Shannon Matthews' mother Karen found guilty of kidnapping her daughter

Karen Matthews, 33, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, was also convicted by a jury at Leeds Crown Court of false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Her co-defendant Michael Donovan, 40, was found guilty of the same offences.

Nine-year-old Shannon was found in Donovan's flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, 24 days after she went missing in February.

Mr Justice McCombe warned the pair that they face a ''substantial custodial sentence''.

He said earlier that he would adjourn sentencing for reports. No application was made for bail and the two defendents were led away.

During the three-week trial, the court heard that Shannon, now 10, went missing on February 19 as she walked home from school.

After a massive search operation by West Yorkshire Police costing almost £3.2 million, she was found by police in Donovan's flat, less than a mile from her home, on March 14.

The search was one of the largest ever conducted by the West Yorkshire force.

The prosecution told the jury that Donovan kept Shannon drugged and imprisoned in his flat as part of a plan he and Matthews hatched to claim £50,000 in reward money.

Matthews denied the abduction and blamed the crime on her former partner, Craig Meehan, and other members of his family.

She said she was ''disgusted'' by allegations that she was involved in her daughter's kidnap.

Donovan, who is the uncle of Mr Meehan, claims he was scared of Matthews and agreed to take Shannon only because he feared for his life.