Oddest saga in 30 years as Karen made light of ‘loss’

THE fake abduction of Shannon Matthews is the most bizarre case

I’ve covered in 30 years at the Mirror.

Every day I watched the incredible residents of Dewsbury Moor put their own lives and problems on hold to search for the nine-year-old, in an atmosphere of feverish desperation.

The only one who seemed to make light of it was Shannon’s mum Karen.

One day I watched as she stood in the community centre’s kitchen and playfully flicked a tea towel at a man’s bottom before howling with laughter.

Later, I was sitting in her scruffy living room with her as she watched kids’ TV show Dora The Explorer.

Only when the end credits rolled, and her scowling boyfriend Craig Meehan had finished his computer game, would they begin an interview to appeal for help to find Shannon.

I was with her again at the community centre an hour before police told her they found her girl.

She was laughing at lewd jokes, talking about a row with Craig and getting bladdered the night before.

PARTY

Later, community leader Julie Bushby shouted to me: “We think they’ve found her. Can we check?”

It was too good to be true. We’d been briefed by police that once 48 hours had passed, the chances of finding a missing child alive were low.

Shannon had been missing for 576 hours – 24 days. When confirmed, all hell broke loose on the estate, a party erupted and the beers started to flow.

I can still see one man, who had lost his job for taking too much time off to search for Shannon, sobbing.

Later I interviewed Karen in prison. There was still no remorse. She would rather chat about how she missed “chocolate and sex” than apologise.

Recently I’ve tried to get the truth from Karen, meeting her in the southern city where she now lives.

Her story would often change but two things remained the same.

Her claims that “others” were involved and her hatred for Donovan.

She was angry they both got eight years for Shannon’s kidnap. Karen said: “He should have got longer, he was the one that drugged her.”

When asked why she thought the police focused on her, not Donovan, she added: “Because I was the mother and I should have protected her. I feel embarrassed, to call myself a mum. I hated sitting with him in the dock knowing he hid my daughter under the bed. I’ve been through hell because of that man.”

Still no remorse, still no sense of guilt, that still sticks with me.