Sue Bird , ex-wife of Mick Donovan , an Uncle of Shannon Matthew's Stepfather ,  who's suspected of having abducted  her  , speaking exclusively to the 'News of the World' said that her 'ex' fantisised about sex with children , forced her to dress as a schoolgirl , beat her 'black and blue' , put 'sick sex notes' in one of their daughter's school lunch-boxes , and once kidnapped their two young daughters , who he was and is disallowed  custody of .
She described him as a "ticking time bomb" , and told the NOW :  "Something like this was bound to happen " .
So why did'nt she tell that to the police when Shannon first went missing , or indeed  any time until Shannon was - no thanks to her - found , instead of waiting until the NOW offered her god knows how many tens of thousands of pounds  for her lurid story ?
There are various  accusations and denials re. Shannon's current 'Stepfather' , and I'm sorry to say that none of the adults in Shannon's family or 'extended family' emerge with much credit  .
It's been claimed that she was unhappy at home and did'nt want to live there ,  that her  laughter was heard from Mick Donovan's flat , and that  she's currently in good humour whilst getting lots of gentle attention from nice police and social services people .
It seems telling that , unlike Madeleine McCann , there only seem to be two or three recent photographs of Shannon Matthews .
And sad that , there'd have almost certainly been more publicity about her being missing , and sympathy for her parents if they'd been married , living together and articulate 'middle-class' .
Like the parents of Madeleine McCann , who many  of us , including me , found excuses for their having left her  unattended .
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It's terrible that many Tibetan protestors seem to have been shot dead by Chinese troops , and I'm sure that China never had any right to invade Tibet - and yet , and yet , if their idea of political protest is  to  riot and try to break into and steal from shops and banks . . .
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I watched an interesting  programme on the 'five life' channel about a boy , in Glasgow , who from an early age kept talking of his memories of  another life as a child on the Scottish Island of Barra  . .
He , his brother ,  their Mother and an american professor who investigates cases of children who claim to remember 'past lives ' visited Barra and located the house that Cameron claimed to remember , which was a holiday home for a family , the Robertsons - the family name that he'd mentioned - in the seventies , who indeed had a  black and white sheepdog , which Cameron remembered .
But after discovering and meeting a lady who was a member of that family who presumably would be the sister of who Cameron was in his previous life , she said there was no "Shane Robertson" who was run over by a car and killed - who Cameron had said was his Father - and no boy in the family who died young .
It was a fascinating programme nonetheless , and the Professor said that most children who seem to have clear memories of who they were in previous incarnations seem to lose those memories by about the age of six or seven .
I recall seeing a more convincing programme about this apparent phenomenom , several years ago .
The programme , tonight , also featured a U.S family of a young boy who claims to be the reincarnation of his Grandfather : Once , when his Dad was changing his diapers , he  said : " When you were my age I used to change your diapers " .  -  ! ! !  - I'm very open-minded about reincarnation , but that's hilarious !