'Significant' Sighting Of Missing Shannon

The search continues for a missing nine-year old schoolgirl as police investigate the possibility she may have ran away from home.

Shannon Matthews, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire was reported missing to police on Tuesday night, and over 200 police officers and many more residents have been searching the area for the schoolgirl.

However, police have revealed there has been a sighting of the youngster.

Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan, of West Yorkshire's Homicide and Major Crimes unit, said an adult claims to have seen the girl some time between 9.15am and 9.30am on Wednesday, just a few streets away from her home. The sighting has been described as "significant".

He also revealed the last confirmed sighting was at 3.10pm outside her school on Tuesday.

Det Supt Andy Brennan said: "This is a nine-year-old girl who has never been missing previously. I would expect under normal circumstances we would have located her by now."

He added: "I couldn't be more concerned; she is a nine-year-old girl who has never gone missing before. And I would have expected her to turn up by now."

Shannon is described as white, around 4ft 1 ins tall, with shoulder length, medium brown coloured hair that was possibly tied up in a ponytail. She is also of slim build with blue eyes and freckles.

She was also last seen wearing a black school jumper with a school logo on it, a white cotton t-shirt, black trousers and a black waist length coat with fur round the hood and a pair of pink and grey 'Bratz' furry boots.

(JM)