By Judith Phillips, Reporter
So it looks as though the mum of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews may have been telling porkies all along when she reported her daughter missing and gave repeated press conferences pleading for her safe return.
Today, Karen Matthews appeared in court in Leeds via video link to face charges of child neglect and perverting the course of justice; the second charge states "she repeatedly concealed information" relating to her daughter's whereabouts. She was remanded in custody to go on trial on November 11.
Obviously she is innocent until proven guilty, but if it eventually does emerge she colluded in the purported abduction of her daughter it is a very worrying precedent.
As a mum and grandparent I can't imagine how anyone could consider compromising their child's welfare and safety, whatever the motivation. Around 15 years ago I was involved in reporting a child abduction story and saw first hand the devastating impact it had on not just the child's parents, but their wider family and friends.
In that instance a tiny newborn baby was snatched from the maternity unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. Imagine the horror and disbelief of her parents when they found an empty cot. Right from the start the decision was taken to involve the media so we witnessed at first hand the sheer agony of those parents as they clung to each other for support and appealed for their little one's return.
Thankfully the media coverage and police diligence helped bring a relatively swift outcome, and within a matter of days the baby was reunited with her parents after being found in a house only a short distance from the hospital. Their joy and relief at getting her back was palpable and we all rejoiced with them.
Contrast that with the discovery of Shannon Matthews and the story which gradually unfolded afterwards, which seems to indicate that one or more of her family knew where she was all along. What a disservice to parents who have genuinely lost a child through abduction or straying. In future, will the police waste vital hours trying to ascertain the veracity of the information they receive, and will we the press treat it with perhaps unwarranted sceptism, meaning the speedy safe recovery of that child could be impeded?
I hope not.
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