Celebrations as missing Shannon found alive

Family and friends of nine-year-old British girl Shannon Matthews were celebrating tonight after she was dramatically found alive 24 days after going missing.

Police smashed their way into a flat about a mile from her home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, to find the schoolgirl hidden in the base of a bed.

Officers arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of abduction at the ground-floor property in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr.

Shannon’s father, Leon Rose, said he was “over the moon” at the news, adding that being reunited with her would be like “winning the lottery”.

The youngster’s mother, Karen Matthews, was said to be “in shock” at hearing that her daughter was alive.

West Yorkshire Police reportedly went to the flat where Shannon was found after receiving tip-offs from a neighbour and the charity Missing People.

Local residents in Lidgate Gardens said the man under arrest lived alone and “kept himself to himself”.

One reported that Shannon looked “quite calm” as she was carried out of the flat by a policeman.

Christopher Heaps came out of his home at number 4 Lidgate Gardens just after midday after hearing banging and saw police smash the door of the flat down.

“About five minutes after that a policeman came out with a girl under his arms,” he told Sky News.

“I just said to the policeman: ’Is that Shannon?’ and he said: ’Yeah, this is Shannon’.

“I was very shocked… I couldn’t believe it was on my own doorstep.”

Mr Heaps said a woman in the downstairs flat raised the alarm.

“She said that she heard a child’s footsteps above and she knew that he hadn’t got any children (in the flat). I think she called the police and they took it from there then,” he said.

Batley Carr resident Mandy Dixon, 37, added: “I couldn’t see Shannon’s face - she was covered up. She was clinging to the officer for dear life.”

She said the suspect was then “dragged” out of the property and into a waiting vehicle.

“He wasn’t walking, he was just limp. There were two men on either side of him. They were dragging him,” she said.

Miss Dixon, a mother of four, said the man had lived at the property for about three or four years.

“He kept himself to himself. He was always washing his car but in recent weeks he hasn’t.

“As far as I’m aware he didn’t work. He was very quiet and never said much to anybody.”