THE FATHER of missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews says he has spent the past four days looking for his little girl.

Leon Rose thought nine-year-old Shannon could have been on her way to see him at his Kirkburton home after she wrote a message on her bedroom wall saying she wanted to see her dad.

He described her as a “timid and loving” girl and said he wanted her safely back home.

Mr Rose, 29, said: “What I want Shannon to know is I love her, I miss her and I want her home now.

“The last few days have been such a difficult time for us all. I’ve been out day and night looking for her and I won’t stop until she is found.

“I know she told her mother she missed me and wanted to live with me. I thought that’s why she had done it.

“We all want her to come back home so we can sort out any problems and so I can see my daughter again.”

Shannon has been missing since Tuesday afternoon when she failed to return to her home on Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, where she lives with her mother, Karen.

Mr Rose said Shannon had talked about wanting to spend more time with him before she disappeared.

Shannon adored her older brother Ian, 10, who lives with Mr Rose and had wanted to spend more time with them.

She also had a step-brother Brandon, seven, and little step-sister Shania, four, who also want their big sister back.

Mr Rose added: “She knows where I live so I thought she may have been making her way here to me.

“All she has to do is come home and we’ll make everything right for her.”

In a heartfelt message, he added: “Shannon, I want you to know you are not in trouble for this.

“Please, please come home now.”

Mr Rose split with Karen a number of years ago.

He has not seen his daughter since last summer when he said they had an “amazing” time together doing family activities.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Shannon since she left school in Dewsbury on Tuesday following a swimming trip.

A police operation involving 200 officers and desperate 24 hour searches by friends and family have, so far, failed to find her.

Shannon’s grandmother Angela Kendell, 48, who lives in Brighouse, has also joined the search.

Fighting back tears she said: “The only thing we want right now is for Shannon to come back home.

“We all love her to bits and want to know she is safe.

“She adored Ian and he adores her too. Ian has been asking after her. He wants to know where she is.

“We all want Shannon in our lives. She is a lovely little girl.

“I loved the time I spent with her last summer and I want that again.”

The living nightmare has brought the family closer together as they search for the missing schoolgirl.

They have been handing out posters and flyers throughout Huddersfield and Dewsbury, visiting Shannon’s friends or places she is familiar with.

Shannon lived in Dewsbury with her mother, stepfather Craig and brothers Tony, 11, Cameron, five and two-year-old sister Courtney.

Anyone with information about Shannon’s whereabouts is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police on 01274 373737, by text on 07786 200806 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.