Shannon report will not be published in full

Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board said it was worried about the impact the full report would have on Shannon and her siblings.

A summary of the serious case review was published in June 2010, with the full report on the Matthews family expected to follow.

But today, safeguarding children board chairwoman Bron Sanders said that publishing the full report would allow individual children to be identified, no matter how it was redacted.

She said: “There is no doubt that releasing the report into the public domain could have a severe, negative impact on these children.

“The information may jeopardise the bonds between the siblings and also their relationships with other family members. In some cases it could even mean their current, stable living arrangements need to change.

“If more detail of the children’s history can be accessed by anybody, anywhere at the touch of a button, there is a likely impact on their self-confidence, friendships and education and there is a real risk that it may lead to isolation and bullying.”

Shannon made national headlines when she was reported missing in February 2008, only to be found hidden under a bed in Batley Carr 24 days later.

Her mother, Karen, of Dewsbury Moor, was jailed for plotting the abduction with her ex-boyfriend’s uncle, Michael Donovan, in 2009.