Missing Shannon pleaded to uncle the night before she disappeared: 'Please let me stay'

The uncle of missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews said she visited him 24 hours before she disappeared and tearfully begged to stay the night, it was reported today.

Martin Matthews claimed the nine-year-old said she was too frightened to go home and pleaded with him: "Please can I stay here tonight - I can't go home because I'm in trouble."

She said she was told off by her stepfather Craig Meehan for swearing during a row.

Mr Matthews - who is Shannon's mother Karen's brother -said: "She sobbed all the way home because she was frightened.

"But I told her to go back. I regret it now. The next day she vanished."

He has been joined by the girl's grandparents in breaking their silence to claim Karen's children were physically abused by fishmonger Mr Meehan - allegations Craig strongly denies.

Mr Matthews, 42, told the Sunday Mirror: "She's been around here on many occasions saying the same thing: crying, saying she doesn't want to go home, saying 'I hate living there'.

"She's showed me bruises on her arms and said Craig had lashed out at her. He does lash out."

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There have been no confirmed sightings of the schoolgirl since she left Westmoor Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, at 3.10pm on February 19, following a school swimming trip.

Mr Matthews went on: "She came here at tea time the day before. She is good friends with my kids, Tyler and Levi and often comes here to play.

"But this time it was different. She was upset and kept asking to stay the night. For some reason she didn't want to go home."

He told how sobbing Shannon pleaded: "Please let me stay here. I don't want to go home. I'm in trouble."

He continued: "She said she had an argument with Craig and swore at him. As a result she was grounded.

"I told her she really shouldn't stay and she should go home, especially if she was grounded and asked Tyler, my 10-year-old daughter, to walk her home.

"When Tyler got back she said Shannon had cried all the way.

"My two kids saw Shannon the next morning.

"They told me she said she'd had an argument with her mum and that Karen had screamed at her to get out of the house and not to come back.

"They have been questioned by the police and have told them everything."

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Detectives, who have launched a massive hunt, fear she was abducted as she tried to make her way to her dad Leon Rose's home 10 miles away after telling pals she wanted to "run away".

Mother-of-seven Ms Matthews, 32, and Mr Meehan, 22, have made desperate television appeals for her to come home.

But Ms Matthew's parents June and Gordon Matthews claim Shannon shared an unhappy home life with her brothers and sisters.

They say they tried to persuade Karen to leave Craig in the weeks leading up to Shannon's disappearance amid a string of family bust-ups.

Mrs Matthews, 64 - who raised Shannon for the first few months from birth - said: "We don't believe Craig is any good for Karen and the kids and we want to put that on record.

"We have never seen him beat Shannon with our own eyes, but the kids have said it's happened.

"We're not saying this lightly, we know how serious these allegations are, but Karen needs to tell him to leave.

"We're doing this for her sake and the children's sake."

She said things had not been right ever since Karen had got together with Craig four years ago.

She added: "Karen was a great mum before she took Craig in. Those kids were loved and cared for. Since he arrived they've had a terrible life."

Mr Meehan last night said of the allegations: " I've been with Karen for four years now. I have never hit her or any of the children.

"We play about, as you do, but me and Karen have a brilliant relationship. I was working on the Monday night before she went missing so I don't know if she came home upset. "I love those kids. I know they're not mine but I treat them like they are.

"June is lying because she doesn't like me. She wants to tell Karen what she can and can't do.

"There is only me who works. I bring money into the home. I feed them. They get everything. My money goes on Karen, bills and the kids.

"No one in Shannon's family likes me. I don't know why. I don't care about these accusations.

"All I want is Shannon back. No one can accuse me. I know what's true and Karen knows what's true."