💨 Abstract

In 2008, Shannon Matthews, a 9-year-old girl, was found tied up and drugged in a drawer in a council flat near her home after a 24-day search. Her mother, Karen Matthews, and Mick Donovan had orchestrated a fake abduction to claim a £50,000 reward. Detective Constable Nick Townsend described the tense moment they found Shannon bound and heavily drugged, fearing she might be harmed.

Courtesy: Brooke Davies