The disappearance of Shannon Matthews.

[Pebbledashery]

Is anyone watching this on c5 shortly? I'm fascinated by how brazen her Mother was. Poor, poor child :(

Would Shannon and her friend be able to "find" each other again when they are 18? Well Shannon find the friend really. I mean she would know her name so could look her up on Facebook or wherever. If she wanted to that is.

I would imagine then when Shannon turned 18 she was free to contact whoever she wanted to.

I'm surprised she hasn't written a book or given interviews about her ordeal - maybe it was so awful she'd rather forget it.

I was horrified to learn that she'd been drugged for at least 20 months. Wonder what that was all about.

She's been given a new identity so if she contacted anyone she knew from her former years she risks that identity being exposed, so I would expect she's advised not to.

I live on one of those so called sink estates and I can assure you most kids are not being abused or neglected,as for all those terrible things going on on those estates, remember it was the very residents of those estates who were out searching for Shannon
Karen Matthews is a despicable human being , but she is one person.

She would have been drugged so she was sedated and kept out of the way. The family home was a party house so I imagine the adults wouldn't want their fun disrupted by children waking up and coming downstairs. It's a form of abuse that usually begins by giving infants Calpol or alcohol to knock them out and progresses to stronger substances when the children get older. I can't imagine the harm that these strong sedatives do to children over a long period of time.

@x2boys My dad is now retired but worked in social services. He always told me that child neglect and abuse was as common in middle class, affluent areas as on sink estates but educated parents were much more adept at covering it up and keeping it secret.

I remember watching Karen Matthews make her first appeal on TV and thinking at the time it didn't sound right.

@rc22 I couldn’t not agree more. A retired family member who was high up in social services said the exact same thing. Also I personally know of two situations where this happened.

Sorry could not*

That doesn't surprise me @rc22 and abused and neglected children on sink estates are more likely to come under the radar of social services ,and therefore more likely to have a school place during lockdown ,unlike the middle class children whose parents are able to hide the abuse and neglect .

This programme has been shown before, hasn't it?
I'm usually rubbish at remembering what I've seen on TV, but had the strongest sense of déja-vu watching this!

There have been several documentaries shown about Shannon Matthew,s ,I don't think I have seen this particular one before ,as I don't remember her friend being in other ,s ?

@Fruitbatdancer It was definitely Shannon sitting on Mick Donovan's lap at the funeral.

@bloodyhairy This was a brand new programme. Clips in it have been shown before but most of it was new.

I know! I saw part 2. I blame my naivety in think must have been the mother not the child. Horrific. And clearly what we saw/ heard was tip of ice berg! She’d been being drugged for 20 months??? 😱😱😱

@Pebbledashery

Look at her on camera. Just pure emptiness in her eyes.

Emptiness in her head, was the problem, I think.

Emptiness in her head, was the problem, I think.

Yes, I don't get all of this Pure Evil stuff. I think she's a product of an impoverished life in all ways.

She may have had an impoverished life and I appreciate she wasn't well educated but let's not make Karen Matthews the victim here ,lots of people who are impoverished somehow manage not to neglect and abuse their children.

There were threads on here when this first happened and Karen Matthews half sister ( apparently) was posting on them ,very interesting .

I agree. It wasn't because she was poor or not very bright. It was because she was a nasty piece of work.

Oh what did her half sister have to say? Was she for or against Karen? I don't get why Julie Bushby visited her in prison, I would wash my hands of the evil bitch.

Initially I think the half sister was obviously very worried for Shannon's welfare ( I think the thread started before she was found ) but after she had been found she was quite disparaging ,about Karen ,I think they had the same father ,but hadent been brought up together .

Watching on catch up. Slightly puzzled by the role of the 'community warden' and that the school would have told her if there were any concerns with the children. Is this a common role on these estates?

I thought she might have been connected to the school ? I live on a council estate and there isn't anybody in this role on my estate and tbh I can't see the need ,unless they are working with particular families due to social problems?

Why?

Does anyone know why Karen & go did it?

I thought the warden lady was a bit odd too. At first I thought it was a voluntary role but why then would the school share confidential information about children with her?

@Supersimkin2 I've not finished the documentary but IIRC, she had seen all the money pour in for the McCanns so thought she could make some money.