Shannon was bullied at school on day she disappeared, says best friend of missing nine-year-old

12 April 2012

Did you see her? The new photograph of Shannon released by police today in a bid to jog memories of the day she vanished

The revelation comes as two boys say they saw the nine-year-old sitting on a wall "crying her eyes out" in what is believed to be the last sighting of her.

Today police released a new photograph of Shannon in the hope that it will help people think back to what they were doing on February 19, the day she disappeared after a school swimming trip.

Speaking alongside her father on GMTV, her friend Megan Aldridge said police had questioned her a second time to try and find out what had happened on that day.

Megan told the broadcaster: "We got on the bus home and Shannon was really, really quiet. She is normally noisy and chatty.

"A girl came up to her and started bullying her (that day) and I told her to go away or I would tell the teacher, so she walked off.

"She said she was going home and I last saw her on the school bus. She was behind me and I didn't see where she went when she got off the bus.

"I told police she had a fox hole she goes to sometimes."

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Interview: Megan Aldridge, the best friend of Shannon Matthews (pictured on GMTV this morning) said that Shannon had a fox hole that she went to sometimes

Meanwhile two boys have said that they saw Shannon sitting on a wall half a mile from her home "crying her eyes out" on the day she disappeared, the Daily Mirror reports.

One of them, a 12-year-old, told the newspaper: "It was at the top of School Lane and she was crying her eyes out. There were tears running down her face.

"I didn't say anything to her. She had no coat on. But her plastic bag was full, so it was probably in there."

Speaking of the report, Shannon's mother Karen, 32, told the Mirror it "breaks my heart" to hear that she was so upset and her family did not know why.

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Friends: Megan is seen next to Shannon in CCTV footage of her leaving a swiming pool hours before she went missing. Two boy have claimed that they saw Shannon sitting on a wall crying after this footage was taken

"Why did no one comfort her and bring her home to me? Shannon was perfectly normal on the day she disappeared," she told the newspaper.

"She didn't tell us about being bullied at school and I didn't think she was upset about anything."

The newly released picture of Shannon was taken last September at Westmoor Junior School in Dewsbury.

Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan today asked local people today to consider whether anyone they knew had been acting "out of the ordinary", or whether they had seen any people or vehicles that looked unfamiliar or "out of place".

The detective said: "We want people to think back to the afternoon of Tuesday February 19 when Shannon was last seen.

"Were you picking up your own children from school that afternoon or were you travelling in and around Church Lane close to Heckmondwike Road? Did you see Shannon?"

He also asked for people to consider the days after the disappearance, saying: "Do you have a family member, partner, close associate or neighbour who appears to have been behaving out of the ordinary or who you now think was acting unusually in any way at all?"

He appealed for anyone who can help to phone the incident room urgently on 01274 373737.

Despite a huge police operation and frantic searches by family and friends, there has been no trace of Shannon since she left Westmoor Junior School at 3.10pm on February 19.

Mrs Matthews yesterday dismissed accusations that her partner of four years, Craig Meehan, 22, had anything to do with Shannon's disappearance.

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Digging: Police search land opposite Crow nest Park in Dewsbury using a JCB in the hunt for missing Shannon Matthews

She told GMTV: "I know it's nothing to do with him. He wouldn't hurt anyone. Not even one child he'd never hurt."

Mr Meehan said he had tried to ignore the rumours.

"I've not really taken much notice. All I want is Shannon back, that's what it's down to. I don't believe nowt like that," he said.

Megan Aldridge's father Mark told GMTV the police had visited his daughter for a second time last night.

He said the first time she was spoken to she started to cry so officers ended the interview.

He said: "The police wanted to know about the fox hole and if they had any secrets, they said it would be all right to to tell them now.

"I didn't get the impression they were making progress, it was the same as what they said before, they just wanted to run over the questions they asked her before."

Since the nine-year-old's disappearance, messages of support have reportedly flooded into the couple's home from across the UK and Europe, including one from the family of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

West Yorkshire Police have released an extract of the desperate 999 call made by Mrs Matthews on February 19, reporting that her daughter had not returned home.

Detectives hope the emotional recording will spur witnesses to come forward.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Brennan said a "massive amount of resources" remained committed to the search.

These included 250 uniformed officers and 60 detectives, representing about 10% of West Yorkshire Police's operational strength.

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