FALSE ALARM

A new documentary revisits the shocking story behind the Shannon Matthews 'kidnap'

- WORDS: JEN PHARO AND LAURA CARRENO-MÜLLER

When nine-year-old Dewsbury schoolgirl Shannon Matthews went missing in 2008, her mother Karen begged for her return. “If anyone’s got my daughter, my beautiful princess daughter, please bring her home safe,” she pleaded.

However, when police found Shannon 24 days later, they also discovered Karen had conspired to fake her daughter’s kidnap, hoping to pocket a £50,000 reward.

Now, a two-part documentary, The Hunt For Shannon Matthews, examines the case that shook the nation, featuring testimony from Karen's friends and neighbours, journalists and the detectives who rescued Shannon.