Michael Donovan, one of the kidnappers of Shannon Matthews, has died in a hospital's secure wing at the age of 54, reports claim.
According to The Sun, Donovan was pronounced dead at Three Valleys Hospital in Steeton, West Yorkshire, yesterday (16 April) after collapsing.
They report that the 54-year-old had been there for six years following his release from prison in 2012 for his part in the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews in 2008.
Donovan had been diagnosed with throat cancer and given scant months to live earlier this year.
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On 19 February, 2008 the then nine-year-old Shannon Matthews was reported missing in Dewsbury by her mother Karen, kicking off West Yorkshire Police's largest investigation since the Yorkshire Ripper case.
Over 300 officers and detectives were part of the operation, along with many specialist victim recovery dogs.
Large financial rewards which might lead to the discovery of Shannon were offered.
The nine-year-old was found on 14 March, 24 days after she went missing, as police discovered her in the base of a bed of a flat owned by Michael Donovan, who was the uncle of Karen Matthews' boyfriend.
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Donovan was arrested in his flat and he along with Karen were later found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice for which they were each sentenced to eight years in prison.
Their plan with the staged kidnapping had been for Donovan to drop off Shannon somewhere in his car and then pretend to have discovered her, allowing him to acquire the reward money which he would then split with Karen.
During their trial the jury heard that Donovan and Matthews kept the nine-year-old girl 'drugged, subdued and hidden from the public'.
Both Donovan and Matthews had been released from prison by April 2012, while Shannon was given a new identity and placed with a foster family.
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According to The Sun, Donovan was willing to take 'credit' for his part in the kidnapping after the release of drama series The Moorside, which was broadcast on BBC One in 2017.
There have been various other documentaries and shows broadcast about the kidnapping of Shannon, and in 2022 Channel 5 released The Man Who Took Shannon Matthews which focused on Donovan himself.
The Three Valleys Hospital is located in Steeton, near Keighley, and is described as a 'safe and supportive environment' for adults with 'complex mental health issues'.
LADbible has contacted Elysium Healthcare for comment.
Joe Harker