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Crime

Shannon accused unable to attend court due to prison attack

24/11/2008

Jurors in the trial involving the disappearance of Shannon Matthews have been told that one of the defendants is too ill to attend court proceedings.

Leeds crown court was told on Monday that Michael Donovan, 40, of Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, was attacked in prison on November 13th.

Mr Donovan and Shannon's mother Karen Matthews are currently on trial accused of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Both deny the charges.

This morning jurors were told that Mr Donovan had surgery on a fractured jaw during the weekend.

Mr Justice McCombe told the court that the 40-year-old was in a "rather bad way".

"You will note there is one person missing from the dock. We all know what happened to Mr Donovan about a week or so ago," he said.

"Just before the weekend set on, we heard that the medical opinion was he had to have immediate surgery. That has been done on Saturday morning."

A spokesman for Leeds crown court confirmed that Mr Donovan had undergone surgery as a result of the attack.

Shannon went missing for 24 days in February before being discovered in a property in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire.