Shannon Matthews: The McCanns, A Shameless Scam And Paul Donovan
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Shannon Matthews
THE STAR: “SHANNON SNATCH ‘SCAM’”
A scam? Who would have thought it?
The mum of Shannon Matthews has allegedy confessed that her daughter’s abduction was just a Shameless scam.
Sobbing Karen Matthews, 32, was arrested on suspicion of perverting justice after reportedly telling a woman detective she had known where Shannon was all along.
Shameless? Ashamed?
In an episode of the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless, screened just four weeks before Shannon vanished, family head Frank Gallagher’s teenage daughter Debbie staged the fake kidnap of her younger brother Liam in a bid to pocket a £500,000 ransom.
“Missing” Liam – played by Johnny Bennett, nine, – was hidden by Debbie (Rebecca Ryan, 16) at a pal’s home just down the road.
Missing children are a form of entertainment.
DAILY EXPRESS: “MUM: ‘I ALWAYS KNEW WHERE SHANNON WAS’”
The mother of kidnap girl Shannon Matthews has allegedly told police: “I knew where she was, right from day one.”
And the McCanns..?
A spokesman for the McCanns confirmed they had received approaches from “people purporting to be members of Shannon’s family” for donations from the Find Madeleine Fund, but said it had been decided not to get involved.
But the McCanns did get involved.
Gerry and Kate were “deeply concerned” at the plight of Shannon’s family. Kate, 39, said: “My heart goes out to them. We always hoped and prayed that no other family would have to suffer like we have.”
And singer Leona Lewis seized the moment to make an appeal.
THE SUN: “’Family’ beg from McCanns”
Kate and Gerry McCann got a string of emails and letters demanding financial help to find Shannon, nine. One man even turned up on their doorstep claiming he represented her family.
Karen Matthews has seven children by five men. Which man was it who turned up?
A source close to the couple said: “Kate and Gerry were getting ready to go to church. He opened the door to find this man who basically demanded cash.
“Gerry was stunned. It was as if he thought he was just going to pull out a cheque book.
“When he explained that the fund is governed by trustees who approve all expenditure, the man got annoyed and said, ‘But I’ve driven all the way from Dewsbury.’
“Kate and Gerry found it quite disturbing. They didn’t even know if these people were who they said they were, and what the cash would actually be used for.”
DAILY MAIL: “Did Shannon’s mother invent kidnap to make money… and base it on TV drama Shameless?”
Well…
It was revealed that Miss Matthews had wanted to leave 22-year-old fishmonger Craig Meehan and had spoken to his uncle, Michael Donovan, 39, who offered her a place to stay. She has denied having an affair with Donovan.
When he allegedly picked up Shannon on February 19, Miss Matthews is said to have “bottled it” and reported Shannon missing instead.
Which, if true, rather put Mr Donovan in an awkward position? But he did, allegedly, have plenty of room, a compact bedroom for Shannon – a room in an actual divan bed…
A source told the Daily Mail: “Her friends started asking her about apparent inconsistencies in her story. They asked her several questions, hoping she would dispel the rumours.
“Then, one of her friends said she had had enough and wanted to know what really happened. She put it to her that she knew right from the very start where Shannon was and who she was with.“At that moment Karen apparently broke down in tears and was shaking uncontrollably.”
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Shannon Matthews’ mother ‘may have copied TV kidnap plot’”
The Daily Telegraph understands that officers are examining alleged similarities between Shannon’s disappearance and a storyline from the Channel 4 drama series Shameless shown in the month before the nine-year-old vanished.
In it, the teenage daughter of Frank Gallagher, the head of a dysfunctional family, staged the fake kidnap of his youngest son, Liam, in an attempt to obtain a £500,000 ransom. All along, Liam was hidden a few doors away with a friend of his sister.
A missing child. Money. Reward. A kind of fame? A TV entertainment show or a TV news else?
It has emerged that police are examining allegations that people claiming to be connected to Shannon’s family asked for donations from the fund set up to find Madeleine McCann, the four-year-old who vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment last May. A spokesman for her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, said they had received “a number of approaches” for aid from the Find Madeleine Fund from purported representatives of the Matthews family.
THE TIMES: “Karen Matthews ‘told friends she knew where Shannon was from start’”
Ms Matthews is said to have told her friends that as the hours after her daughter’s disappearance turned into days, “everything got out of control and she didn’t know how to stop it” because she was too ashamed to tell the truth.
Mr Donovan, a former computer programmer, is understood to have maintained from the day of his arrest that other members of Shannon’s family, including the girl’s mother, had known that she was with him.
THE INDEPENDENT: “Shannon’s mother arrested as abduction inquiry widens”
Ms Matthews’ cousin, Vicky Saunders, said the arrest had come as a shock to the community. “I was just shocked. I can’t believe it myself,” she said. “I was with Karen when Shannon first went missing, I went and helped, she was in a state.”
Ms Saunders described Ms Matthews as a loving mother. “She loves all her kids no matter what. It’s just upsetting,” she said.
She added that the community was “sticking together like we did when she went missing.” “Everybody is just all shocked and can’t believe it. I’m still there for all the family and the kids,” she said. “She knows I’m always here for her, being a cousin of hers. Unless anyone’s been charged or proven I’m still sticking by everybody. We’re still all friends on this street.”
Posted: 8th, April 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (202) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
- Kelley Lynch on Phil Spector’s Hair Performs With Ronettes
- June on The Pirelli 2010 Calendar In Artful Nudity (NSFW)
- June on Susan Boyle: World Divided Over SuBo And Lady Susan
- Tony on Daily Mail And Tax Payers’ Alliance Attacks BBC Over Its Free Trees For A Better Planet
- Cheryl on Susan Boyle: World Divided Over SuBo And Lady Susan
April 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
erm… middle-aged
April 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
SteveT
The voice of a dowdy middle man - and reason!
April 8th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Can the mccanns refuse to go unless their status is lifted?
April 8th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I think it is time for lunch. I think I need to be drunk to understand this thread…
(and any excuse will do
)
April 8th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Jo
THANK YOU xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
lets dance
These moody middle aged men are no fun !
April 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
IMO this story has been released to let the gang know that these interviews are not the end of things and to ramp up the pressure to a level that someone will not be able to cope with it.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
101 SC46
Karen Matthews is good at acting.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
92
brandon
OLEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
This is the best news ever
What fun!!!!
next question: are the lawyers going to tell them NOT to go? was this in the news recently, BECAUSE they knew the PJ wanted them back to portugal?
Are the mccanns going to go since they wanted to,really,its perfect timing
April 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
good
April 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
sc46
You are getting on my happy nerves
April 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
BF - besides they can stage a reconstruction without the relevant players. Just get actors like crimewatch.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
or… the word is realist
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
BF - the work is realist
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
God you lot are pessimists!!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
83
lyn Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Now it is in the open,I can say that I thought of a scam,especially when the cops put Shannon under care.When it was know she was still under care,then my feelings were confirmed.I could have written a script as I could bet they would go to the mccanns etc…..
I have great doubts about the mccanns and a scam although it has become a scam
I unfortunately believe Madeleine died, in rather strange and uncleared circumstances.She would be dead most probably if she had been aducted as it happens in such and most cases.
The mccanns took advantage of her “disappearance” and are making a public show out of it.On top of that they have have created a precedent.
Wonderful people
April 8th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
94
brandon flours Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Yes and thats where the fun begins they said they would return and help!!!
Yes but that’s only helping the PJ to nail em, not help them find madeline. Everyone knows they’re covering it up. They should give up now.
Like me ol mum says - ‘there’s always a day called catch em’…
April 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
92 BF
Don’t get carried away…
April 8th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Yes and thats where the fun begins they said they would return and help!!!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The nearest that the mccs will get to portugal is a tin of sardines from the co-op.imo..
April 8th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3705440.ece
It’s good news!!!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Yes, inspired by the Matthews case, the Mccanns are returning to Portugal to check under the beds for Maddie.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
86
brandon flours
They will try and wriggle out of that one!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
86
brandon flours Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
They are going back to portugal!!!! YIPPEEE !!!
I bet they don’t go nowhere near Portugal!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Bf - I think that is tosh…
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
got to go folks, see you all later.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
They are going back to portugal!!!! YIPPEEE !!!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
81
jo Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
68
delboy
I know they dont care about anything
Their next trip to brussels is just an other pathetic proof of it
I would be dying to know how MY friends went on,if they know something etc….NOT them
yes jo and so would I,that is what NORMAL people would do,not leg it as soon as the pj arrive,surely you would stay at home and hope you would get to know something,especially after hearing nothing for seven months or so….but hey,we are talking mccs here,anything is possible……..
April 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Madeleine McCann’s parents, family friends and other holiday-makers have been called back to Portugal to participate in a reconstruction of the night she disappeared, Times Online has learnt.
Detectives want to replicate the events at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz on the evening when Kate and Gerry McCann reported their eldest daughter had been abducted. They have asked dozens of people to attend the event after the completion of a series of interviews with key witnesses which started today.
The unprecedented reconstruction is planned for the middle of next month, shortly after the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance on May 3. Portuguese police have written to witnesses, asking them to cooperate by attending the event.
Mr and Mrs McCann have not been to the Algarve resort since they were made arguidos (official suspects) on September 7. Friends of the couple have indicated that they would refuse to voluntarily return unless they are formally cleared of any wrongdoing.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
79 jo
Agree. Kids are the last thing they think of. Most selfish and evil people. IMO, I still think the McCanns have a scam going, and going. How they have the hide to go to Brussells and do what they are doing, beats me. Shannon has come off best. But, where is Madeleine.
Imagine people asking for tosh from the McCanns, and if we can believe it, one turns up at the McCann’s door!! To think the mother kept in touch by phone!!
April 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
75 DCB - So?