Police get more time with Shannon suspect

Police have been given extra time to question a man suspected of abducting schoolgirl Shannon Matthews.

The 39-year-old man, who has not been named by police, was arrested on Friday after the nine-year-old was found in the base of a bed a mile from her home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

He went before magistrates on Saturday evening where a warrant for further detention was granted.

Media have named him as Michael Donovan, formerly known as Paul Drake, an uncle of Matthew's stepfather Craig Meehan.

Police will also continue the delicate task of talking to Matthews to find out what happened to the youngster between her disappearance from the gates of her school in Dewsbury and her dramatic rescue 24 days later.

Matthews is currently the subject of an emergency police protection order.

Her mother Karen said the family was planning a party on her daughter's return home, but added she understood it may be a while before that happens.

"Of course I want her back with us as soon as that's possible but I understand that could take some time," she said in a statement.

"When she does come home I want it to be for good. Our main priority is Shannon's welfare."

She added: "The most important thing is that Shannon is safe. I have seen Shannon and I am completely happy that she is being very well looked after and is being given all the care she needs."

West Yorkshire police rejected suggestions in the media by MEP Edward McMillan-Scott that they would have found her quicker if they had used an amber alert scheme.

At one stage, 10 percent of the force's officers were involved in the investigation, making it one of the biggest in the area since the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry in the late 1970s.

They said the scheme is designed for use in potential child abductions where a vehicle or partial vehicle details are known.

"As such its use would have been wholly inappropriate in this case and the suggestion it could have somehow speeded up Shannon's recovery is totally inaccurate," the force said in a statement.

The youngster had gone missing on February 19 after a swimming trip.

She was discovered in the base of a bed at a flat in Batley Carr after police smashed their way in on Friday.