Weirder and weirder!

[B00]

This story really should be made into a film, you just couldn't make it up!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/73 31107.stm

[Whickerman]

That's just mad. That whole story's messed up - will be interesting to see how it all unveils

[saxy_jag]

What bothers me is how this child can possibly have any kind of normal life amidst and after everything that's happening.

What happened to confidentiality where the press is concerned? I thought there were restrictions on reporting where children are involved.

[tigerlily11]

Assisting the offender to do what? Hide the child?
Yea you couldn't make it up. If you sent it as a script to the Eastenders writers they would laugh and tell you to come back when you were sober.

[xanderma]

Do you think this could add to the suggestion on an earlier thread that the uncle was trying (albeit in an inappropriate way) to protect Shannon from her "stepfather" - could these people have been trying some sort of misguided way to help her?

[jno]

could be, xanderma. Could also be that one of them was trying to give someone an alibi like Maxine whatsername gave Ian Huntley, lying but not realising what he'd actually done.

[pug100]

The estate is one of those where almost everybody is related to one another.
The latest thinking is that this was done to set up a fund similar to the one for Madeline McCann. Once the pot fills up nicely a member of the family 'tips off' the police and claim the reward.

[xanderma]

Mr Xanderma just had a thought as well (he was sitting down at the time!) that if these people involved in Shannon's kidnap had told the police something about the stepfather at the time when Shannon was found, this would explain why she wasn't allowed home, and also why they started looking at the slimeball's background. All speculation, I know, but interesting.

At the end of the day though, those poor children....3 more in care now, so I hear?

[Ethel]

No - Shannon chose not to go home.

If she was kept away because the police and / or social services were so very concerned about her safety at home, the other children would have been removed. They were only taken into Social Service care yesterday.

[Rtaxron]

It really is a confusing story!!
I only found out yesterday that their house has only 2 bedrooms, and the step-dad had 2 computers and the mother had 1.
It seems that it pays to be on benefits?

[Ethel]

The step dad works.

[Booldawg]

The part of Shannon Matthews goes to Wee Jimmy Krankie

[anotheoldgit]

What is more frightening is the fact in this liberal minded age we live in, there must be hundreds, if not thousands of families living this kind of life-style. But it is only when something like this takes place, that they brought to llight.

These communities and their residents, are more reminiscent to the "Hillbillies" of America. I am not over religious but I believe there was something to be said for the God fearing, married, and family orientated lifestyle of the past.

[anotheoldgit]

I think for once this judge is speaking alot of sense.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=557377&in_page_i d=1770&ct=5

[Ethel]

anotheoldgit

We have always had families like this - in days gone by they worked down the pit, or in the foundry or were in the workhouse, or begging or stealing.

There have always been 'loose women', slack harries and the parish poor.

There just doesn't seem to be a slot for them in today's society - no hard manual work or line work. Where I live women like her would have been making nails at home, or chain links, less than 100 years ago . Or taking in laundry or sewing. The technical revolution has left them behind, employment wise.

I really don't know the solution.

[buildersmate]

If one had the misfortunate to have material on one's PC that one suspected shouldn't be there, then a tragedy like one's step daughter disappeared, would one not build a massive bonfire on which to incinerate the PC PDQ?

[B00]

Yeah but he doesn't look a full shilling does he? He probably did think he'd deleted them, but unbeknown to him they were obviously still stored on his hardrive.- dumping stuff in ya recycle bin doesn't reomve it from your system totally.

i did read somewhere though- that alot of their neghbours used these PC's as well, could it be possible that it was them that downloaded the pictures?

[~max~]

Nah, I totally believe that he did it (well, the downloading of child porn anyway). Why not, after all? It's just a very sad state of affairs, and I'm appalled that young children have to live in such circumstances. Unfortunately, social services are over stretched, and can't cope with the sheer amount of child abuse that is happening. They only do what they can, and tend to react to emergencies, and bless them for it. It's not an easy job, and I strongly believe that they are doing their best, considering that individual social workers are liable for so much, yet still take responsibility over so many awful cases.

[anotheoldgit]

I am sorry Ethel but I have to disagree with you on this one.

You state that :-

We have always had families like this - in days gone by they worked down the pit, or in the foundry

Just because these famililes earned their living doing hard manual labour, it did not create dis-functional families. In fact in most cases manual worker's families were close knit, God fearing folk who lived their lives to very strict standards.

What's more they were not afraid of hard work to earn a living, in fact they had to so as to support their families, no state hand-outs in those days.