Meehan refused bail on child porn charges

The ex-partner of Shannon Matthews' mother has been refused bail on child porn charges.

Craig Meehan, 22, is accused of possessing 140 indecent images of children, which were allegedly found on a computer at the home he shared with Karen Matthews.

An application for bail by a barrister at Leeds Crown Court was refused by the Recorder of Leeds, Peter Collier QC.

Meehan, of Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, did not appear in person at the short hearing behind closed doors at Leeds Crown Court.

He will next appear before magistrates in Dewsbury on May 14.

The supermarket fishmonger was arrested earlier this month by officers investigating Shannon's disappearance.

He is accused of 11 specimen offences of possession of indecent images of children.

It is alleged that Meehan possessed indecent images of children aged between four and 16, graded at levels one to four - on a scale where one is the least serious and five the most.

They were allegedly found on one of two computers at the family home in Dewsbury where he lived with Matthews, 32, for around five years.

Shannon went missing on February 19 and was discovered hidden in the base of a bed in a flat just one mile from her home after a 24-day search by police.

Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan, 39, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, has been charged with Shannon's kidnap and imprisonment.

He will go on trial at Leeds Crown Court on November 11 alongside Matthews, who is charged with child neglect and perverting the course of justice.

Last week, Meehan was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the alleged abduction of the nine-year-old. He was later bailed pending further inquiries.

Other members of Meehan's family have also been arrested by officers investigating Shannon's disappearance and released on bail pending further inquiries.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.