But as the community pulls together, some journalists are becoming increasingly suspicious of Karen and Craig’s behaviour. They now seem to be relishing the spotlight. Doubts are also growing amongst the police family liaison officers assigned to Karen. ibid.
The documentary crew film Karen joking with her neighbour. She appears comfortable and relaxed. ibid. journalist
During their inquiries the police receive a tip-off about a local man. He has not been seen since Shannon went missing three weeks ago: Michael Donovan [ne Paul Drake]. Police head to Donovan’s house in Batley Carr just one mile from Shannon’s home. ibid. caption
I knew that the voice had come from within the room. I couldn’t work out where it was coming from. And then there was some noises from within the double-bed base. The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews II, investigating rozzer
Two grizzly old detectives with tears in their eyes. ibid. rozzer #2
Nine-year-old Shannon Matthews has just been rescued from a flat a mile from her home. The police are still searching for her suspected abductor, Michael Donovan. ibid. captions
She didn’t ask any questions about the child’s welfare. ibid. rozzer #3
Michael Donovan is still being held at Halifax police station. He’s been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and false imprisonment. He has implicated Karen Matthews. ibid.
In 2007 three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday resort in Portugal, in a case that made headlines around the world. For 13 years there were few leads but then a breakthrough … ‘Christian B is a suspect placing Christian at the centre of Madeleine’s disappearance.’ Prime Suspect: The Madeleine McCann Case, rozzer, DiscoveryPlus 2021
Christian B did not reveal that he was renting a white and yellow farmhouse on the outskirts of Praia de Luz. ibid.
We follow criminals without them knowing. It’s as simple as that … Don’t get caught. Taken: Hunting the Sex Traffickers I, opening scene, Channel 4 2021
Many are women, sex trafficked and hidden away in brothels. ibid.
This is an international trade in human misery. ibid.
Sex trafficking is one of the hardest crimes to prove as the victims are often too scared to come forward. ibid.
The potential link to organised crime and trafficking means the case is escalated and handed over to a high-level covert unit. ibid.
Across the UK organised crime groups are running pop-up brothels on an industrial scale. Taken: Hunting the Sex Traffickers II
It started off with an anonymous package through the door of the police station in Cirencester. ibid.
A specialist covert police unit has been tipped off about a group of sex traffickers … With Mark Viner out of the country, officers must follow all possible leads to prove he’s a human trafficker and a money launderer. For six months officers have been secretly filming the carpark of the premises believed to be at the centre of Mark Viner’s operation. Taken: Hunting the Sex Traffickers III, captions
Before the case reaches trial, Mark Viner pleads guilty to 2 counts of human trafficking, keeping a brothel and money laundering. He is sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison. ibid. caption
London hunt after gems raid: Mystery of Press Chief’s Vanished Wife. The Wimbledon Kidnapping, The Sun front page 30 December 1969, Sky Documentaries 2021
‘It was a unique case [Mrs Muriel McKay]. The end of 1969. We’d never had a kidnapping in Britain. They just didn’t know what was happening. ibid. defence solicitor
We did catch the registration of the Volvo .. that led them to Arthur and his farm. ibid.
McKay Trial Brothers: Arthur tells the court: Now I am fighting for my sanity. ibid. Mirror front page 23 September 1970
My strong feeling is that we’re dealing with more than one speaker in the calls: that means there are three individuals involved. ibid. speech analyst of phone calls
Charles Lindbergh III, the infant son of celebrity aviator Charles Lindbergh, is taken from his cot. Days later the child is found dead … Professor [Lloyd] Gardner presents another theory: Lindbergh wants his own son dead. Conspiracies Decoded s1e2, Discovery 2022
It’s a crime that has haunted one family for over 15 years … In 2020 came the biggest breakthrough in 13 years: German authorities announced they had a prime suspect: he is Christian B, sex offender, paedophile and burglar. Madeleine McCann: The Case Against Christian B, Channel 5 2022
I’m now filling in those missing pieces of jigsaw puzzle … Perhaps he is telling the truth. ibid.
I didn’t look back. Not for a second. I just ran. I kept thinking, He’s [Richard Evonitz] going to wake up. He’s going to look out the window. He’s going to pick up the gun and he’s going to shoot me in the back. But I did not care because I knew I was out. My name is Kara Robinson. I was kidnapped 18 years ago and some days it feels like yesterday. Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, Sky Crime 2022
My brain shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode. ibid.
While I was being assaulted, it felt like it was happening to someone else. ibid.
We found newspaper clippings a of young female, approximate age of Kara, who were abducted and killed in the same town. ibid. rozzer
We had a monster out there. And the emergency was to find him and get him arrested. ibid.
On 19 February 2008, 9-year-old Shannon Matthews disappeared. After a manhunt that lasted 24 days Shannon was found by the police. Alive and unharmed. This is a controversial kidnapping case. Yet no-one really knows anything about Shannon’s abductor. The Man Who Took Shannon Matthews, Channel 5 2022
Shannon’s mum Karen Matthews had seven children with six different men. She was well-known on the estate. ibid.
My name is Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe. I am a hostage. What they are putting me through is outrageous. I haven’t committed a crime. I have spent nine months in solitary confinement spending every night away from my child. I’ve never done any propaganda against the Iranian regime. I am not a political person. This should end. I haven’t done anything wrong. I should go home. Nazanin, Channel 4 2023
Tehran 2016: ‘You are banned from leaving the country … We have an order for your arrest.’ ibid. Nazanin detained
You’ve got a mum on holiday and they accuse her of being a spy. ibid. husband
A contract to sell the Shah 1,400 tanks … Iran wanted the money back. Britain wanted to hang on to that money. ibid. Duncan Campbell
Nazanin’s fate is entirely bound up in the failure to resolve this debt. ibid. husband
This is a long-running dispute between Iran and the UK. ibid.
A number of innocent people who are being held hostage. ibid.
It was the miracle of Dewsbury Moor. For 24 days a mother had lived with every parent’s nightmare. And suddenly her child was found alive. Cutting Edge: Shannon Matthews: The Family’s Story, Channel 4 2008
An entire community held its breath fearing the very worst. ibid.
‘I’m not high class like the McCann’s family.’ ibid. Karen
‘The friction among Karen’s Matthew’s family has revealed a troubling aspect to a complex case.’ ibid.
She had a whole world we knew nothing about. The Kidnap of Angel Lynn, mother, Channel 4 2023
We knew she was going out with him [Chay] … He weren’t a good boy. ibid. father
He used to steal cars. And he finally got caught. ibid. mother
She did love him. So it was a bit easier for him to control her. ibid.
We should have thought then, I wonder if he’s hitting her. ibid. father
17th September 2020: Chay bundled her into the back of the van, and his mate Rocco was driving. ibid.
She fell from the vehicle at 60 miles per hour. She suffered catastrophic brain injury. ibid. ITV news
A high profile kidnapping rips the world when the infant son of an aviation legend is snatched from his crib at home. After a nationwide manhunt the supposed culprit is brought to justice. But did authorities get the right man? History’s Greatest Mysteries s3e10: Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping, History 2022
As they comb the property Lindbergh and his Butler Ollie find a few additional clues … ‘some scraps of wood from a broken ladder underneath the window and they also find a set of muddy footprints.’ ibid.
‘It’s as if the person or persons knew exactly where to go. But how?’ ibid.
With their ransom paid there is no further communication from the alleged kidnappers. Then on May 12th the news everyone’s feared. ibid.