Safety worries on Shannon estate

Dozens of residents attended the meeting at the school

Residents on the estate where Shannon Matthews lived have attended a meeting with senior police officers amid fears of vigilante attacks.

The Dewsbury Moor estate has been flooded with officers since the nine-year-old was reported missing.

One person said threats had been made that residents were "going to get it" after the police had left the estate.

Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, 32, is in custody having been charged in connection with her disappearance.

Ms Matthews faces charges of child neglect and perverting the course of justice.

Michael Donovan, 39, the uncle of Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan, has been charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment.

FAMILY TREE OF SHANNON MATTHEWS Shannon is one of seven children born to Karen Matthews of five different fathers Karen Matthews has been charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect Shannon's father is Leon Rose; Craig Meehan is her stepfather Craig's mother, Alice Meehan, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice Amanda Hyett, 25, is Alice Meehan's daughter and a sister of Craig Meehan She was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice Another sister, Caroline Meehan, was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice One of Alice Meehan's brothers is Michael Donovan, also known as Paul Drake He has been charged with abducting Shannon

Amanda Hyett, 25, and Caroline Meehan, 29, who are both sisters of Craig Meehan, were questioned by police along with their mother, 49-year-old Alice Meehan.

All three were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and were subsequently bailed.

Thursday's meeting at Shannon's school, West Moor Junior, was called by West Yorkshire Police to let residents know how the investigation was going and offer reassurance.

But one woman on the way into the meeting said: "We basically want to know what's going on.

"Why people are getting arrested left, right and centre and what the police are doing.

"Several people have had threats on the estate, the whole estate has been threatened that 'we're all going to get once the police have gone', so we all want to know what's going to happen now."

A second woman said there was confusion, rumour and deeply upset people looking for answers in the area.

She said: "There's a lot of angry people and everyone has their own opinion.

"We just basically want to know what's going on. "

Shannon was found safe and well on 14 March, 24 days after she went missing.