Karen Matthews ‘led cushy life in prison where other inmates were barred from SHOUTING at her
DISGRACED Karen Matthews was reportedly protected from other inmates who were barred from shouting at her in prison, a source claimed.
During her time in jail Matthews allegedly told other inmates she was above staff because she was the "most famous woman in England".
She was jailed for her part in the kidnap of her daughter, Shannon, in 2008, and spent her sentence at at New Hall prison, near Wakefield, West Yorks, and Foston Hall prison in Derbyshire.
The source said: "Karen has never shown any remorse for that she has done and that's what makes people's blood boil because she's still out after serving half her sentence."
They claimed: "She lorded it around prison like she was some kind of celebrity and was always telling the staff she was more important than them and they should treat her well.
"It was one rule for Karen and one rule for the rest of the prison population. The bosses just wanted to keep her happy because they didn’t want her depressed because she might try and kill herself, but she just played on it.
"Others were punished for just swearing at her and she got all the calls she wanted to her lawyers and was granted visits from family on her own and with six staff guarding her at a time.
"That was ridiculous because she’d be the only prisoner in the visiting room.”
The woman dubbed "Britain's Most Hated Mum" was thrust back into the limelight this week after the first episode of a BBC drama revisiting the notorious kidnap case aired.
She was seen the following day after The Moorside aired, working in a charity shop in another part of the country to where her daughter disappeared.
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The drama retells the story of Shannon’s abduction and follows the search efforts to find the young girl, after she went missing on her way home in West Yorkshire.
Matthews was jailed for eight years for her part in faking the kidnap of her own daughter.
The mum of seven, who has been dubbed Britain’s Most Hated Mum, was released from prison after serving half of her sentence.
Shannon was removed from her mother’s care and given a new identity - she is now 18 years old.
She disappeared on her way home from a swimming lesson at Westmoor primary school and hundreds of neighbours joined the search, which cost West Yorkshire Police £3.2million and lasted 24 days.
The nine-year-old was eventually found tethered and drugged inside the base of a double bed at her partner's relative Michael Donovan’s grotty flat almost a month after she disappeared.
They had planned to release the schoolgirl, ‘discover her’ then take her to a police station and claim the reward before splitting.
But her friend Julie Bushby has since disputed this theory, and has said Karen was trying to get away from her then boyfriend Craig Meehan.
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