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Home / World

Rescued girl kept from parents

Other
16 Mar, 2008 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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KEY POINTS:

A young girl who went missing for four weeks and was allegedly discovered hidden in a drawer under a bed with her abductor is now being kept away from her parents.

British schoolgirl Shannon Matthews, aged 9, remains under an emergency police protection order, meaning she cannot see
her mother or stepfather unless police officers are present.

Last night, UK newspapers suggested her family could have been involved in the abduction.

They also questioned why police took so long to make the link with the arrested man, Paul Drake, also known as Mick Donovan, a 39-year-old uncle of Shannon's stepfather, Craig Meehan.

The Mail on Sunday said Donovan had tried to implicate Shannon's mother Karen in her disappearance.

The Times reported that Karen Matthews had not been allowed to cuddle or communicate with her daughter but had been called in by police to identify her. She had seen Shannon through a two-way mirror and the girl did not know her mother was there.

Questions have also been raised about the time it took the police to find Shannon.

Donovan's neighbour Melvin Glew said that a week ago, he rang a hotline to report that Donovan had refused to come to the door when a man arrived in a car with "Find Shannon" posters in the windows.

"I was really surprised it took them this long to get round to searching his place. Thank God they did."

Officers want to interview Shannon to fill in the gaps between her going missing near her home in Dewsbury, West Yorks, and her dramatic re-appearance after police battered their way into a first-floor flat in Batley Carr, 1.5km from her house.

A police team broke into the flat and found Shannon hidden in a drawer space under a divan bed.

Her suspected abductor was allegedly in the other half of the bed's base and was led away in handcuffs.

Shannon was said to be in good health, but will remain in police protection while specialist officers interview her to find out where she has been and what she has been through during her alleged kidnapping.

Shannon was described in one news report as being "bubbly and relaxed" after her ordeal.

The raid on the flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, brought to an end one of the biggest missing-persons inquiries in British history.

Last night, the charity Missing People said it had passed on a tip-off to police that Shannon might be there.

Shannon's father, Leon Rose, 29, said the news that his daughter had been found safe was "like winning the lottery".

Karen Matthews, 32, was said to be in shock.

Shannon had last been seen on February 19 as she waved goodbye to friends after a swimming lesson at school.

West Yorkshire Police said Shannon had been made the subject of an emergency protection order.

A spokesman said the order "will remain in place until we have had time to establish ... what happened in the time since her disappearance".

After having medical checks, Shannon was expected to be interviewed by police today.

The news that Shannon had been found alive sparked wild celebrations in her street.

Dozens of relatives and friends showered each other with champagne and joyously ripped down "missing" posters, replacing them with a "welcome home" banner.

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