Karen Matthews 'over the moon' over death of daughter Shannon's kidnapper Michael Donovan
18 April 2024, 15:05 | Updated: 18 April 2024, 16:18
The evil mother of kidnapped Shannon Matthews is "over the moon" her daughter's co-kidnapper has died.
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Michael Donovan, 54, was jailed following a sadistic plot to fake the kidnapping of nine-year-old Shannon in 2008, with the hope of cashing in on a £50,000 reward.
Twisted Donovan died this week from cancer.
Karen Matthews ventured out of her home today and was pictured for the first time since her daughter's kidnapper died.
She emerged from her flat and said: “I'm innocent, leave me alone."
Her boyfriend Paul Saunders told The Mirror: “She's over the moon that Donovan is dead. "It's the best news she's had in ages. Karen hopes that he rots in hell, we both do. Donovan is scum, we hope that he had a painful death."
READ MORE: Family of Shannon Matthews' sick kidnapper 'warned police to go to his house on day one of search'
He added: "She was told about it in a phone call and she screamed with happiness. She was punching the air because this man deserved to die. Good riddance to him."
The nation was gripped after a seemingly distraught Matthews appeared on TV 15 years go, appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward to help find her missing daughter.
Saunders insisted on Matthews' innocence, saying that it was Donovan who "did the crime" and that Matthews "had nothing to do with it".
Both Matthews and Donovan were sentenced to eight years at Leeds Crown Court in January 2009 after being convicted of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
Donovan, who later changed his name to Aiden Johnson, was diagnosed with stage-three throat cancer in February, and succumbed to his illness on Tuesday, after he collapsed at Three Valleys Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, where he later died.
Matthews has not seen Shannon or any of her other children for "several years" and now lives with Sanders, with the pair thought be together for five years, in the south of England.
Matthews could be hearing shouting: 'I'm innocent, leave me alone," as she left her rundown flat.
