THE stepfather of kidnapped schoolgirl Shannon Matthews was remanded in custody today when he appeared in court charged with possessing indecent images of children.

THE stepfather of kidnapped schoolgirl Shannon Matthews was remanded in custody today when he appeared in court charged with possessing indecent images of children.

Craig Meehan, 22, appeared before magistrates in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, accused of 11 specimen offences of possession of indecent images of children.

Nine-year-old Shannon disappeared on February 19 and was discovered hidden in the base of a bed in a flat just one mile from her home in Dewsbury after a dramatic 24-day search by police.