Shannon mother's ex on new charge

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/bradford/7521576.stm

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The former partner of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews' mother has denied possessing an indecent image of a young girl on his mobile phone.

The additional charge was put to Craig Meehan, 22, when he appeared at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court.

Meehan is charged with possessing a photograph on his mobile phone of a partially naked girl, aged about 15.

He was remanded in custody until his trial for that and other alleged offences begins on 8 September.

Shannon, nine, went missing on 19 February and was discovered hidden in the base of a bed in a flat one mile from her home after a 24-day search by police.

Meehan is already accused of possessing 140 indecent images of children which were allegedly found on a computer at the home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, which he shared with Shannon's mother Karen Matthews for about five years.

It is alleged he possessed indecent images of children aged between four and 16, graded at levels one to four - on a scale where one is the least serious and five is the most serious.

Mr Meehan's uncle Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, has been charged with Shannon's kidnap and imprisonment.

He will go on trial at Leeds Crown Court on 11 November alongside Ms Matthews, who is charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice.