This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/7724274.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Missing Shannon 'drugged' in flat | Missing Shannon 'drugged' in flat |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews had been drugged and subdued in the flat where she was found, a court has heard. | Missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews had been drugged and subdued in the flat where she was found, a court has heard. |
| Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, and Michael Donovan are on trial over the nine-year-old's disappearance in West Yorkshire in February this year. | Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, and Michael Donovan are on trial over the nine-year-old's disappearance in West Yorkshire in February this year. |
| Karen Matthews denies kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. | Karen Matthews denies kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. |
| Mr Donovan has also denied kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice at Leeds Crown Court. | Mr Donovan has also denied kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice at Leeds Crown Court. |
| Prosecutor Julian Goose, QC, told the court Ms Matthews, 33, had raised the alarm about her daughter's disappearance on 19 February. | Prosecutor Julian Goose, QC, told the court Ms Matthews, 33, had raised the alarm about her daughter's disappearance on 19 February. |
| He said it was part of a "wicked and dishonest plan" to kidnap the girl by her mother and the man whose flat she was found in. | He said it was part of a "wicked and dishonest plan" to kidnap the girl by her mother and the man whose flat she was found in. |
| Mr Goose added that Mr Donovan kept Shannon "drugged, subdued and hidden from the public" and bought newspapers which described the extent of the investigation. | |
| The court heard that their plan had been to claim the reward money for the youngster's return. | |
| Ms Matthews, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Mr Donovan, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, deny the charges. | Ms Matthews, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Mr Donovan, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, deny the charges. |
| 'Impassioned pleas' | |
| The disappearance of Shannon, now 10, sparked a massive search operation by West Yorkshire Police which became one of the highest-profile missing person inquiries ever seen in the UK. | The disappearance of Shannon, now 10, sparked a massive search operation by West Yorkshire Police which became one of the highest-profile missing person inquiries ever seen in the UK. |
| Mr Goose said the "overwhelming likelihood is that the reason for the plan was dishonestly to obtain the reward money offered by the press". | |
| The court heard that at its height the reward fund had reached £50,000. | |
| Mr Goose said: "Both defendants stood by and watched the very large police investigation and assistance by many members of the public in the search for Shannon. | |
| "Karen Matthews made impassioned public pleas for the recovery of her daughter, some of those you will see from television recordings shown on national television." | |
| He said "other victims" in the case were the friends, neighbours and residents of the Dewsbury Moor estate who helped look for the youngster. |