Shannon Matthews, Her 'Unfit Parents,' and Why the Police Won't Let Her Go Home

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Is it really the correct "homecoming" for a missing nine year old girl? The party held at the community hall may have looked like being just another excuse for a sub class community to get drunk on their benefit money, yet we have to ask, was it really appropriate? The family and friends had left the hall late last week, ankle deep in a sea of empty cans and broken beer bottles. Would the McCann's act the same on the safe arrival home of missing Madeline?

We have learned this week that the main suspect in this peculiar case was a relative of Shannon - the uncle of her step father, Craig Meeham. She is the daughter of a 32-year-old woman who already has seven children by six different fathers. Two of the children are "twins." The mother says they are twins as they share the same father - this is her interpretation. Is this really a family who should have been relied upon to keep a closer eye on the safety of their children?

When we live in a society which dictates to us the actual rate of an abducted child being found alive, being almost zero, we being to ask exactly who was behind the girl's disappearance.

In the UK leading newspaper today, The Daily Mail, a report on the unfolding case leads to some pretty cold revelations of a community who pulled together to find a missing loved one last week, are now under the spotlight of local authorities as it is suggested that perhaps more than one person knew what had happened to the little girl.

We know so far that Shannon has not been allowed to be touched by her mother - not even a hug of reassurance - they have only been allowed to wave at each other through a closed window - as parents, we would see that as being cruel to both parties, yet there are reasons and these are only the tip of a case the size of an iceberg. It has even been reported that the police have given her a kitten to comfort her while she remains under emergency police protection.

What perhaps is more disturbing is that the police knew of the suspect, so did the family - all ignoring the "tipoff's" that were handed out too many times to the police. The grandparents have already been reported to have said that Shannon's parents are "unfit," to look after children.

It has been revealed in the Daily Mail today how the police are becoming gravely concerned as to the exact details as to how little Shannon was treated in her 24 day ordeal by the suspect. She was found, as police raided the flat only a mile away from her home, in the based of a divan bed. As the bed had two large drawers in the base, she was found in one drawer and the suspect was found in the other.

What is actually happening now is that Shannon is having to relive that ordeal to the police which from a nine year old girl is both difficult for the police and traumatic for the child.

On the outset, Shannon was found in "good health" and appeared to be unharmed, now it appears that she may have undergone some pretty disturbing events in her terrible ordeal. So far the police have not revealed exactly what they are discovering about her ordeal. Medical tests have been carried out but so far, the results of these have not been made public. The suspect, who they still hold for a few hours more, is yet to be formally charged.

Yet there have been certain stories the police have had to dismiss which have made their way into the papers since the girl's safe capture. Reports first stated that she had run away from home and was one her way to her father's after a falling out at home with her mother and her step father, yet it now appears that she was forcibly taken whilst on her way home from school.

Another account had lead to the belief that she the whole disappearance was staged by members of her family in the hope to get money from either the police or donations - probably spurred on by the significant amount of funds which have been passed on tot he parents of missing Madeleine McCann.

Of course, Shannon wants to go home, but she won't be allowed to yet. The police will hold her for a few more days yet - the nature of this enquiry is of the highest sensitivity and therefore any questioning cannot be rushed.

Over the weekend, back at the family home, Shannon's mother, Karen, was awaiting news on when Shannon could come home.

Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, was yesterday anxiously waiting at home for news of her daughter's progress. She has already been briefed as to how her daughter will have changed, emotionally and will not be the same bright child she once was. For a time at home, she will be a stranger to the family. It may seem an obviously thing to say to a parent, but the change of a child who has survived such an event can be dramatic.

The suspect, 39-year-old Michael Donovan, is the uncle of the step father to Shannon. Donovan, who has also been known as Paul Drake, knew of the girl but she might not have known him that well.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire police told reporters:

"It is vitally important that the interviews are conducted carefully, delicately and with the utmost sensitivity. There is no time-scale for interviewing her. It will take as long as it needs to take."

The classroom like interview room has been made to look like a friendly place with toys and drawings - giving something the girl will recognise. Shannon sits not alone in the room with strange police people but with female officers, a psychologist and a social worker.

Her mother, Karen, said through a police statement,

"I wanted to say something as I know that people in the community and the media are wondering when Shannon will be able to come back home to be with us. I fully understand that the police need to keep speaking to Shannon to establish exactly what has happened during the time that she has been missing. I appreciate that could take some time and is not something that is going to happen overnight."

She said that she was happy that the police were looking after her daughter at this painful time.

"The most important thing is that Shannon is safe. I have seen Shannon and I am completely happy that she is being very well looked after and is being given all the care she needs. Of course I want her back with us as soon as that's possible but I understand that could take some time. When she does come home I want it to be for good. Our main priority is Shannon's welfare."

Yet the story unfolds over the life of the suspect, Donovan. The 39 year old had already had traumas in his life regarding his own children. It is not entirely clear as yet, but it is known that he is not allowed to see his own two children. His ex wife had described him as a "pervert."

The family of Shannon had described him as a " "weird loner." He had changed his name after having an obsession with Australian star, Jason Donovan, but was born Paul Drake. It had been reported from neighbours who knew him that he was trying to get back his right see his own children but for some reason couldn't. They also said that he had left the flat where he was keeping Shannon on many occasions, meaning she had been left in their alone for long periods of time.

It has been said that the family, who do not work and claim benefits from the state, wanted to claim £50,000 reward on offer to find the child alive. One of the community would then find her at the flat and claim the money.

Speaking on behalf of the police, Chief Superintendent Barry South told reporters,

"The main thing now is to get Shannon and her family back to some kind of normality. I will say this. I do not want people to be crawling out of the woodwork, confusing people and distracting us away from what actually happened. People saying they gave snippets of information, at particular times, and police did not do anything about them is simply not right. If anyone had pointed us to a specific house saying that Shannon was in there we would have been there within seconds."