A man has appeared in court charged with kidnapping and falsely imprisoning schoolgirl Shannon Matthews.

Michael Donovan, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, appeared at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court and was remanded in custody to appear next at Leeds Crown Court on March 26.

Donovan was in handcuffs as he was led into the dock but they were removed and he sat down, flanked by four custody officers, for the seven-minute hearing.

He spoke in a frail voice to confirm his name, address and date of birth and sat motionless, looking at the magistrates as the charges were put to him.

Members of Shannon's family attended the hearing, including her uncle, Neil Hyett, and his wife, Amanda, who broke down in tears at the start of the proceedings.

After the charges were put to Donovan and he was remanded in custody, he was once again handcuffed and led out of the court by the custody officers.

Nine-year-old Shannon was found last Friday afternoon less than a mile from her home in Dewsbury 24 days after she went missing. She remains in the care of authorities.

Donovan, the uncle of Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan, was arrested at the time she was discovered.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.