Shannon Sees Mum As Stepdad Charged
Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:05 am
Shannon Sees Mum As Stepdad Charged
By Sky News SkyNews - 44 minutes agoThe schoolgirl who went missing for weeks, Shannon Matthews, has briefly been reunited with her mother - as her stepfather faces child pornography charges.
It was the first time nine-year-old Shannon had been allowed to see her mother since she was abducted on February 19 and eventually found more than three weeks later.
Shannon was found hidden in the base of a bed in a flat just one mile from her home after a dramatic 24-day search by police.
She has been in the care of social services since she was discovered at the property in Batley Carr on March 14 and is still being questioned by police from time to time.
Sky's North of England correspondent Gerard Tubb stressed that although Shannon had been briefly re-united with her mother, it was still far from clear what is going to happen to her.
"There is no expectation that she will be going home any time soon," he added.
Shannon's stepfather, Craig Meehan, is due in court to face charges of possessing indecent images of children after being arrested on 10 specimen offences.
Meehan, 22, was arrested at the family home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, and is appearing before Dewsbury Magistrates' Court.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "In relation to the welfare of the family's children, it is being dealt with by social services. Police policy is we are not commenting on the welfare of the children."
Tubb said the images were allegedly found on the family computer at Shannon's home and, although there were just 10 specimen counts at present, police say they discovered many more images.
Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan, 39, who lived at the flat, was charged with her kidnap and imprisonment and his trial has been provisionally set for November 11 at Leeds Crown Court.
Fishmonger Meehan has lived with Shannon's mother Karen Matthews, 32, in Moorside Road for around five years.
They share the house with three of Mrs Matthews' children, including Shannon, and the couple's own two-year-old daughter.
By Sky News SkyNews - 44 minutes agoThe schoolgirl who went missing for weeks, Shannon Matthews, has briefly been reunited with her mother - as her stepfather faces child pornography charges.
It was the first time nine-year-old Shannon had been allowed to see her mother since she was abducted on February 19 and eventually found more than three weeks later.
Shannon was found hidden in the base of a bed in a flat just one mile from her home after a dramatic 24-day search by police.
She has been in the care of social services since she was discovered at the property in Batley Carr on March 14 and is still being questioned by police from time to time.
Sky's North of England correspondent Gerard Tubb stressed that although Shannon had been briefly re-united with her mother, it was still far from clear what is going to happen to her.
"There is no expectation that she will be going home any time soon," he added.
Shannon's stepfather, Craig Meehan, is due in court to face charges of possessing indecent images of children after being arrested on 10 specimen offences.
Meehan, 22, was arrested at the family home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, and is appearing before Dewsbury Magistrates' Court.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "In relation to the welfare of the family's children, it is being dealt with by social services. Police policy is we are not commenting on the welfare of the children."
Tubb said the images were allegedly found on the family computer at Shannon's home and, although there were just 10 specimen counts at present, police say they discovered many more images.
Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan, 39, who lived at the flat, was charged with her kidnap and imprisonment and his trial has been provisionally set for November 11 at Leeds Crown Court.
Fishmonger Meehan has lived with Shannon's mother Karen Matthews, 32, in Moorside Road for around five years.
They share the house with three of Mrs Matthews' children, including Shannon, and the couple's own two-year-old daughter.