Shannon mother remanded in custody
- 00:01:23
- ITN
Shannon mother remanded in custody
The mother of Shannon Matthews has appeared in court charged in connection with her daughter's alleged abduction.Karen Matthews, 32, is accused of perverting the course of justice and child neglect and appeared at Leeds Crown Court via a videolink from prison.She was remanded in custody until November 11 when she will stand trial alongside Michael Donovan who is charged with Shannon's kidnap and false imprisonment.Nine-year-old Shannon went missing from Dewsbury Moor on February 19 following a school swimming trip.She was found in the base of a bed at an address just a mile from her home after a 24-day police search involving more than 300 officers.Matthews, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, is accused of having "repeatedly concealed information in relation to the whereabouts of Shannon Matthews in interviews and other contacts with officers with the West Yorkshire Police and claimed to have no knowledge of her whereabouts".Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, was formerly known as Paul Drake and is the uncle of Matthews' partner Craig Meehan.Last week, Meehan's sisters, Amanda Hyett, 25, who lives next door to Matthews, Caroline Meehan, 29, and their mother, Alice Meehan, 49, were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the alleged abduction.All three were released on bail pending further inquiries.Earlier this week, Mrs Hyett was arrested again with her husband Neil Hyett, 36, on suspicion of committing benefit fraud.Both were later bailed and West Yorkshire Police said the arrests were not connected to the alleged abduction of Shannon.Craig Meehan was arrested on April 2. He was charged with 11 specimen offences of possession of indecent images of children and was remanded in custody at a hearing at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court last week.He will next appear before magistrates in the town on April 18.West Yorkshire Police has estimated the cost of overtime and other additional costs incurred in the search for Shannon is around £1 million.This figure does not include the wages of the officers who would have been working anyway.
ITN | April 16, 2008
