Shannon Matthews: The Story Of Media Greed And Karen Matthews’ Tears In Pictures
SHANNON Matthews: In February 2008, Shannon Matthews was ‘abducted’ by her mum, a Buzz Lightyear look-alike called Karen Matthews (pure evil), and her uncle, a pasty Crazy Frog impersonator called Michael Donovan, and a school uniform pervert to boot.
They did it for money. Were they spurred on by the voracious media coverage of Madeleine McCann? Did the media want this as much as Karen Matthews?
Karen Matthews: On Sex, Shopping And Kate McCann
The hunt for Shannon was West Yorkshire police’s biggest and most expensive operation since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. It lasted for 24 days. Shannon was found in the box of Donovan’s bed. She’d, apparently, been kept in his loft, tied to the rafters with a length of elastic. In her blood were traces of temazepam and melcozine.
Madeleine McCann: The Benchmark For Missing Children
Donovan and Matthews got either years jail each.
As the hunt began, the media went to town – Dewsbury (focused on 4 Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor) – to praise the honest-to-goodness, earthy locals and then, ultimately, to hate them. Lucy Thornton reached a new level of journalism.
Leona Lewis was the celebrity sad face.
A review by the Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board investigated what could have been done to help Shannon, who was placed on the child protection register in 2002 but was removed in late 2003.
Madeleine McCann, Shannon Matthews And Missing Child Protocol
Board chairwoman Alison O’Sullivan says:
“This was an unprecedented case and it was not possible to foresee that Shannon would fall prey to abduction by people closest to her.”
Well, no. The media fell for it, with the Sun offering a £50,000 reward for Our Shannon – Matthews and Donovan planned to find Shannon and get the reward. As we said:
The Sun has up its reward from £20,000 – to £50,000. But if a reward of £2.5million has not been not enough to find Madeleine McCann, what good is $50,000?
And hacks keen for another Madeleine McCann saga got stuck in.
“Paedo,” the chimed. Sex criminals. Paul Routledge smelt snobbery – Matthews victimsed for being not middle class.
Craig Meehan, Matthews’ lover, fed the beast:
Craig Meehan, said: “It’s two families from two different backgrounds which shouldn’t really get compared – basically, a poor family and a rich family.”
Mr Meehan, 22, went on: “To me, they [the McCanns] are like celebrities in other people’s eyes. They’ve got money, they know celebrities and all that, so they can afford to do everything they do, everything they can.
“We’re trying to do what we can with the money we’ve got, with the resources we’ve got.”
Madeleine McCann And Shannon Matthews: And Jamie Bulger
The Times came up with this:
“Poor little Shannon Matthews. Too poor for us to care that she is lost?”
“Her family may seem feckless. Neighbours can’t afford to run a PR campaign. How the public spotlight faded on missing girl.”
Shannon Matthews: Paul Drake, Mick Donovan And Claiming The Reward
Pictures:
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Undated West Yorkshire Police handout photos of Shannon Matthews (left) and her mother Karen. A serious case review into the role social services and other agencies played in the life of abducted schoolgirl Shannon Matthews up until she was kidnapped with the help of her own mother will be published tomorrow, it was confirmed tonight.
Posted: 16th, June 2010 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
