How could a mother do this?

I know that you will all have read and re read this case over there, but this was taken from our front page news this morning, so I have just read it.
Honestly what do you think the sentence should be for Karen Matthews?, and how on earth will her little girl grow up when she must be just covered in emotional scars from such a hideous betrayal from the one person who should haved loved and protected her the most.

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A jury was told how British schoolgirl Shannon Matthews, then nine, was most likely kept on a leash while imprisoned by her mother and uncle for nearly a month while authorities frantically searched for her, The Sun newspaper reports.

Karen Matthews, a 33-year-old mother of nine, is on trial at Leeds Crown Court charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice along with Shannon's uncle Michael Donovan, 40.

Crown prosecutor Julian Goose told the court Ms Matthews raised the alarm on February 19 of this year.

"The 999 call was part of a dishonest and we say wicked plan by Michael Donovan and Karen Matthews — Shannon was the innocent victim in this plan," Mr Goose said.

"She was kidnapped and falsely imprisoned in the flat where Donovan lived.

"A looped strap was found tied to a roof beam in the West Yorkshire flat and it was probably used to restrain the nine-year-old.

"Both defendants stood by and watched the very large police investigation and assistance by many members of the public in the search for Shannon.

"Karen Matthews made impassioned public pleas for the recovery of her daughter, some of those you will see from television recordings shown on national television."

Mr Goose said Shannon's uncle would buy newspapers to keep aware of the search while he kept her "drugged, subdued and hidden from the public".

"He was watching the public search as the reward money grew," Mr Goose said.

Shannon's disappearance sparked a huge man-hunt that turned into what's been described as one of the highest-profile missing person cases in Britain's history.

The girl, now 10, was found 24 days later.

The trial continues.

Sort of makes us glad to be British - not! It is appalling, I have no idea of how a mother who is cold stone sober and not suffering any mental health problems can hatch a plan, and then treat her precious daughter like this.
Apparently Shannon is very happy with a foster family thank God, and I hope she does not lose contact with her siblings and grandparents. Not long after Shannon was found, it was reported that she had said she did NOT want to go home. I was not surprised at this, Karen Matthews from all reports, does not seem to have a maternal bone in her body. All her children have different fathers and at one point she had forgotten how many children she actually had! God alone knows what Shannon and her siblings had to put up with in that place with that woman and the succession of 'uncles'. Did you know that her partner at the time of Shannon going missing has since been arrested, charged, tried and found guilty of downloading child porn on his computer? He was found with indecent images of children aged between 4 and 16 years! He was give a 22 week sentence and because he had been in custody all the time, he was immediately released and take to an undisclosed location!

Craig Meehan - The Guardian Newspaper

I have no idea of what that poor child has been subjected to in that house with her mother and I wish the media would STOP describing Meehan as Shannon's stepfather, he is NOT. He is not married to Shannon's mother and neither he nor Karen Matthews have ever been anything resembling a parent to Shannon or her siblings. Describing him as a stepfather, is an affront to every decent stepfather in the country.

Rosiepops, what a dreadful story. And you know, what I wonder is how many other children are there that we dont know about, these terrible stories, I just feel ill reading about these kids.
I guess all my "it is so terrible" doesnt help at all, but I dont know what else to say.

During my working life I occasionally came into contact with these sorts of people, the Dreggs of society, I remember one particular woman whose house was filthy, resembled a 'public tip' and stank to high heaven. Yet come the evening quite unbelievably she dressed well, made herself up to look like the the queen and shot off to her local, probably with the intention of inviting some
sozzled bloke back to her 'boudior'. What a shock they must have got, that's if they hadn't been there before, on the other hand if they'd had 'a skinful' they perhaps wouldn't notice their surroundings until they woke up sober in the morning! These people are the pathetic misfits of the world living at the bottom of the heap! I don't know if she had any children, perhaps she had and they had grown up and abandoned ship? Many of these tragic people are beer guzzling alchoholics who's lives revolve around their local pub, I suppose they should really be pittied but most seem content with their sad lives, living on social and rubbing shoulders with their fellow boozers. I obviously do not condemn all pub users and drinkers and I expect you will have gathered by now neither my wife nor I are habitual drinkers, far from it thank God.
Alroy.

I have to say that this case is apalling, I don't know how else to describe it, it seems that the children who didn't live with Karen are the lucky ones. Poor Shannon, those stories about how they were beaten and not fed properly make me so sad. I can't believe the social services took these children off the child protection register???

There is something very wrong with our child protection services, more and more stories about children on the list, past and present ending up in serious situations says a lot about the failings our society to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.

It's obvious that Karen Matthews is both emotionally and intellectually lacking, she's totally without the ability to empathise or care for anyone but herself - I don't understand it myself, but she's obvoiusly a sociopath.

The only good thing is that Shannon is unharmed physically and now she's away from her cruel and uncaring mother she has a better chance of becoming a well adjusted adult. God knows she deserves it!

This has been a very sad case and I am sure everyone is relieved that Shannon and her siblings are now safe and will never be subjected to this type of abuse again. However, considering the people involved it is actually astounding that the charade went on for as long as it did, and I must admit that I could not help but smile when the following statement from the trial was reported by the BBC: “Donovan's former employer went on to describe him as a "dimwit". He recounted a time when he sent his employee out with a £20 note to fill up the works' van with diesel. A little while later he found Donovan driving the van around outside and asked him what he was doing. Donovan explained he could only get about £18.60 into the tank and was running some off so he could get the full £20 worth in.” The mind boggles...

If Donovan is such a dimwit, then it doesnt paint Karen in a very good light does it? It would seem that Donovan was influenced and used by her. This would make her the 'mastermind'. Not that this says much considering that the plot had no hope of ever making them any money. The only possible result was a gaol term for both of them. It does look as though Karen is manipulative and emotionless. You know she reminds me of Casey Anthony, who is also cold, emotionless and cared nothing for her daughter. How do these women become this way?