Ten years after Shannon Matthews was reported missing, new details have emerged about the hoax that captivated the nation. The nine-year-old was found alive after 24 days, but her mother Karen Matthews was later exposed as the orchestrator of the kidnapping.
Natalie Murray, a former friend of Karen Matthews, has spoken about her suspicions from the start. 'Straight away my gut was telling me something wasn't right,' she said. 'Karen was carrying on with normal stuff, tidying up the house. It was as if Shannon had just gone to her friend's.'
Murray, who lived two doors away, noticed bizarre behaviour during the search. Matthews and her partner Craig Meehan were 'laughing and joking, playing computer games' instead of showing distress. Matthews also ignored police advice and gave a televised appeal, clutching a teddy bear that did not belong to Shannon.
Former police commander Barry South described the operation as 'totally different' from typical missing child cases. More than 300 officers and three-quarters of the UK's body dogs were deployed. Shannon was eventually found drugged in a divan bed at a flat belonging to her mother's boyfriend's uncle.
Murray's questioning three weeks after Shannon's discovery forced a confession from Matthews. 'By her own admission, Natalie Murray was responsible for sending her former best friend to prison,' the report states. Matthews was sentenced to eight years for kidnapping and perverting the course of justice.
