The Story of Karen Matthews - Britain's 'Worst Mother'
By Pictolic https://www.pictolic.com/article/the-story-of-karen-matthews-britain39s-39worst-mother39.htmlWhat could be more terrible for a mother than the disappearance of a child? For most, this is a real catastrophe, and such things are not to be trifled with. But there are still women who are able to make money out of misfortune. And often alcohol and drugs become "advisers" in this matter. The story of British Karen Matthews - a cynical and unprincipled mother who used tragedy for her own benefit.
On February 19, 2008, an alarming call came into the police station in the British town of Dewsbury. The caller was a woman who introduced herself as Karen Matthews. In an alarmed voice, she reported that her 9-year-old daughter Shannon Matthews had not returned from school. The mother said that before calling the police, she went around to all the family and friends of the child, combed the area around the school and home, but the girl was nowhere to be found.
The girl left school three hours ago, although it was only a ten-minute walk home. Many believe that this was the largest search operation in British history. It involved 250 police officers and 60 detectives, hundreds of soldiers and volunteers.
The child was searched for everywhere: at construction sites, in abandoned houses, in forests and fields, at the bottom of rivers and lakes. The police checked the apartments of people previously convicted of crimes against minors. They questioned 1,500 drivers and residents of 3,000 houses. But no trace of 9-year-old Shannon was found anywhere. The search lasted 24 days and cost 5 million pounds sterling. A reward of 50 thousand pounds (approximately 6.3 million rubles) was announced for any information about the missing girl.
The search for Shannon attracted the attention of millions of people in the UK. The missing girl's mother, Karen Matthews, quickly became famous. She regularly appeared on television, gave several interviews a day to newspapers and online publications. However, the identity of this woman raises many questions. Karen could hardly be called a worthy nominee for the "mother of the year" award.
Karen had seven children from five different fathers. The woman did not show any special care for her offspring - the children were often dirty, poorly dressed and often hungry. The dysfunctional family repeatedly came to the attention of the police and social services. Karen was known for her love of drinking and noisy entertainment in the company of men.
The missing girl, Shannon Matthews, was described positively at school. She studied diligently, and there were no complaints about her behavior. But some teachers noticed that she had become somewhat lethargic and absent-minded lately. It looked as if she was depressed or had health problems. However, Shannon herself never complained about anything at school.
Days and weeks passed, and there was no news about the child's fate. As the initial excitement began to subside, more and more people began to notice the strange behavior of her mother, Karen. In front of journalists, she played the role of a grief-stricken mother, but as soon as she was ignored, her behavior changed dramatically. Karen continued to go to pubs and cafes, where she drank, laughed loudly, and sometimes even danced.
In the establishments where Karen frequented, there were always people who pitied her and wanted to buy her a drink. This clearly pleased the drinking woman. Once she even said that it would be nice if children disappeared more often. However, immediately after that she added that it was an unfortunate joke.
Fortunately, the search was successful: on March 14, 2008, Shannon Matthews was found safe and sound. The girl had been in the apartment of Michael Donovan, a relative of Karen's partner, Craig Meegan, all this time. The police were helped by neighbors who reported that Donovan had recently begun to behave strangely, and the sounds coming from his apartment indicated that a child was there.
The police couldn't just come and search. So they organized 24-hour surveillance of Michael's apartment. It soon became clear that he wasn't alone at home, but it was impossible to determine who was living with him by his footsteps and rustling sounds. The mysterious second occupant of the lonely bachelor's apartment never left the door or even appeared near the windows.
Eventually, the detectives managed to get permission to search through the court. Donovan did not open the door, and it had to be broken down. As soon as the police entered the apartment, a child's voice was heard: "Enough, you're starting to scare me!" In the far room, under the bed, in a laundry box, they found Shannon. In the corner of the same room, buried in a pile of clothes, sat the owner of the apartment.
The police immediately had three suspects: Karen, her boyfriend Craig, and Michael Donovan. Incidentally, during the search of Craig Meagan, they found a collection of child pornography and illegal substances. This became the reason for a separate criminal case. During the investigation, it turned out that the girl's mother decided to make money on the disappearance of her child. Karen knew that public organizations and funds often offer rewards to those who help find the missing person. To implement her plan, she chose the hard-drinking and accommodating Donovan as her assistant.
According to the criminals' plan, Shannon was to be "found" by Michael Donovan. He was the one who was supposed to receive the reward, which the accomplices were then going to split. Since both were narrow-minded alcoholics, their plan seemed ideal to them. They began preparing the girl for the staged kidnapping in advance: several weeks before the event, they began mixing tranquilizers into her food, which made the child inhibited.
Michael Donovan did not offend the girl and even spoiled her with sweets. She had children's books, a TV and a game console at her disposal. However, she could only turn the sound on the devices to a minimum level, and approaching the windows was strictly prohibited. Despite this, Shannon was happy with her "imprisonment" and later admitted that she lived better with Donovan than at home.
In November 2008, Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan went on trial. The third participant in those events, Craig Meegan, was not in the courtroom. The investigation failed to prove his involvement in the crime. But Karen's boyfriend was tried separately for child pornography and drugs.
"Britain's Worst Mum", as Karen was dubbed in the press, and her accomplice Michael Donovan were each given eight years in prison. However, they only served half of their sentences: they were released in 2012 for good behaviour. All of Karen's children were removed and placed in the care of social services.
The crime, which had no victims and no violence, nevertheless caused a huge public outcry in Great Britain. During the trial of the abduction stagers, activists gathered outside the Palace of Justice, demanding… the death penalty for Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan.
It was not easy for the "Britain's worst mother" in prison - Karen repeatedly complained of bullying from other prisoners. She was even sent to the prison hospital after an incident when a pot of hot soup was poured over her head while she was on duty in the canteen.
Karen's sentence seemed to do her good. She gave up drinking and, after her release, found work in a charity shop. Not wanting to stay in her hometown, where everyone knew her, Karen moved to the south of the country. There she married a man who was also serving time for crimes against minors. Both found solace in religion and became involved in charity work.
There is little up-to-date information about the fate of the heroes of this story. Some claim that Karen Matthews is seriously ill and has not appeared in public for a long time, others say that she died in 2020. Michael Donovan, having been released, soon found himself behind bars again, and his tracks are lost. But something is known about the fate of the children and the main character of the story - Shannon. All seven children of the "worst mother" were tried to be taken into custody by their grandparents. But they were refused due to their advanced age and low income.
All of Karen Matthews' children were adopted by one family. The new parents turned out to be wonderful people, and the children wanted for nothing. They were also allowed to see their grandparents. Shannon, now an adult and independent, is dating a young man. She prefers not to talk about her mother and claims that they have not seen each other since her arrest.
Do you think a person who committed such a crime can change? Share your opinion in the comments!
Recent articles

Some species of migratory birds cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At the same time, waterfowl can easily arrange a rest for ...

"If a person decided to always indulge in serious affairs, not allowing himself any entertainment and jokes, then either he would ...
Smartphones and other digital devices has greatly facilitated our lives — but they also serve as a barrier to our physical and ...