Sponsored by
I didn't do it, Shannon's tearful mother tells jury
THE mother of Shannon Matthews broke down in tears yesterday, denying she was an accomplished liar who had planned her daughter's kidnap.
Karen Matthews said she was "disgusted" that she was being accused of plotting the nine-year-old's imprisonment and blamed her former partner, Craig Meehan, and other members of his family.
She denied she was involved in a plot to claim 50,000 in reward money, insisting she had not known where Shannon was during the 24 days she was missing.
Her barrister, Frances Oldham QC, asked Matthews, at Leeds Crown Court, if she had planned the kidnap of Shannon with her co-accused Michael Donovan, Meehan's uncle. "I did not," she said, denying she had ever threatened him.
"How do you feel about being accused of Shannon's kidnap and false imprisonment?" asked Mrs Oldham.
"I'm just disgusted because I haven't had nothing to do with it," said Matthews.
The 33-year-old became tearful within minutes of taking the witness box, describing how she became frightened of Meehan after he became violent, abusive and aggressive towards her.
She said that after Shannon disappeared on February 19 her appeals in the media were genuine and not "play-acting".
Matthews said she began to distrust Meehan because he was always talking to his sister Amanda Hyett and would not tell her what about.
She said that when Shannon was found at Donovan's flat on March 14 she was shocked because it was a family member of her partner at that time.
She agreed that on March 18 she told police she loved Meehan but said the truth was: "I was just too scared to leave him. He told me if I left him he would tell people I was an unfit mother and have my children taken away from me."
Mrs Oldham asked if Meehan had said anything to her about what she should say or do. Matthews said "For me to take the blame for Shannon."
Mrs Oldham said: "Did he say why?"
"Because I had no convictions and being female I would get off lightly," answered Matthews. "The thought was going through my head that must have been what they were talking about, him and Amanda."
She said Meehan had threatened to make her life hell so she did as she was told and said she had made arrangements with Donovan to take Shannon for her, but that was not true.
Matthews, 33 of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, and Donovan, 40 of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, both deny kidnap and false imprisonment of Shannon and doing acts intending to pervert the course of justice.
Donovan claimed in evidence that he only took Shannon after her mother threatened him.
Before calling Matthews to give evidence Mrs Oldham urged the jury to approach her case with an open mind.
"Did you plan Shannon's kidnap so the media would offer a reward of 50,000?" she asked Matthews.
"I did not," replied the defendant. "Did you threaten Michael Donovan at any time that you would have him killed, or beaten or his car burned?" she asked. "No," said Matthews.
Mrs Oldham asked about evidence from a toxicologist that Shannon's hair samples showed she had ingested temazepam for up to 20 months.
Matthews said there was none in her house and it had nothing to do with her.
Alan Conrad QC, defending Donovan, asked her in cross-examination if she had been practising what she was going to say.
"I have not," she replied.
"I suggest what you are putting on for the jury today is a stage performance," he said. "Just as you gave a stage performance in those three and a half weeks your daughter was missing. You played to the camera and you are playing to the court."
"No," said Matthews.
"Is it the position that when you are in difficulty you'll just accuse anybody else?
"Here you've suggested there's a plot between your former partner Craig and Amanda Hyett, is that right?"
"Yes," replied Matthews.
Mr Conrad suggested she was not really scared of Meehan and gave "as good as she got" when they argued. "No," she replied.
He suggested she was an accomplished liar who had always known where Shannon was. "I did not know," she said.
"I suggest you are a hard woman, a manipulative woman, who uses people. That's what you did with Michael Donovan. You saw him as someone you could take advantage of and bully."
"No," repeated Matthews.
"You stood to gain by arranging from Shannon to go missing and exploiting it, didn't you?" said Mr Conrad. Again Matthews replied "No".
She denied she was in financial difficulties and said she had not wanted any of the reward money.
The trial continues.
More coverage:
Day 10: Kidnap accused 'hid Shannon in flat out of fear'>>
Day nine: Shannon accused faced previous charge of abduction>>
Day eight: Shannon accused too poorly to attend trial>>
Day seven: Shannon taken on trips to park>>
Day six: Shannon mother 'told friends she knew who took her daughter'>>
Day five: Shannon 'frightened and crying when we found her'>>
Day three: 'Creepy' Shannon kidnap accused attacked in prison>>
Day two: Shannon mother 'joked about sex with policeman' during search>>
Day one: Shannon 'drugged and bound in 50,000 fraud plot'>>
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Libraries aren’t like supermarkets, they are magical places where dreams begin
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
