The Moorside.

What sticks mosst in my mind from the case at the time was that school photo of Shannon, probably the only one Karen had of her, with her carelessly-hacked, lopsided fringe.

Tugs my heart every time I see that photo...

Her friend sold letters to the press! Who needs friends such as she

I read online a (tabloid) newspaper report recently which published letters Karen wrote to Julie from prison and in none of them did she mention her own children. She asked after Julie's children but never talked or asked about her own. Much of the content relates to material things - items of clothing and jewellery - she wanted Julie to acquire for her, and pleas for them to remain friends. Of course a lot of this reporting could be selective, but I think the whole fiasco was very sad and deluded and I hope that the children now have better lives.

It seems unlikely that Karen would be allowed to keep any subsequent baby.

I always thought that was very odd - why would a family member claim/be given the reward for 'finding' a child?

That's where Craig was supposed to come in I think - 'find' her in a supermarket and claim the reward ?

A level of stupidity combined with cunning and manipulation - not cleverness.

I see what you mean, Ana,but I still think a lot of people knew what was going on. Apparently, Mathews was still protesting her innocence in jail. Some people get so locked into their own lies they believe them to be true. I don't know how anyone can have sympathy for a women who bred for cash - children for profit.

The reasoning behind the kidnap shows a severe lack of grip on reality.

Karen arranged the kidnap hoping to claim the £50,000 reward.

For her own daughter??

The police suspected Karen early on. Apparently, Karen was in a police car when the police officer's phone rang and made the comment "What a good ringtone; where can I get it?" - what Mother, in these circumstances, would be interested in a ringtone? It certainly alerted the Police.

What happened to the money raised during the appeal?

kept quiet

Beammeup if it had been a group conspiracy there;s no way Karen Matthews would have kept quite once she'd been arrested. And surely one of the others would have cracked.

Hard to see what the'd get out of it either. The reward wasn't that huge (was it? Can't remember)

Apparently, Craig Meehan was convicted of possessing child pornography on his computer but had nothing to do with the kidnap.

That really seems hard to believe

Does anyone remember the news report given by Karen Mathews outside her home? The cameras were still on when a tearful Karen went back indoors to be greeted by howls of laughter from her friends because they knew she had just put on a performance! There was a group conspiracy - no doubt.

All that rubbish about wanting to leave Craig and go to live with his uncle was just that imo - rubbish, more fantasy, lies.
Oh what a tangled web etc

I am convinced that the three of them were involved.

The Thought Police?

I think pointing a finger at Julie is quite shocking. She may be a lot cleverer than Karen, she may in fact have a high IQ but circumstances prevented her from fulfilling her potential in life. Whatever else, she came across as a natural leader and someone who would fight injustice whilst still remaining loyal despite what her friend had done. Karen was thought by the police to be an excellent actress (real Karen).

I have come across people who, although they had a below average IQ, had a high level of cunning.

All the actresses played their parts brilliantly and although I was in two minds about watching it because the children are out there under new names, I was glad I did. I wish them well in their new lives.

It has been reported that Karen has a new boyfriend and would like another baby, let's hope she will be a better mother now if she does.
I believe the step-father knew more than was portrayed - I thought the plan was that he would meet Shannon on her 'release' from captivity.

I don't think he was charged, was he, so the BBC would not portray that.

Or Harrigran was it something more sinister?

And that's another point that makes me wonder about Julie's real involvement Gill

I did not feel drawn to Karen's friend played by Sheridan Smith, I kept wondering what was motivating her, was it friendship ? or was she trying to right some wrongs in her own life. I could not feel sympathy for Karen she was an example of a certain portion of society that should not be allowed to breed.
This poor child had a terrible start to life and clearly was more intelligent than her mother when she refused to return to the home. Social services were lacking in their care if they had even considered returning Shannon to her home.

I thought it was very good, the acting was excellent and I found myself feeling sorry for Karen by the end of it. It was interesting that the female police officer seemed to feel that way too. It was sad the way that Karen kept seeking reassurance that Julie was still her friend; she had nobody to turn to, no family who would help and was depending a lot upon Julie who she had known for quite a short time.

Wasn't Julie the only one to visit Karen in prison?

Surely not her?

Who was clever enough to organise this?

Who stirred up all the community?

Who continued to visit Karen in prison?

just wondering

The question of a third party being behind this was left unanswered. I'm wondering if this was deliberate??

AB I did say allegedly, if you google an article in The Guardian, entitled something like "Karen loved Shannon to bits" sorry no good at producing links, that mentions Shannon had been forced to take "Temazapan" for 2 years and I think I read at the time, observations from her school, that she would often fall asleep at her desk. She was asked if she wanted to see her mother after the kidnap and she said "no"