FACEBOOK PAGES TARGET MEEHAN.

Byline: NEIL ATKINSON

POLICE are investigating a Facebook group - targeting sex offender Craig Meehan.

The group was set up by people in Keighley, where Meehan moved after being convicted of viewing indecent images of children at his former Dewsbury home.

Meehan was the partner of Karen Matthews, convicted of the kidnap of her own daughter Shannon.

The Facebook pages urged Meehan to get out of the town, but have now been taken down after he was threatened with violence.

The convicted sex offender has reportedly been staying with a relative in Keighley since the Shannon affair and his sentence for possessing indecent images of children.

But the bespectacled former fishmonger has seen himself become the target from hostile residents since arriving from the Dewsbury Moor estate that became the focal point of national attention last year.

People joining a group on popular social networking website Facebook entitled 'Get Craig Meehan out of Keighley!!!' numbered more than 2,500, while 1,000 comments, including threats of violence, were posted before it was pulled.

Many claimed to have spotted him in shops and streets around Keighley and the section also describes his likely appearance.

Some disgruntled residents said they would kill him or beat him up if they saw him.

One woman said: "The sick pervert has moved just round the corner from me in Keighley, he need shooting, me and my husband have 5 kids and we all would like our kids to be safe so we want him gone for good, but then in Keighley he won't last long".

Meehan was last year convicted of 11 counts of possessing indecent images and sentenced to 20 weeks in jail.

He was Karen Matthews' partner when then-nine-year-old Shannon was reported missing early last year.

Matthews was later convicted of her daughter's kidnap and false imprisonment along with Meehan's uncle Michael Donovan.

The Facebook section revealed several places in Keighley town centre where Meehan had allegedly been seen and published pictures of him taken elsewhere.

Police have refused to confirm or deny whether Meehan is living in Keighley.

But they pledged to investigate threats made by Facebook users against Meehan.

A spokesman said: "West Yorkshire Police take threats to harm or kill extremely seriously and any that are made against individuals are thoroughly investigated."

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