Shannon Safe - Now What?

Shannon Matthews, the nine-year-old girl who disappeared last month has been found just a mile away from her home.

Fantastic news! Shannon Matthews, has been found. But then you hear where she was found; she was concealed with the man, in the base of a divan bed in an apartment at 26 Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, Dewsbury, at 12.30 GMT. A 39 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of abduction at the address and is currently in custody at a West Yorkshire police station.

It was a routine search today by two police officers who knocked on the door to 26 Lidgate Gardens, got no reply and then instead of walking away they talked to neighbours and asked questions. Neighbours said they had heard a child's footsteps. They presumed it was a toddler but Shannon is a petite child and easily mistaken. The officers chose to call for assistance from their colleagues at West Yorkshire Police and shortly after the door was broken into and Shannon was found.

Shannon had been missing for 24 days. Police say she is safe and well. Neighbours say the little girl looked calm as she was carried by a police officer from the apartment. Shannon is now in the custody of the West Yorkshire Police.

Locals are celebrating with people dancing in the street. It is not often that you hear a good outcome when a child goes missing?

Apparently, Peter Brown, who lives in Shannon's road, was the first to tell Shannon's mother said Karen Matthews that her daughter was alive. He said: "She just froze. She was in shock. Then she began to cry crying. "After that, she had a phone call from the police liaison officer. They came to pick her up, Karen and Craig both left the house together. "We're going to have a party tonight." (Of course read another report and Karen left with an aunt!)

Rumours are rife about the 39 year old male.

"Shannon may have known her abductor"

"The man arrested by police had two daughters taken into care several years ago, "It was around two or three years ago it happened because his wife was unwell at the time and he couldn't look after them".

"He was a bit of a loner and you don't see much of him"

"He used to live there and has come back recently"

"The suspect is on the fringes of Shannon's family"

As he was taken out of the house/dragged out of house to the awaiting police car "Don't hurt me I'm a poorly man!"

Shannon now needs a lot of love and support now. What has happened to her over the past 24 days we do not know? That is for the trained poilce counsellors and the love of her family to get her through.

Thank goodness she's safe.