Shannon's mother charged with perverting justice

The mother of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews has been charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect, the Crown Prosecution Service said on Tuesday.

Karen Matthews, 32, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, had spent two nights in police custody since being arrested on Sunday.

Her nine-year-old daughter disappeared after a school swimming trip in February, sparking a massive police hunt.

She was found safe and well in the base of a bed about a mile from her home 24 days later.

"We have decided that there is sufficient evidence and have authorised that Karen Matthews should be charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect," Peter Mann, a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer, said in a statement.

Matthews, who will appear before Dewsbury magistrates on Wednesday morning, was the fourth member of the extended family to be arrested in connection with the disappearance.

A fifth member, Matthews' partner Craig Meehan, 22, was remanded in custody on charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Michael Donovan, the 39-year-old uncle of Meehan, has been charged with abduction and imprisonment in the case.

He was taken to hospital on Sunday after a case of "serious self harm", a Ministry of Justice source said, but has since returned to Leeds prison.

Two other family members were released on police bail on Saturday pending further investigations.

Media reports identified the pair as Amanda Hyett, 25, and Alice Meehan, 48, the sister and mother of Craig Meehan.

Hyett was held on suspicion of assisting an offender while Meehan was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Shannon herself has not returned home since her rescue and remains in the care of social services.