Karen Matthews’ friend Julie Bushby says she KNOWS why Shannon’s mother lied about ‘kidnap’
A FRIEND of the mother who lied about her "kidnapped" daughter has said she knows the real reason why she did it.
Julie Bushby, who organised the search for missing Shannon Matthews in 2008, has claimed the young girl's mum was not after the reward money - which was one of the theories behind why she committed the crime.
The story of the nine-year-old girl who went missing on her way home in West Yorkshire has captivated the nation once again after it was made into new BBC1 drama The Moorside.
Relatives and friends of the family have appeared on TV to tell their side of the story in the run up to the airing of the first episode today.
Julie Bushby, who lived on the same estate as the family in Dewsbury, has come out to claim Karen Matthews, the mother of Shannon, was simply trying to escape from her then boyfriend.
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She had moved the young girl out of the home she shared with Craig Meehan in secret, but pressure from neighbours on the Moorside estate led her to report the child as missing, Julie has claimed.
After reporting her daughter as missing she was then tied to the lie, Julie said, and she added this is the theory many police officers on the case also believe.
The new drama retells the story of Shannon’s abduction and follows the search efforts to find the young girl.
Her mum was jailed for eight years for her part in faking the kidnap of her own daughter in 2008.
The mum of seven, who has been dubbed Britain’s Most Hated Mum, was released from prison after serving half of her sentence.
Shannon was removed from her mother’s care and given a new identity - she is now 18 years old.
She disappeared on her way home from a swimming lesson at Westmoor primary school and hundreds of neighbours joined the search, which cost West Yorkshire Police £3.2million and lasted 24 days.
The nine-year-old was eventually found tethered and drugged inside the base of a double bed at her partner's relative Michael Donovan’s grotty flat almost a month after she disappeared.Karen and her boyfriend were said to have devised the elaborate plot in a bid to claim the £50,000 reward money for finding Shannon.
They had planned to release the schoolgirl, ‘discover her’ then take her to a police station and claim the reward before splitting.
But Julie has disputed this theory, and has said Karen was trying to get away from Craig.
She told that the key to understanding Karen is she is "a child in an adult's body".
Julie describes the mum as "stupid, not evil" and is convinced that her motive was not for the money.
Even after Karen was found guilty and sent to prison, Julie was the one person to visit her.
She says she did so as although she wanted answers, Karen was "a mate" and because Julie felt she "must be so lonely".
When is The Moorside next on BBC and what is it about?
Episode two of The Moorside will air on Tuesday 14 February at 9pm.
For anyone who missed the first part of the show, you can catch up now using BBC's iPlayer.
The Moorside retells the story of the manhunt from the perspective of the friends of Karen Matthews.
Sheridan Smith plays neighbour Julie Bushby, the chair of the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon.
When is The Moorside next on BBC and what is it about?
Episode two of The Moorside will air on Tuesday 14 February at 9pm.
For anyone who missed the first part of the show, you can catch up now using BBC's iPlayer.
The Moorside retells the story of the manhunt from the perspective of the friends of Karen Matthews.
Sheridan Smith plays neighbour Julie Bushby, the chair of the Moorside residents and tenants association that helped trace Shannon.
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