Shannon accused charged with own daughter's abduction

The man accused of kidnapping Shannon Matthews was charged with the abduction of one of his daughters 15 months earlier, a jury was told today.

Michael Donovan was involved in a custody dispute over his two daughters and took one of them on a trip to Blackpool in November 2006, Leeds Crown Court heard.

However, the charges were later dropped when the matter got to court.

The court was told he was married to a woman called Susan Bird, and they had two daughters. The court was told that the relationship broke down and ended in divorce.

Donovan began giving evidence today at his trial where he and Shannon’s mother, Karen Matthews, (aged 33), deny kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Donovan, (aged 40), of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, went into the witness box the day after the trial was halted after he received treatment for injuries he received in a prison attack.

The charges relate to the 24-day disappearance of Shannon in February and March, when the little girl was nine.

Earlier, Donovan told a jury he was “scared” of the youngster’s mother. Mr Conrad asked him: “How do you feel towards Karen? Do you like her?”

He replied: “No.” Asked why, he went on: “I’m scared of her. She kept threatening me.”

Donovan told the jury that Matthews said she had a “problem” and wanted him to sort it out. He said Matthews put a plan to him to claim £50,000 (€58,000) in reward money by pretending that Shannon was missing.

Asked how long he would have to keep her for, he replied: “She didn’t say how long it was going to be."