend Julie Bushby appeared on Tuesday's instalment of This Morning to talk about their involvement in the case. Presenters Emma Willis, 49, and Andi Peters, 55, were keen to know the moment when they started to rethink things and become suspicious of Karen. Richard said: 'The conversation on the estate was fever pitch by then. A lot of people were talking about Karen's strange behaviour, but more and more people had started to actually say she'd been involved. 'There was one particular night where to this day I've never known who this person was. It was a Sunday night, a few days before Karen was arrested... 'A car pulled up on the estate, I was working, it was late on the Sunday, it was dark and a guy got out and he said 'Where's that Richard Edwards from the Yorkshire Evening Post? 'I thought I've done something to offend this fella, but I need to front up. I said "That's me". 'He came over, he was right at the end of Mooreside Road and he pointed towards the house, he went "She's done it. She's known where that little girl has been all along." 'Then got into the car and drove off and I thought right... that was weird. 'That was on top of the other stuff I'd been hearing. And then three days later she was arrested.' An intrigued Emma asked: 'And you have no idea who that person was?' 'To this day, don't know who he was,' Richard replied. 'So if he's watching this and wants to get in touch with me just to explain who he is and just clear up that tiny little outstanding part of the story. 'I would love to hear from him because he didn't tell me who he was, but he was right! 'He was right!' Julie also heard a lot of rumours while they were out searching for Shannon, but Andi wanted to know how she felt when it was revealed that her disappearance was behind Karen. She said: 'When she actually came out with it, it was like mixed emotions. 'Relief that it was over. Anger. Disappointment. Used and abused. But not just me, the entire community. 'She just made us look like plant pots.' Emma pointed out: 'You must have been left with so many questions...' Julie said: 'I did have so many questions. I used to go visit her in prison and I asked the same questions every time I went.' 'Well there were times I went and she was black and blue, but she'd walked into that many doors... 'I just wanted the truth. It didn't matter how many times I asked. It was a different story every time I went.' Emma asked: 'So you've never really had any clarity?' 'No,' Julie said. 'She just tells me she was scared of the family, that's all I ever get.'
Irish Examiner
08-08-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
‘Good step forward' as bishop to meet Sean Ross Abbey campaigners
The Bishop of Killaloe has agreed to meet survivors of Sean Ross Abbey following their calls for further investigations at the 'angel's plot' at the former mother and baby home, the Irish Examiner has learned. The Catholic Press Office said Bishop Fintan Monahan is willing to meet campaigners and survivors about the burial ground for babies and children. It comes as the We Are Still Here group has had ground-penetrating scans carried out on the former grounds of the home, made famous by the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. The office said: 'Sean Ross Abbey is in the diocese of Killaloe, and it was run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, who are no longer there. While he is just nine years as bishop in the diocese, Bishop Monahan understands that the diocese had no role in the running of the mother and baby home, apart from chaplaincy services. 'The baptismal records for the home are in the possession of the diocese. The bishop's own brother, who has additional needs, was a resident in Sean Ross for a number of years in the early 1970s when it became a home for special needs children.' The statement said the bishop was willing to meet survivors 'if it might be helpful to such a group to discuss any of the above or other issues'. The Roscrea home was operated by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary between 1931 and 1969. During that time, 6,414 women were admitted there, and 6,079 children were born or admitted there. Paul Lynch, Bandon, left, with Michael Donovan at the entrance to Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea. Picture via Denis Minihane Death records show 1,090 children died during its operation. Some were recorded with causes of death that included 'choking on porridge' and 'sun stroke'. But there are just 44 graves. Michael Donovan, who has campaigned for the grounds of the home to be examined in more detail, said he was 'really happy' that the bishop had offered to meet them. 'It is a really good step forward. There is a tank on the grounds of the home and we want it opened. 'We had the place scanned by engineers and anomalies were found. Now all we want is for further test excavations to be carried out so we can rule things out. We are not saying children are in the tank buried like they are in Tuam but we do want further examinations done as there are no burial records for the 1,090 children.' Ann Connolly, who was born in Sean Ross Abbey in 1968, has also welcomed the decision by the bishop. She said: 'I have been contacting Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary to get information about the missing children. We hope the bishop can help in some way.'
