The chilling saga of Shannon Matthews, the young schoolgirl at the centre of a fake kidnapping plot orchestrated by her own mother, took a new turn with the reported death of one of the perpetrators, Mick Donovan, aged 54.

Donovan, who infamously held nine-year-old Shannon captive for 24 days in his rundown council flat, was found collapsed in the courtyard of Three Valleys Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Despite efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead, marking the end of a tumultuous chapter in a saga that gripped the nation.

The bizarre and sinister plot unfolded in 2008 when Shannon Matthews vanished on her way home from a swimming lesson in Dewsbury. Donovan, along with Shannon’s mother, Karen Matthews, conspired to fake her disappearance in hopes of claiming a substantial £50,000 reward for her safe return. The ruse sparked one of the UK’s largest manhunts, with the West Yorkshire Police dedicating significant resources to the search effort, costing £3.2 million.

Shannon’s harrowing ordeal came to an end when she was discovered hidden under Donovan’s bed in Batley Carr. Both Donovan and Karen Matthews were subsequently convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2009. Donovan, in particular, faced charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and perverting the course of justice for his role in the twisted scheme.

Following his release from prison in 2012, Donovan resided at Three Valleys Hospital for the past six years, where reports suggest he faced deteriorating health. In February, he received a devastating diagnosis of Stage 3 throat cancer, giving him only months to live. His final months were marked by solitude, as his family reportedly disowned him in 2022, leaving him without any visitors during his hospital stay.

Sources close to Donovan described him as a contentious figure, with a reputation for unpleasantness and a penchant for expressing displeasure, particularly with regard to food. Despite his troubled life and ignominious legacy, Donovan’s passing closes a dark chapter in the annals of crime, leaving behind a legacy of infamy and tragedy.