Schoolgirl Shannon Matthews was drugged as part of a plan to kidnap her by her mother and the man in whose flat she was found, a jury in Britain heard today.
Prosecutor Julian Goose QC told Leeds Crown Court that Karen Matthews (33) raised the alarm about her daughter's disappearance on February 19th.
But he said: "The 999 call was part of a dishonest and we say wicked plan by Michael Donovan and Karen Matthews. Shannon was an innocent victim of the plan.
"She was kidnapped and falsely imprisoned in the flat where Donovan lived.
"She was drugged to subdue her during the period of her captivity."
Ms Matthews and Mr Donovan (40) have gone on trial charged with the kidnap and false imprisonment of Shannon, who was nine at the time.
Ms Matthews, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Mr Donovan, of Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, have already pleaded not guilty to these charges and have also denied perverting the course of justice.
The court was told Shannon went to school the day she went missing as "part of a normal school day". Shannon and her friends returned to school from a swimming trip at about 3.10pm.
"After the teachers saw Shannon and the other children get off the bus, there was no further sighting of her," Mr Goose said.
He told the court that waiting on the route home was Mr Donovan, who was sitting in his Peugeot 406 car.
"Donovan had arranged with Karen Matthews to take Shannon in his car and as Mr Donovan was later to say to the police, he tricked her by telling Shannon a lie.
"He told Shannon Matthews that she was to be taken to a fair," he said.
The court was later played the recording of the 999 call made by Ms Matthews to the police in which she sounds upset as she describes her daughter and appeals for help.
The disappearance of Shannon, now 10, sparked a massive search operation by West Yorkshire Police which became one of the highest-profile missing person inquiries ever seen in Britain.
She was found 24 days later.
Mr Donovan was arrested on the day she was found. Formerly known as Paul Drake, he is the uncle of Matthews' ex-partner, Craig Meehan.
Mr Goose told the court the "overwhelming likelihood is that the reason for the plan was dishonestly to obtain the reward money offered by the press". The court heard that at its height the money was up to £50,000.
He said Mr Donovan kept Shannon "drugged, subdued and hidden from the public" and bought newspapers which described the extent of the investigation.
Mr Goose said "other victims" in the case were the friends, neighbours and residents of the Dewsbury Moor estate who helped look for the youngster.
Mr Goose told the court Shannon lived with her mother at 24 Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
PA