It’s been over 17 years since Shannon Matthews disappeared on her way home from school.
Only, it eventually transpired that the nine-year-old, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, hadn’t really ‘gone missing’ at all.
As a detective points out the signs that may have been overlooked in the appeals at the time, it transpired that it was Shannon’s own mum who was behind the kidnapping.
Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan – the uncle of Karen’s boyfriend, Craig Meehan – orchestrated the plot in February 2008 before West Yorkshire police found the young girl three weeks later.
The disgraced mum and her boyfriend’s uncle ended up jailed as their plan collapsed with the case during national attention. With another new documentary now released on Prime Video, there was even an ITV drama made, starring Sheridan Smith.
