Craig Meehan in Court Over Child Porn Charges
The former partner of Shannon Matthews' mother has appeared in court on child pornography charges. Craig Meehan, 22, appeared at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court accused of possessing 140 indecent images of children, which were allegedly found on a computer at the home he shared with Karen Matthews.
No application for bail was made and Meehan was remanded in custody to appear before the same court for a case management hearing on August 27.
Meehan, a supermarket fishmonger, is charged with 11 specimen offences of possession of indecent images of children.
It is alleged 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 is the most serious.
They were allegedly found on one of two computers at the family home in Dewsbury Moor where he lived with Matthews, 32, for about five years.
Meehan is also charged with possessing an indecent image of a young girl on a mobile phone.
He denies all the charges and a five-day trial is listed to start on September 8.
Shannon went missing on February 19 and was discovered hidden in the base of a bed in a flat 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.
Channel 4 News