Police arrest Shannon Matthews' mother: report Update #3

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I thought from the beginning that they were hoping for a "Madeleine" type response.....

Can't say I blame Shannon for not wanting to go home - poor kid

[Catty1]

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/s...8487-20388612/

Karen has not spoken of kids
By Justin Penrose, Crime Correspondent
Karen Matthews is believed to be suffering from acute depression and dissociation in jail - where officers say she has not mentioned Shannon or any of her children.

The mum-of-seven, 32, is already on suicide watch after concern about her mental state. She is now thought to be suffering bouts of dissociation - a condition where people can forget parts of their life following a shock or trauma.

Officers at New Hall Prison, Wakefield, say Matthews hasn't yet mentioned the children - though she has reportedly tried to write notes to them.

One guard said: "She hasn't said a word about her kids. The only thing she seems remotely interested in is having a cigarette."

Matthews is in the segregation wing of the jail as prison chiefs fear she would be an immediate target for other inmates.

The officer added: "They would rip her apart."

Matthews appeared at Leeds Crown Court earlier this week via a video link from prison. The charge put to her alleged that she "repeatedly concealed" information about Shannon's whereabouts.

She will be at the court for a plea hearing on July 11 alongside Michael Donovan, 39, who is charged with Shannon's kidnapping and false imprisonment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...ga-808374.html

Yesterday, The Sun's headline read "Shannon Mum is benefit fiddler". She has seen her daughter only twice since she was found. On the second occasion, they had a three-hour meeting, at the end of which, according to Karen's parents, the little girl refused to come home, saying she preferred to be with the kitten that police had given her.

...There have been several serious allegations about Karen Matthews in connection with her daughter's disappearance. But amid the speculation, one solid fact is that she has had seven children by five different fathers. Indeed, she is said to have referred to two of the children as "twins", because they had the same father. The youngest of them was fathered by her present boyfriend, Craig Meehan, 22. In a now-famous interview on Radio 4's Today programme, Sarah Montague asked: "You've got seven children by six fathers?" "Five," said Karen, deadpan.