asperity Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 The schoolgirl Shannon Matthews who disappeared 24 days ago has been found alive and well. A 39 year old man has been arrested and charged with abduction. Some good news for a change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Not for the 39 yr old man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Fantastic news My heart goes out to the little girl, she must have been so terrified, and also to her family for the complete nightmare they must have all gone through but it is over now and with a happy ending for once......thank god. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milly Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Sky are reporting that the man was a 'distant' relative of her step-father. I think there's a it more to this story to come out. I'm glad the little girl's okay and hope that she gets over the trauma of what's happened to her quickly. [ 14.03.2008, 21:26: Message edited by: milly ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Not such a hapyy ending for now as just heard the news. The little 9 year old is not allowed to go home as she's been made a subject of an 'Emergency Police Protection Order' while the police begin the long process of interviewing her to find out more. Obviously the little girls welfare is the top priority until the facts of what has happened are established but can't help feel that she may been through enough already without this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted March 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 This is "procedure". Nowadays the police try not to take anything for granted for fear that it may come back to haunt them one day if something comes to light in the future that they missed due to sloppy investigation. All good copy for the tabloids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 I am thankful that at least one girl is alive - as opposed to so many that don't make it in these situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingnut Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Not my usual kind of contribution to the site, but I thought you might be interested in this..... FROM ANOTHER WEBSITE "....lets not jump to conclusions here theres more to this case than meets the eye firstly this person has only been charged with abduction not any sexual charges, secondly shannon has been taken into care, why? thirdly , and i am a bit more in the know than most as I'm from the moor and my girls are school friends of shannon we know people who know her mother and frankly she has never given a **** about shannon......it will all come out in the next few days so lets not be forming lynch mobs until the full facts are known eh lads" "....cared for better than her pikey mother did.... rob i know what you mean, my wife is parent Governor at the school and i help out with the breakfast club on Tuesday mornings you wouldn't believe some of the things Ive heard, kids getting up by themselves and making there own way to school at 8 years old is frankly disgusting this is in the dark in the winter months too, just because their lardy alcoholic parent (s?) cannot be bothered to get out of bed never mind spend some of there 'hard earned'dole or family allowance on a bit of cereal and milk for their own kids...makes me sick and ashamed to say that I'm from the moor myself.. breeding like rats,burdening the state...scum thank god my family isnt like the majority of the moor" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Kennedy Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Seems as though they are a somewhat "disfunctional family" to use modern parlance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmless loony Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 I used to make my own way to school at the age of 8? Perhaps that's what stopped me from becoming a lardy child? :confused: Secondly, this case has been interesting in comparison to the Madeline one. There was clear cut evidence from the parents' admission in the Maddy case that they had neglected their child (leaving a 4 yr old on her own with her wee twin siblings so they could go out and have dinner) and yet their twin were not taken into care. The media seems to be baying for the blood of Shannon's mother.....working class vs middle class prejudice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted March 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 My mother took me to school on the first day (age 5) but after that you were on your own. Well I had my big sister (age 7) to keep an eye on me. Perhaps it's the fear of being branded irresponsible or unfit that makes today's parents, in general, over protective towards their children, delivering them to the school door and collecting them again in the afternoon. So when something happens to someone else's child they all point the finger and say "it wouldn't happen to me because I'm a good parent". I'm positive my mother was never considered anything but a model parent to all 8 of her children. :confused: :confused: :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted March 17, 2008 Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 Perhaps parenting classes and an exam, in order to become a parent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted March 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 They already have classes on how to become parents (i.e. sex education). What they need is classes on how to act as a parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 When I saw what sort of a family this girl came from I thought "What chance does she stand?" The answer, I'm afraid, is none! These sort of people form a sort of underclass. It would be an insult to animals to describe them as living like animals. The mother has had seven children to five different fathers! The worrying thing is that the media try to dress the whole thing up as some sort of heart moving story that we should all watch or read about. Why should decent people even be interested in them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Kennedy Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I rather agree with you Lucy. The reason that maybe we should be interested in such people is the burden that they place on taxpayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Whilst we may not agree with "the type of family" Shannon came from should we not just be grateful that the child has been found safely?...happy endings regarding missing children are all to rare these days.Shannon is an innocent child regardless of what anyone's opinion of her family may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I agree wavydavy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I agree Lucy; but the tradgedy is, that in the efforts of some politicians/parties to relieve poverty, the underlying causations (ignorance and complete absence of standards) remain and indeed appear to be increasing. The callous production of children by irresponsible people (again an act of ignorance, in an age of unprecedented access to family planning), merely consignes such children to continue the cycle of poverty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateoflymm Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Originally posted by Lucy: When I saw what sort of a family this girl came from I thought "What chance does she stand?" The answer, I'm afraid, is none! These sort of people form a sort of underclass. It would be an insult to animals to describe them as living like animals. The mother has had seven children to five different fathers! The worrying thing is that the media try to dress the whole thing up as some sort of heart moving story that we should all watch or read about. Why should decent people even be interested in them! Oh, why indeed. Why did the police bother to waste man-power on searching for this 9 year old child? After all, she is part of an underclass and wouldn't really be missed by we "decent" people. Now, just supposing the outcome had been very different and far less happy. We "decent" lot couldn't have wasted our tears on the child in the same way we did for, say, the Soham children. They were middle class children from good homes and, therefore, far more deserving of media attention than this child from the wilds of subterranean Dewsbury. A missing child? How dare the media give prominence to such a story when she was the child of a feckless mother? What gives anyone the right to regard her as of any importance? We "decent" people couldn't care less, could we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayC Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Kate. I couldnt agree with you more I have been searching for the words to answer a few of the more negative posts but you have summed it up totally. Thank you. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmless loony Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Nice one Kate! No child is responsible for their parent's actions - they don't have a choice in what class they are born into. To write off an innocent child because of poverty or the parents actions are is a complete abdication of our morals and responsibilities. It says far more about our society when we are willing to write off a child because of the class they are born into - if that kind of behaviour is what you call decency then I'd rather be seen as indecent. Perhaps some people here need a reality check and should spend some time shadowing or working with people from poor backgrounds - it's very easy to write off a set of people when you're sat in your expensive houses with your top education. It's attitudes like the ones displayed by Lucy that make it difficult for people to work their way up. Interestingly - Shannon's mother did not neglect her daughter so she could go out and have some selfish fun like a certain middle class McCann family did - so tell me who is the better parent? [ 19.03.2008, 17:14: Message edited by: harmless loony ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Don't think anyone is trying to "write off" the children, quite the opposite - more like "writing off" feckless mothers (and fathers)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Original Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Well said HL No child can pick their parents and no matter who their parents are or how the parent act it has nothing to do with the child and all children should be protected at all times. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Lucy, decent people do care where the welfare of a child is concerned; you obviously don't qualify. Are you still OK in your ivory tower away from us mere mortals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted April 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2008 Now her mother has been charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect. A very peculiar (and expensive) case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.