When Karen Matthews reported her nine-year-old Shannon Matthews missing after failing to return home after a swimming lesson, her neighbour Petra Jamieson supported her throughout the ordeal until casual remark left her horrified
When nine-year-old Shannon Matthews was reported missing on 19 February 2008, her neighbours on Dewsbury’s deprived Moorside Estate had only kindness to give.
But they gave it to her mum, Karen, by the bucketload. Recalling a visit to a local chip shop with Karen, her friend Petra Jamieson says: “We went into a fish and chip shop, and she got fish and chips for the family.
“The person behind the counter says, ‘They are on us. We’re really sorry about what’s going with your daughter.’
“She (Karen) looked at me and just said she should ‘get rid of one of my kids more often’ At the time, I just slapped her on the side of the arm… ‘why would you say that?’”
Petra’s chilling revelation is made in a new two-part Prime Video documentary The Hunt for Shannon Matthews available in The UK and Ireland on Sunday August 17. It comes as Shannon Matthews’ mum Karen’s life in prison is revealed.
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It tells the incredible story of how, after Shannon disappeared for 24 days, it was revealed that Karen had actually plotted the kidnap in conjunction with her boyfriend’s uncle, Michael Donovan.
Petra is one of Karen’s neighbours who is featured in the documentary, and recalls watching her stand outside her West Yorkshire home, pleading for the return of her “beautiful princess daughter” Shannon.
Living just two doors down from Karen, her children went to the same school and the mums had become close friends.
With the customary kindness of folk living on the council estate, Petra supported Karen throughout the 24 days that Shannon was missing.
And when she was found, the community celebrated.
Petra, who was at Karen’s house when police arrived to tell her Shannon had been found, says: “We were all bouncing about!
“We didn’t know what would happen.”
The one sadness was that Shannon, who had to be interviewed by police, couldn’t come home.
Recalling how she remembered the little girl, Petra says: “Shannon was a pleasant, lovely girl to have around. Never any bother. She would play in the garden with her siblings. She never wandered far. “
A couple of weeks after Shannon was found, a relieved Petra accompanied Karen to the local chippy to get food for her family and the concerned owner said the meal was free.
Like the rest of the estate’s residents, the chippy owner had been willing Shannon – who allegedly failed to return home after being dropped off at school from a swimming lesson – to be found safe and sound.
For Petra, as a fellow mum, she knew what Karen was going through was every parent’s worst nightmare.
And she was thrilled when Shannon was found alive.
She says: “It meant everything. No parent wants to think that their child is not going to come home.”
But Petra couldn’t shake off the callousness of Karen’s strange comment after being given a free chippy tea.
She had already felt uncomfortable about how much Karen “liked the attention” of being in the press.
She says: “She liked the fact that she could go into town, and everyone recognised her. People had sympathy for her and compassion, giving her hugs.”
Still, she had never for a moment suspected her pal of plotting her own child’s kidnap and was devastated when she finally discovered the truth.
“She (Karen) didn’t have a lot, but she made sure her children were watered and fed – I thought she was just like me,” says Petra, her voice breaking with emotion.
Even now, 16 years later, the betrayal still hurts.
Once the staunchest defender of Karen and her partner Craig Meehan, Petra had even appeared on a 2008 Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary Shannon Matthews: The Family’s Story filmed as a fly on the wall look at a grieving family missing their daughter.
Petra was seen reading a newspaper story, in which Karen’s parents said her children were physically assaulted by Craig.
Furious on Karen’s behalf, she said: “I really hope I don’t see your mum.”
Sadly, she had been completely hoodwinked by Karen and Craig, who were arrested 19 days after Shannon was found – a terrible twist to an already shocking story.
Alongside a massive search for Shannon mounted by the Moorside community, West Yorkshire Police ran an intensive hunt for the child, costing £3.2 million, as more than 200 officers and three-quarters of all the UK’s specially-trained police dogs were involved.
After the first ten days with no new developments, some media outlets began reporting on Shannon’s background and her “disordered family life” with Karen, then 32, and her stepdad Craig, 22
But the reports were dubbed “classist,” compared to the sympathetic coverage of Madeleine McCann’s doctor parents Gerry and Kate McCann, nine months earlier, when she was abducted while they were enjoying a restaurant meal.
As time passed, however, it became increasingly difficult for those who mixed with Karen to ignore her odd behaviour, in light of what had allegedly happened to Shannon.
In the Prime Video documentary, local journalist Richard Edwards describes a bizarre moment when he went inside Karen’s house to interview her about the search.
Laughing, she jumped out from behind the living room door, as if she was playing hide and seek.
“I thought probably she was painting on a smile just pretending all was okay for the other kids at home. Maybe she was just pretending all that was okay for them,” says Petra, commenting on what happened..
On March 14, 2008, Shannon was found alive, concealed in the base of a divan bed at the flat of Craig’s uncle, Michael Donovan, 39, who was arrested at the scene, was charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Strands of Shannon’s hair, when tested, showed she had been drugged with sedatives.
Further tests then showed she had been drugged possibly for as long as 20 months before she was found.
An elasticated strap with a noose on the end was found at the flat, which may have been used as a method of restraint.
With it around her waist, Shannon would have been able to use the toilet and turn the TV on, but she would not have been able to leave the flat.
During his arrest, Donovan – who died from cancer in April 2024, aged 54 – had shouted: “Get Karen down here! We’d got a plan. We’re sharing the money – £50,000!”
Karen strenuously denied the accusations. But another friend, Natalie Brown, was growing suspicious.
Eventually, Natalie – along with fellow Moorside resident and Chair of the Moorside residents and tenants association, Julie Bushby, who had put her life on hold to lead the community search – questioned her directly.
Karen admitted she’d been lying the whole time. She had known Shannon was with Donovan and had lied through her teeth to friends, neighbours and the press – accepting everyone’s kindness and concern.
Karen was arrested and tried with Donovan at Leeds Crown Court. There, she retracted her confession and told police five different versions of events.
Karen and Donovan were found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Each was jailed for eight years.
Shannon was placed in emergency social services care and later given a new identity. Petra says: “At the trial I still didn’t want to believe that Karen had anything to do it
“Even though she admitted it, I wanted to see if she would sit and admit it in the court. At the end, she still couldn’t be honest. She lied and lied and lied. Is that because she thought she could get away it? Who knows?”
Karen was released in April 2012 after serving half her sentence.
Despite struggling with her friend’s deception, Julie wonders whether everything Karen did was because of vile images on her partner Craig’s computer.
“Did Karen know? Maybe that’s why she did what she did. To keep Craig away from her,” she says.
“Can we ever get the truth? I don’t think we ever will.”
* The Hunt for Shannon Matthews will be available on Prime Video in The UK & Ireland on Sunday August 17
