Full coverage and more video »

Throughout his trial Donovan came across as a loner and a misfit.

Physically he looked frail and weak, with no teeth, thinning hair and bulging eyes. He appeared unable to look after himself, let alone a nine-year-old girl.

As an adult he struggled to live independently, and at one point one of his daughters was caring for him, the court was told. A highly impressionable figure, he has been bullied throughout his life.

A double fracture to his jaw, inflicted by a prison inmate, helped reinforce this downtrodden image.

Softly-spoken, he was repeatedly asked by his own barrister to talk louder as he gave evidence at his trial.

The evidence he gave portrayed a pathetic figure who was picked on throughout his life.

He suffered from a range of physical and mental problems, including depression, anxiety and a condition which meant his legs could give way if he became stressed.

Some of his health problems may be attributable to head injuries he suffered in a serious car accident in 1990.

Donovan was the youngest of nine children - three boys and six girls - and as the baby of the family would be spoilt by his mother.

He was said to have had a "good and happy" childhood on an estate in Dewsbury which involved the usual sibling rivalry, fighting with his sister, usually over pets.

But from an early age he was telling stories and fantasising about being someone else.

He went to a special school, where he was bullied, but when he was 16 he ran away from home and never went back.

As a juvenile he picked up a string of convictions for arson, shoplifting and criminal damage.

Despite a low IQ, on the border between learning difficulties and a more severe learning disability, he managed to hold down a series of jobs, including a delivery driver and shelf stacker.

Psychologists were "astonished" he was able to pass his driving test and keep a job as a driver.

A former employer of Donovan's said he had a soft spot for him despite agreeing he was a "dim-wit", "not all there" and had "no common sense".

Colin Backhouse said Donovan worked for his West Yorkshire engineering firm as a general labourer and delivery driver between 1989 and 1991.

He said he once sent him out to put £20 of diesel in his pick-up just for something to do because he was "getting on my nerves".

Mr Backhouse said he was bemused when Donovan kept driving past the firm's premises again and again.

When Donovan eventually returned he told his boss he could only fit £18.48 worth of fuel into the vehicle so he kept driving around until he could squeeze another £1.52 worth into the tank.

Originally called Paul Drake, he changed his name by deed poll to Michael Donovan because he loved science fiction TV show V, in which one of the characters was called Michael Donovan. One of his other brothers objected to the name change as he was already called Michael.

He became obsessive about his beloved Peugeot car, religiously washing and polishing it. He was a fantasist who lived in a make-believe world and would tell relatives and neighbours elaborate stories about his life, at one point claiming he had a girlfriend who was a high-flying solicitor.

He was described as a "bit weird and a loner" who would rely on neighbours for help and guidance.

On February 19 his world changed forever when he kidnapped Shannon off the street and held her captive for 24 days.

Why he took part in such a harebrained scheme remains unclear, although his troubled and lonely past could provide the answer.

Donovan's former wife, Sue Bird, told the BBC: "If he's that unstable - enough to keep a little girl in his flat... when virtually the whole country is out looking for her - how on earth does he expect to get away with that?

"That scared me. Thank God they found her when they did."