Shannon Matthews: Michael Donovan’s Tracksuit And John Guant Passes Judgement
SHANNON WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Shannon Matthews
THE SUN: “Cops quiz Shannon suspects for 7 hours”
Mike Donovan, the man accused of abducting and imprisoning Shannon Matthews was questioned by police for seven hours.
Any other facts?
Donovan, Meehan’s uncle, was taken to Huddersfield police station, West Yorks, from Doncaster jail. He was smuggled in and out under a blue coat, but could be seen wearing purple tracksuit bottoms and blue and white trainers.
What of Karen Matthews? Any more facts?
Matthews — a mother of seven by five fathers — is charged with perverting justice by concealing her whereabouts, and child neglect.
JON GAUNT: “KAREN’S IN A CLASS OF HER OWN”
“Karen Matthews isn’t and doesn’t represent the white working class.”
Phew! She’s no Lily Allen.
“The clue is the title ‘working’ she and her ilk have no intention of ever working – they just want to leech off the sweat of the rest of us.”
Can’t think of anyone who wants to drink Gaunty’s sweat as he burns calories over a keyboard? That question to humans and leeches. And didn’t Craig Meehan work as a fishmonger in a supermarket?
Undaunted by fact, Gaunt goes on:
“She may be shameless but the rest of us aren’t blameless, as we have allowed the Guardianistas to create new Britain where we are no longer allowed to be judgemental.”
But Gaunt is all about being judgmental. He is allowed to be judgemental, and in the national press of all places. But undaunted by contradicting himself, Gaunt goes on:
“And let’s start by being really judgemental. The way Shannon Matthews has been dragged up is shameful, not a funny enactment of a TV show. The real-life Vicky Pollards are slappers – and they need to be told so.”
Vicky Pollard is a fictional charter on a TV show. Karen Matthews is real.
Jon Gaunt cannot and should not be made up…
April 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
If true, something interesting is going on. Police are not allowed to interview suspects AFTER charge, unless about something totally different.
April 18th, 2008 at 9:43 am
… except that isn’t he right? Perhaps, like policemen getting younger, agreeing with this kind of editorial is a sign of age. Oh dear. Anorak, perhaps I was as young as you are once.
The original John Gaunt (Guant? Anorak: see me after class), 1st Duke of Lancaster, shares some similarity with the mating habits of Karen Matthews: two daughters by his first wife, one by his second, four children by his third wife (although born out of wedlock, he later did the decent thing) and a fifth by a lady of the court.
Perhaps Karen has royal blood!
This scepter’d isle, this demi-paradise, this happy breeding, this blessed plot, these teeming wombs… this England!
April 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am
how can karen be called “working class” when she doesn’t work?
April 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Could the newspapers do quick look into the family tree of Karen? She has red hair! The Lancasterians were from the Plantagenet tree,I believe.
April 18th, 2008 at 11:24 am
2 Stickler - King Henry VIII wasn’t working class either was he?? and lets not mention how many partners the late princess Di is reported as having had…
April 18th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Oooh - scandal in the family. As long as Shannon comes out of this better off and her siblings too. Just imagine someone in years to come reading about the goings on in this family.
April 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am
seems to me the rich and famous get through a lot of partners over the years without criticism from the public but the poor are labeled as slappers .
perhaps if Karen Mathews could afford a pr team and could afford a legal team she would be able to sue the newspapers making these claims like another uk couple did very recently.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I have always made a distinction between ‘working class’ and ‘lower class’
April 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
“no intention of ever working – they just want to leech off the sweat of the rest of us.”
…blimey! the royal family are now getting dragged into the debate.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
“Jon Gaunt cannot and should not be made up…”
Yeah I agree, he’d look like a real fairy
April 18th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
They ave tried to frame the apless monger, the slapper and the uncle, what a tangled web they have woven.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
He has pleaded not guilty - interesting to see what defence he will present.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
7 the watcher
word is that the family colluded in Shannon’s disappearance because they thought they too would get large donations to a fund, in the same way as the McCanns did.
that’s not the McCann’s fault, in my opinion, but it is very symptomatic of this time now and the get-rich-by-whatever-means mentality.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
12
DCB
He doesn’t have to present a defence. The crown will have to prove that his was the only access to that PC. With the amount of coming and going in that house I would be suprised if they could prove it
April 19th, 2008 at 7:25 am
13 Dairy
Accodring to Sky News Meehan was interviewed about “pervert the course” and has now been bailed. (= been sent back to prison)
April 19th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
3
i-dont-believe-them Says:
April 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am
how can karen be called “working class” when she doesn’t work?
………………………………………………………………
You are at it again I see ??!!
April 20th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Sunday People -Says McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell: “We haven’t heard through official channels if they are considering this charge. But you’d have to ask yourself, ‘Why now?’”
If not heard through official channels then heard from who (their legal sources ? nah that would be official) and why bother comment? The gloves are off leaving the Team’s fingerprints on this.
In the Mail, the story about police brutality must be part of Portugal’s wake-up call to media scrutiny of its human rights record. I see Amnesty international report problems with some brutality from police and prison guards, I don’t know but problems with human rights may be either historical, insignificant (and investigated) and no worse compared with countries with the best human rights record. I’ve no time to find out today.