Shannon Matthews' kidnapper from prison pen pal to 'bizarre' public sighting – Daily Record
Michael Donovan’s sister has claimed her pleas to police to investigate her brother were ignored by officers.
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A documentary about Shannon Matthews abductor Michael Donovan airs tonight. He kept the sedated youngster under his bed in a fake kidnapping that left the nation shocked and sickened.
The Channel 5 show – The Man Who Took Shannon Matthews – hears from professionals, family members and neighbours and uses dramatic reconstructions.
It tells the story of the how the terrified schoolgirl was kept her in his flat for almost a month until a dramatic rescue by police. The warped kidnapper had insisted he was only "looking after" the nine-year-old.
But, along with Karen Matthews, her twisted mother, he had plotted her disappearance. They hoped to claim the staggering reward money offered for her safe return.
Shannon's neighbours in Dewsbury went into a frenzy trying to find her after she was reported missing, while her disappearance sparked one of the UK's biggest manhunts, costing West Yorkshire Police £3.2million, The Mirror reports.
Shannon disappeared on her way home from a swimming lesson at Westmoor Primary School, Dewsbury, in 2008. She was discovered 24 days later, hidden under Donovan's bed.
Donovan and Karen Matthews were jailed for eight years in 2009. He was found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice for his role in the stunt.
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In tonight's documentary, the kidnapper's sister, who wished not to be named, alleges her "check out my brother" pleas were ignored by police at the beginning of the costly search for Shannon.
The police denied her claims. She said: "The day Shannon went missing, I was listening to the radio and it said a child's gone missing, named her. I knew he had her. I called the police and said, 'Check out my brother, please'. I got no response whatsoever from them.
"They didn't care or believe me." His sister was referring to Donovan's own family. Donovan is known to have learning difficulties and a below-average IQ. During psychiatric treatment, he met his wife Susan Bird, whom he had two daughters with, reports The Sun.
They claim the children were taken off them and put into care, and when he failed to get them back during legal proceedings, he picked up his daughter from school and took her to Blackpool.
He was accused of kidnapping then, but the case was dropped, the paper added. Shannon was eventually found after a relative told officers visiting his home: "You want to go see Mick Donovan… he's related to Craig Meehan [Karen's ex]."
The next day police found Donovan cowering under his bed with Shannon. She had been tethered by a lead to a roof beam with an elastic strap to stop her from escaping.
She was also drugged with Temazepam and travel sickness pills to "subdue her" and given a list of rules to follow when Donovan went out. It was revealed he had plotted with Karen in a bid to claim a £50,000 reward.
They had planned to release her and 'discover her', before handing her to police and accepting the reward. They had agreed to split the sum. He wrote from prison that Matthews – living with his nephew Craig Meehan – "knew" he was "looking after her."
He added: "There's always two sides to the story and if only I could say my side then people will understand why I had to look after Shannon." The Sunday Mirror revealed the letters were sent – while he was on remand – to a female pen pal he never met.
They were published as a new picture emerged of the kidnapper in September 2012 following his release from HMP Leeds after serving half his sentence. The MoJ said his full sentence expired in 2016.
In one of the letters from behind bars, shared with Sunday Mirror, before his 2012 release, he penned: "I am trying to cope in prison, but other things are getting me down. I'm on a safe wing. I only get out once a day."
He also said his solicitor was making a bail application for him at a private hostel "so no-one will know where I am living. But I will let you know about this first." He added: "Please don't get worried, I will not let anyone know about you and me.
"n one of the letters from behind bars, shared with Sunday Mirror, before his 2012 release, he penned: "I am trying to cope in prison, but other things are getting me down. I'm on a safe wing. I only get out once a day."
He also said his solicitor was making a bail application for him at a private hostel "so no-one will know where I am living. But I will let you know about this first." He added: "Please don't get worried, I will not let anyone know about you and me.
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