Shannon mother 'like Jekyll and Hyde' during search

The mother of Shannon Matthews displayed a “Jekyll and Hyde” character during the 24-day search for her daughter – joking with friends behind closed doors but subdued with the police and press, a court in Britain heard today.

At one point Karen Matthews joked that she would like to have sex with one of the policemen guarding her house as hundreds of officers searched for nine-year-old Shannon, Leeds Crown Court was told.