It’s been over 15 years since the disappearance of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews gripped the UK, but disturbing new details about her mother’s true feelings are now coming to light.
A former neighbour has revealed a chilling remark from Karen Matthews—once dubbed “Britain’s worst mother”—that still lingers in her mind to this day.
The revelation comes in a new Amazon Prime documentary, The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, revisiting one of the most infamous child abduction cases in modern British history.
The Disappearance That Shook Dewsbury
Back in February 2008, Matthews conspired with Michael Donovan, the uncle of her then-boyfriend, to stage the kidnapping of her own daughter. The plan? To claim a £50,000 reward.
Donovan lured Shannon into his car after a school swimming trip and kept her captive for 24 days in his Dewsbury flat—just a mile from her home.
Shannon was sedated with the adult sleeping drug temazepam and given strict rules to keep her hidden.
She was eventually found by police inside the drawer of a divan bed, in a discovery that ended a £3.2 million search and stunned the country.
A Disturbing Joke Over Fish and Chips
While the Moorside Estate community initially rallied around Karen, believing she was a desperate mother longing for her child’s safe return, former neighbour Petra Jamieson remembers one moment that made her question everything.
Just two weeks after Shannon was rescued, Petra accompanied Karen to a local fish and chip shop.
The shop owner, aware of the ordeal, offered the meal for free.
Karen’s response left Petra frozen—she joked that she should “get rid of one of my kids more often.”
Petra recalls lightly slapping her arm in disbelief, asking, “Why would you say that?” Looking back, she believes it reflected Karen’s unsettling detachment and her enjoyment of the public attention.
The Attention She Secretly Loved
According to Petra, Karen seemed to thrive on the sympathy and recognition she received in the weeks after Shannon’s disappearance.
“She liked going into town, having people recognise her, hug her, show compassion,” Petra said.
At the time, Petra was one of Karen’s biggest defenders, never suspecting the truth.
When the kidnapping plot was exposed, she was horrified—unable to believe her friend had been deceiving her so completely.
Even in court, Petra says, Karen “lied and lied and lied,” refusing to admit her role.
Odd Behaviour and Media Games
Karen’s strange behaviour wasn’t limited to the chip shop incident.
Local journalist Richard Edwards recalls visiting her home for an interview, only for her to pop out from behind the door as if playing hide-and-seek—despite her daughter still being missing.
The bizarre moments didn’t match the image of a distraught, heartbroken mother that the public initially believed.
Prison Time and a New Life for Shannon
In January 2009, both Matthews and Donovan were sentenced to eight years in prison, serving four before their release in 2012.
Shannon and her siblings have since been given new identities and lifelong anonymity to protect them, with no contact allowed with Karen.
Michael Donovan died in April 2024 after collapsing at a hospital in Keighley.
In his later years, he sent strange emails under various aliases—including pretending to be a forensic psychologist named “Wendy”—and claimed the original plan was only to keep Shannon for a week before returning her for the reward.
He accused Karen of threatening to burn his house down if he didn’t go through with it.
The Lingering Divide Over Guilt
Despite the convictions, not everyone believes Karen was guilty.
Her boyfriend, convicted paedophile Paul Saunders, publicly claimed last year that Donovan acted alone and that “people have got this all wrong.”
But for Petra and many in Dewsbury, the evidence—and Karen’s own words—paint a very different picture.