Karen Matthews Charged

08/04/2008

Peter Mann, Head of CPS West and North Yorkshire Complex Casework Unit, today made the following statement in relation to Karen Matthews.

"The Crown Prosecution Service has contiued working closely with the police since Shannon Matthews was found on Friday 14th March.

"Karen Matthews was arrested on 6th April and has been interviewed by West Yorkshire police.

"Having carefully considered the file supplied by West Yorkshire Police, we have decided that there is sufficient evidence and have authorised that Karen Matthews be charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect.

"We will continue to keep this case under review.

"Shannons disappearance and the events which have unfolded since she was found have attracted an enormous amount of public interest. Karen Matthews now stands accused of these offences and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that any media reporting is responsible and does not prejudice the due process of law."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

National media enquiries to CPS Press Office, Tel. 020 7796 8079. Out of Hours pager: 07699 781926.
Local and regional enquiries to Cheryl Ford, CPS West Yorkshire:  Tel: 0113 2902839 Email: Cheryl.Ford@cps.gsi.gov.uk
The Crown Prosecution Service is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. It is responsible for:
Advising the police and reviewing the evidence on cases for possible prosecutionDeciding the charge where the decision is to prosecutePreparing cases for court Presentation of cases at court The CPS consists of 42 Areas in total, each headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP). A telephone service, CPS Direct, provides out-of-hours advice and decisions to police officers across England and Wales. The CPS employs around 8,400 people and prosecuted 1,091,250 cases with an overall conviction rate of 83.7% in 2006-2007. Further information can be found on our website: www.cps.gov.uk