Shannon Mathews

[jazzactivist]

Much as I think that we have all probably avoided this issue, I felt that in the light of Shannon's mother and other relatives being charged today, I just had to. What do you think of it all? Do you think that all the publicity and sympathy that the McCanns recived has led a much poorer family to try to cash in? Do you think that the mother is neglectful, cruel and callous, or uneducated, and easily led? Or do you think that this is the down side of the old tradition of extended families living close together?

My own view is that this stunt was an horrendous thing to do, both to the girl herself and for future abductees, and that so many family members seem to have collaborated in it. I am also concerned about what else might have been going on given that the step-father has been charged with possessing sexual images of children, even though they are not of his own family. What's your view?

[Ivy]

There have been so many awful things going on here regarding children (babies been murdered by their mums) that I must admit that I didn't follow the press on this case. Just read an article on timesonline and I wonder how a woman can live with a convicted child abuser when she has 7 children at home. The whole story is bizarre and it is certainly true that it is easier to feel sorry for the Mc Cann family than the Matthews but than again I don't believe the Mc Canns either.

[Healing Hands]

Jazz, I too think it is horrendous that the mother and the other family members could do such a thing to a child, and yes it had to be for money and getting some sort of kick out of it all. I look at that mother on TV and see evil in her eyes I am sorry to say that but I do there is something about her eyes that I do not like or would trust.

As you said about her lastest partner who is what 21 somethig like that any rate, please what is he all about I ask myself?

Plus it has cost the police 1 million pounds to find this child and who ends up paying for that "we do".

I feel sorry for this poor child that has had to go through what she has with parents like that, I just hope that one day she will grow up and be a good adult and does not take after her family.

There is so much more I could say about this case, but I get so angry about it all. Ivy I too have the same feeling about the Mc Canns someone is not telling the truth somewhere along the line, but that is a different case.

I will watch this thread with interest, well done Jazz for bringing it up.

[sheddie]

What about all the other children that were at home were they on these awful pictures? It will surely affect this little girl for the rest of her life. X

[Oola]

Well I think it's a case of them being both uneducated and easily led, as well as quite unsavoury characters. You must have to be a bit of a desperado to go that far.

I did wonder why she was with someone so much younger than her, and not that much older than some of her children. It all seemed to be a very weird set up. I can't really comment any further as I've not being following the story lately - I only saw the documentary on Channel 4 a while ago.

[sunflower]

Because I do'nt read the tabloids and only learnt about this on the radio, I guess I do'nt understand what is going on. I was under the impression that, the mother and other member of the family planned the abduction to get her away from the step father that had abused her and this is why the mother and others have been charged because they did'nt go to the Police. But obviously I have got the wrong end of the story.

[Crocus]

On Sky News it was said that this woman had 7 kids with 5 fathers! The day that Shannon were abducted she didn't want to go home - something is not right here. I think you are right Jazz in saying that they tried to cash in. If that's the case, how can you put your child through something like this, for money? I don't understand it, or I must be utterly stupid.

[jazzactivist]

I think that it is very odd and callous behaviour to put a child through that aswell. I agree with Oola that the family and friends are uneducated, and obviously cooked up this scam to try to get money from the press and public, but have been caught out. It seems a strange reaction to the coverage of the McCanns' situation to look at how a copycat situation could make money, but perhaps the unease about whether the McCanns are genuine has also encouraged this from less scrupulous people. The potential for media attention and making lots of money in different ways must have seemed ideal for a poor mother with 7 children, and a second husband not much older. However, there are many layers here that haven't been revealed. Such as why the uncle agreed to play such a large part in the fake abduction? It seems strange that he had a completely different name prevously too - which implies a criminal history. He will no doubt go to prison, but perhaps he was promised a share of the proceeds and that's why he did it. Knowing that the whole abduction was faked looks obvious with hindsight when you see repeat coverage of the way that the mother appeared when in front of the press. Now we can see that she was acting, but at the time no-one wants to challenge a distraught mother, plus avoid other criticism about classism when comparing her to Madeleine McCann's mother's coolo behaviour.

I think that while large extended families living near one another can be secure and helpful, this shows what can happen if their values are not wholesome and a whole range of family members and friends collude to protect one another and are willing to put children at risk. I hope that Shannon is given alternative care such as fostering or adoption so that she can make her way out of that unhealthy culture.

[Oola]

Well said jazz. I think the media have played a hugely important role in this whole fiasco. Of course, as far as the McCanns are concerned, and with genuine missing child incidents, media coverage can be a bonus. Coverage can help reach people that might otherwise have not been in the know, which can help bring children home.

But again, media culture can exascerbate problems. The sensationalism of it all I think was partly what made carrying out this faked abduction so appealing to them. Generally, the public have a thirst for knowledge about these things, wanting to know every little secret, every grim detail of the story, we want to see a fairytale happy ending and the tabloids and women's weekly mags of this world are only too happy to indulge us.

I do remember when Rich and I were watching the documentary that we both commented on how the mother seemed so relaxed, given the circumstances. She joked and laughed a lot, and didn't seem to be losing much sleep. The only time she seemed upset was when she went into Shannon's bedroom. I wondered, if it was me and I'd lost my child, would I want a camera and film crew there, adding to one of the most stressful times of my life? At the end of the documentary they wrote that no one was paid for making the documentary - yet they must have known that they'd get a fair whack from media coverage in telling their story. Another thing was that we were never told really what the grandmother had to say - I think it was glossed over with a phrase like "inflammatory comments".

I too hope that Shannon is removed from that family - they really must be desperate and genuinely unaware or ignorant of how their actions would affect her. I can't believe that someone would be so callous to put their own daughter through that ordeal. Maybe I'm too soft. I am really at pains to use the word 'evil', but there is something very twisted about the psychology of that family unit.

[Crocus]

What worries me the most in this whole tragedy, is what will become of Shannon? The little girl is only 9 and with everything she had to endure so far...her life is in a total shambles and I wonder what goes on in her little mind. What kind of life will she have? She probably will have to have a lot of therapy to help her get through this and it might take long time to 'recover'.

[Katelb]

I feel sorry for the child Shannon too and I really hope she is never placed back with her mother and step father or what hope will the poor child have. That woman doesn't deserve children just to treat like she has treated Shannon,and I wonder what has become of the other children? I think what Shannon has been subjected to is despicable and I hope she gets a better chance at life now and is never subjected to the previous environment.

[Crocus]

I wonder if she will ever completely recover from all her ordeals.

[Ivy]

There are therapies for children like her but will she get it? I read in a German newspaper today that she refused to return home because she got a kitten from her foster family.This was supposed the reason she wanted to stay with the foster parents rather than returning home. How desperate must she be for love if a kitten is more important than her mother?

[Healing Hands]

Yes Katie there are lots of mothers out there who are desperate for a child to have and to love and this women has 7 children and all by different fathers, she does not deserve to have them and I certainly hope that she never has her children back with her or that Shannon and her brothers and sister never have to go back to any of there relations as they all seem as bad as one another.

[Crocus]

There are so many angles to this story. The brothers and sisters are split up, living somewhere else and not together. As Ivy has said, the kitten means much more to her than going "home", because I don't think it ever was a home. More a house with a woman living there with children she doesn't really care for. What can be going in those childrens' minds and hearts. Does someone perhaps now whether they're older and younger than Shannon?

[dinger]

This whole case seems to be such a jumble with so many family members involved . I can't quite make any sense of it at all yet. What they hoped to gain is beyond imagination .