Photos, Family, Truth?

A Sunday Morning Shannon update.

There is so much mis-information/miscommunication and contradiction in the media. For instance I have read that Karen Matthews, Shannon's 32 year old mother, spent 2 minutes with her mother in one paper and unfortunately was only able to her a little hug because of forensic evidence? I then read this morning on a certain national newspaper website, that Karen only saw Shannon beyond a 2-way mirror to identify her?

What is the truth?

Late last night, information was trickling out that Mick Donovan aka Paul Drake, Shannon's stepfather's uncle and her abductor for those 24 days, was telling tales to the police that other family members were involved in this tragic story; even including Shannon's mother Karen. No fresh news on this today but there is no need for the protection order unless the police have suspicions of foul play of some sort. I am not saying the mother is involved, just stating facts.

Craig Meehan, Shannon's 22 year old stepfather has been together with Shannon's mother for four years and is father to their youngest child Cy, aged two. Shannon's half brothers brother T 12 and Cn aged five also live at home. I aged 10, is Shannon's full biological brother, he lives with their father Leon Rose; D who's seven lives with his father Paul Hooker and the last sibling K, six, it is believed lives with her father William Marshall. (You can find the kids names on the net but I've coded them to protect their innocence).

It is hardly surprising Shannon requested "I want to live with my dad" most of her brothers and sisters already do and to her that is the norm? Shannon sees her father every weekend now as he lives ten miles away. It appears that for some unspoken reason Leon Rose did not get to see his children so much when they were younger nevertheless, their relationship is stronger now. Shannon has written on her wall at some point "I want to live with my dad". No one knows when that was written and lots of scribbles were all over Shannon's wall. The police will probably look into all of them including them mundane ones about pop groups and swimming!

Karen Matthew's parents - June and Gordon Matthews have disowned their daughter and her partner Craig who they have publicly accused of hitting Shannon, saying she was so frightened of him that was the reason she did not come home that afternoon. They have laid the blame for this whole sorry tale at their daughter Karen's feet saying it is her and her appalling choice of partner's fault.

At four years, this is Karen Matthews longest relationship and just because he is 22 to her 32 years, this does not mean he is the immature one in the relationship. He may be the dominant one? Maybe that is what she needs?

A string of unsuccessful relationships, five partners and seven children says it all. However instead of casting judgement I would have thought June and Gordon Matthews should be supporting their daughter, teaching her good values because somewhere along the line something has gone terribly wrong in Karen's life. Yes I know she has had 24 days of fear without her daughter but she looks 42, not 32 and that is if I am being kind. I do not not believe she or her partner are bad people, just victims of society......unless there is something more sinister going on with this mystery?

Karen's parents do not have a good word to say about Craig Meehan and feel he is the one reason why Shannon ran away;"As far as me and my wife are concerned, we never want to see any of them again. Craig is bad news and he's never done our family any good.
"I now consider them to be completely disowned and I want nothing more to do with them.
"If my daughter is going to turn a blind eye to what he is like, then that goes for her, too." Said Gordon Matthews.

But you never wash your hands of your children even when they have grown up. I think they are looking for a way to get rid of their own guilt? Others who know Craig speak of him very differently. Karen's cousin Susan Howgate, 39; "I have known Craig for six or seven years and he is the kindest, gentlest person. He loves kids and he would never, ever hurt anyone" -So there!
"Karen is a brilliant mum and loves her children 100 per cent. And the media circus sits in the middle of a great big family feud.

Shannon's uncle Martin Matthews, 42, further added fuel to the fire when he said that on the night before she disappeared, Shannon pleaded to stay with him because she was too frightened to go home. She said that she had sworn at Craig during an argument and been grounded. Her uncle Martin continued: "She's been round here on many occasions saying the same thing: crying, saying she doesn't want to go home, saying: 'I hate living there.'
"She's showed me bruises on her arms and said Craig had lashed out at her. He does lash out. (none of this has been witnessed)
"I told her she really shouldn't stay and she should go home, especially if she was grounded, and asked Tl, my ten-year-old daughter, to walk her home. When Tl got back, she said Shannon had cried all the way."

"My two kids saw Shannon the next morning. They told me she'd had an argument with her mum and that Karen had screamed at her to get out of the house and not come back."
Martin said he bitterly regretted sending Shannon home.

The Mail went back to Shannon's grandfather Gordon Matthews this week, who said he and his wife stood by everything they'd said earlier.
Craig Meehan has vehemently denied the accusations against him.

So could it be that Shannon simply ran away?

Another newspaper report in the Guardian today states that Shannon's uncle Neil Hyett, 46, suggested that alarm bells should have rung sooner. 'When the news broke I nearly crashed my coach,' he said. 'I thought: "Why the hell didn't I think of him three weeks ago?" The police have been very good but he should have been high on the list.'
Hyett said that when a family member had asked Donovan to join the search for Shannon, 'he said he didn't want to in case he fell under suspicion'.
Noting Donovan's difficult relationship with his own daughters, Hyett added: 'I know Mick Donovan better than anyone else.'
Hyett said he had a photograph of Donovan and his daughters, one of whom looks very like Shannon - but he was holding on to the picture and the rest of his story while considering financial offers from newspapers.

It is still not known why Donovan changed his name from Paul Drake.

I shall put a time line on my next blog entry but this one with some last pieces of information on the man who we know has held Shannon. Paul Drake/ Mick Donovan, is the younger brother of Alice Meehan, the mother of Craig Meehan, stepfather to Shannon. They would have met at family get -togethers, the last one being at a family funeral where Ryan (see account below) felt so uneasy. Alice has said: "I can’t believe he had Shannon, my own brother. It feels like he has brought shame on our family. I have great mixed feelings because he is family and he’s done this."

Witness Accounts

The neighbour who raised the alarm was Julie France, 45 (why are ages so important?). She thinks she saw Shannon on February the 19th, the day she disappeared but the penny didn't drop.
"I remember seeing her pink Bratz boots and I could see her school uniform. It was about 4.15pm when I first saw her and then I spotted her again on her own 45 minutes later near the ginnel (alley) by my house. I remember she looked sad and lonely. I even stopped the car because she was on her own and thought about asking her if she was OK, but I decided not to and drove away."
Five days later while out walking her dogs, she spotted a white bag containing the girls missing swimming kit and dialed 999. Julie said: "I had been so sure that Shannon was around here that I had been looking for her myself.
Julie whose daughter Siobhan, eight, died of pneumonia in 2001 added; "I know how awful it is to lose a child and I wanted to find her for her mum Karen. "I'm so relieved she's been found and is safe. It's like a weight has been lifted off my mind."

I find it quite incredulous how neighbours who witness alleged criminals being taken away come out with those comments of "He had a pointy nose, I knew he was an axe murderer etc". It is happening in SOME accounts.

Ryan Baynes, was with Donovan at the funeral for Craig Meehan's father and recalls how Donovan bounced Shannon on his knee, paying her "far too much attention".
He told the Sun newpaper that within days of Shannon's disappearance he had suspected Donovan may have taken her and called Wakefield police station to provide a name and address. But he grew frustrated when he did not receive a call back and when he telephoned the police he was told it was being "looked into"

Christopher Heaps, 47, witnessed Shannon being carried to freedom: "First thing I heard was police breaking the door down. When I went out I saw a policeman carrying the young girl in his arms.
"I said, 'Is that Shannon?' He said, 'Yes'. I saw the man dragged down the steps, handcuffed and put into the van.
"Then the little girl was put in a car and taken away with a plain-clothes policeman. She was very calm and didn't look upset."

Oh dear, this is where Christopher starts to ponder: "He's a weird guy and I'm not altogether surprised he's suspected of being involved in this.
"Thinking back, he's definitely not been around as much the last three weeks or so.
"I don't know him that well, only to say hello to. I've lived here for three years and he was already here when I arrived.
"One time a couple of years ago his car broke down and he asked me whether I could help him fix it. Other than that he just tended to keep himself to himself.
"He definitely lived on his own, I know that for sure, and he never worked that I know of."
Christopher went on: "We always suspected there was something odd about him and I don't think many here will be surprised by what's happened.
"But you never think it's going to happen down your street, do you?"


Mandy Dixon, 37: "They ran in. They weren't wasting any time. Then they took in a German Shepherd sniffer dog.
"Minutes later, a plain-clothes officer came out with Shannon clinging around his neck for dear life. Someone shouted out of of a window, 'Is it her?' He replied, 'Yes. She's safe, she's fine'. I was shaking. I wanted to cry."

Patricia Holt, another local resident who wanted to get her name in print added: "He's lived there for a few years. He used to look like a bit of a mess but after his girls stopped living with him he cleaned himself up a bit.
"He's known as a bit of a weirdo. I don't think he worked."

Another unnamed female local told how Drake seemed to struggle to look after his children when they lived with him;
"We were relieved when we noticed the girls no longer lived there as they appeared neglected.
"They were were in school uniform even during holidays because they had no clothes. They always appeared dirty."

June Batley who lives below Drake was interviewed by police officers on Thursday after hearing a youngster's footsteps upstairs.
She grew suspicious because Drake's two daughters, both around Shannon's age, no longer live with him. The girls were apparently taken to live elsewhere when he was "forced to go into hospital".
"He's had a load of health problems a few years ago," said another neighbour Maggie; "that's when his daughters were taken away and I don't think he ever got over it.
"He tried to get them back but couldn't and they've been with another family ever since.
"Their mum's not on the scene. Mick's a loner - he never said or did much. During the day he'd polish his car and at night he would do his shopping.
"We'd never see much of him. He was known as the local weirdo - a very strange person." According to June (Via the Sunday Mirror!) it was even common knowledge that Donovan was unable to have sex? This is a loner that no one knows anything about yet they know this? Hmmmmm Of course it must be true then? Not worth printing that Bo****ks

Melvyn Glew, 62, who lives 50 yards from Donovan's home, said he thought it strange three weeks ago when lights in the flat went off. Why?
"Before that they were on night and day," he said. "They went off soon after Shannon went missing and I didn't often see them on again."
Glew, a spotted a man going to Donovan's flat and knocked on the door but got no answer. "I don't know who the man was, but I knew there was someone in the flat and they just weren't answering the door. That's when I decided to call the helpline number on the Shannon posters. I told them that I thought he had something to do with the girl's disappearance, but no one ever got back in touch again." "Nothing was done." He added: 'I know that other people have rung the helpline saying who they thought was involved, but I was convinced I was right. I have seen him go out to do some shopping in the last three weeks but there was never any little girl with him. She must have been in the flat all the time. How he could keep her in there all this time without someone knowing she was there is beyond me."

Unbelievably, Shannon's dad revealed he had searched that area a number of times. "Believe it or not, I'd actually been in that area a number of times and probably just walked straight past the house that she were in.
"Half the time (I was) just driving about, just hoping to see her walking about."

I have one BIG MAJOR question. Police were told a WEEK AGO to check out Drakes/Donovan's flat. Why did it take so long considering he was a member of her family? It wasn't until Friday that they staked out the front and rear of the flat before deciding to storm in. Three police cars screeched into Lidgate Gardens in Dewsbury, West Yorks, as they staged the lightening raid. Shannon was located in a drawer in a divan bed with her abductor hiding out in the other side.

Shannon is now in the care of social services and trained police officers will be gently coaxing out the information of those 24 days. The police have 96 hours to hold Drake before they can either charge him, release him or apply for an extention to hold him. More news reports talk of him going out playing bingo while Shannon was back at the flat - Sounds like a hard criminal? Check out the Sunday Mirror for further information.

Other family members may also face questioning.

Photos and information thanks to a variety of websites and media sources
Photo 1 Shannon Matthews

Photo 2 Craig Meehan, Karen Mathews, her sons T and Cn

Photo 3 Craig Meehan

Photo 4 Shannon Matthews

Photo 5 Mick Donovan formally Paul Drake c/o Ross Parry Agency

Photo 6 The door to Mick Donovan's home