Shannon Matthews trial Day 10: Shannon accused charged with kidnap before
Nov 25 2008 By Andrew Jackson
They agreed to meet at a cafe in Dewsbury a few days later, the jury was told.
Donovan also told the court that Matthews asked him for a loan of £20,000.
He said Matthews put a plan to him to claim £50,000 in reward money when they met at the cafe.
He said Matthews first asked him to look after her elder son but he refused.
Donovan said: "She paused. Then she came out and said ’Can you look after Shannon instead?’.
"She told me that she was going to get a bigger reward out of this if she went missing."
Donovan said she wanted him to go to Moorside Road, where Matthews lived, and wait for Shannon to come.
He went on: "I would have to look after her and she would have to report her missing."
Asked how long he would have to keep her for, he replied: "She didn’t say how long it was going to be.
"But she said if the figure got to £50,000, she put on a paper what I had to do."
He said the instructions told him to leave the little girl in Dewsbury market, find her and then take her to the police station.
Donovan told the jury that Shannon suffered from travel sickness and he bought tablets from a local chemist to ease her condition.
He said he was told by the pharmacist to give a nine-year-old girl two tablets in the morning before breakfast.
Mr Conrad said it had been suggested he gave Shannon the tablets to make her more compliant and drowsy.
"No, it’s not true, that," he said.
He told the jury he took Temazepam but denied giving any to Shannon.
He said he stored it in a kitchen cupboard or wall unit and said she could reach the medicine if she stood on a chair.
Referring to an elasticated strap found on a beam which it is alleged was used by Donovan to restrain Shannon, he said he had never been into the loft.
He said workmen had been in the loft prior to Shannon staying with him.
"It was a surprise to me when I saw it," he said.
He was asked by Mr Conrad if he had ever used it to restrain Shannon.
"No," he replied.
Donovan denied attempting to restrain Shannon's movement in the flat in any way.
He said Matthews only rang him twice while her daughter was with him.
On the second occasion she called, in the second week she was missing, he wanted her to speak to Shannon.
He said: "She said ’stick to the plan’. She did not want to speak with her."
Donovan said he also received a text message from an unknown sender, whom he presumed to be Matthews, which told him the reward to find Shannon had reached £50,000.
Mr Conrad asked Donovan if he thought about telling police about the youngster during the 24 days she was at his flat.
