Review to be held after Shannon Matthews scandel
- 00:01:12
- ITN
Review to be held after Shannon Matthews scandel
A council will hold an "independent serious case review" after social services were slammed in the wake of the Shannon Matthews trial. On Thursday, 33-year-old mother-of-seven Karen Matthews was convicted of kidnapping and falsely imprisoning her daughter, who was aged nine at the time. It later emerged West Yorkshire social workers had been monitoring the family and that all of Matthews's children had been placed on the child protection register but later taken off despite concerns about violence in the household and poor living conditions. Kirklees Council leader Robert Light said: "Matters surrounding the Karen Matthews trial are among issues that have put child care and safeguarding in the public eye this week. "I think it is important that there is an independent review of the history and records of all agencies' dealings with the family. The review is being commissioned because of its significant importance." A psychological report on Matthews highlighted her "inability to successfully place the children's needs above her own" in December 2003 - three years before Shannon went missing. The report concluded: "Her ability to protect her children is compromised by her inability to successfully place the children's needs above her own. I believe that Karen will require constant monitoring and support throughout the lives of her children." Matthews was condemned by police as "pure evil" after a judge told her she faces a substantial jail sentence. She conspired with her ex-partner's uncle, Michael Donovan, to drug Shannon and imprisoned her for 24 days to claim £50,000 in reward money. Donovan was also convicted of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan, the officer who led the investigation, said Matthews had "totally betrayed" her daughter and said her motivation for kidnapping her was purely financial. Dewsbury MP and government minister Shahid Malik earlier called for an independent review into the contacts social services had with Shannon, saying: "My gut instinct is that this is not a case like Baby P. "But the truth is that we don't know what this actually is. I think the sensible thing is to have an independent review."
ITN | December 5, 2008
