The Moorside: how accurate is the BBC's Shannon Matthews drama?
The real story behind the nine-year-old's disappearance – and how her mother Karen was connected to the crime all along
Where is Karen Matthews now?
The truth is very few people know. She was released on licence in 2012, having served just half of her sentence. She never returned to the Moorside Estate. It has recently been reported that Karen is now tee-total and a born again Christian.
What happened to Shannon’s stepfather, Craig Meehan?
In September 2008 Meehan was convicted of possessing child pornography and sentenced to 20 weeks in prison. However, as he’d already spent so much time on remand, he was freed.
He claimed the 136 images found on his computer during the search for Shannon had nothing to do with him and attempted to appeal the ruling in 2009.
Since his release, he is believed to have moved from home to home, and was most recently spotted in Dewsbury, close to the house he once shared with Karen and Shannon.
What happened to Shannon Matthews after her mother was charged?
Shannon was taken into care immediately after she was found and remained there.
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Where is Shannon Matthews now?
The show’s writer Neil McKay says that there’s a court order preventing anyone from contacting Shannon Matthews, but we do know that she’s now 18 years old and living with a different family.
