Re: BEN NEEDHAM 21 months (British) - Kos (Greece) - 24/07/91

**Tezza** on Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:37 pm

Sheffield Telegraph

Song for Ben to highlight search

Published on Friday 2 March 2012 09:00

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/song-for-ben-to-highlight-search-1-4303167

**Tezza** on Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:51 pm

Sunderland Echo

Saturday 3 March 2012

New song to help find missing boy Ben

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/new-song-to-help-find-missing-boy-ben-1-4307386

**Twiglet** on Thu May 24, 2012 9:52 am

The Mirror

24 May 2012

'For the first time I believe the police want to find my son': Ben Needham's mum tells of new hope 21 years on.
‎
Mum Kerry is still seething about the bungled Greek police hunt for her missing son Ben Needham.

Kerry says that in the vital hours after Ben’s disappearance was reported at night, just a handful of blundering officers arrived to look for him in the Kos countryside.

She says: “None of them even had torches.”

Fields surrounding the house where he was last seen were not sealed. And evidence may have been missed that could have revealed where Ben was.

Is lost Ben buried under rubble? Police suspect missing toddler died in tragic accident on building site

Kerry, who says police blamed her family for the disappearance 21 years ago, had just finished work at around 9.50pm when her mum appeared with two police officers.

“She was hysterical,” says Kerry. “At first I thought there had been a car accident because there were some lunatic drivers around.

“But she was saying, ‘I can’t find Ben’. She could hardly get the words out. I didn’t understand what she was saying. How could they not find Ben? It was wide open space.”

Kerry, from Sheffield, clings doggedly to the hope that her son is still alive – but also says she will not block a police dig in Kos.

Despite enduring nearly 21 years of fake sightings, she insists she will continue scouring the world for Ben unless someone proves he is dead.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-mum-tells-of-new-845618

**Twiglet** on Thu May 24, 2012 9:55 am

ITV News

24 May 2012

Mother of missing boy still hopeful‎

The mother of Ben Needham who disappeared during a family holiday in Greece 21 years ago believes her son is still alive, despite new reports he may have been buried by accident after wandering onto a building site.

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-05-24/mother-of-missing-boy-still-hopeful/

Mum of missing boy confident he is still alive includes video of DAYBREAK INTERIEW

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2012-05-24/mum-of-missing-boy-confident-he-is-still-alive/

**Twiglet** on Thu May 24, 2012 9:59 am

Scottish Daily Record

24 May 2012

Police believe missing UK toddler Ben Needham may be buried under mound of earth on Greek island. ‎

DETECTIVES probing the disappearance of British toddler Ben Needham 21 years ago believe they may have found his grave.

They want to examine tons of earth piled up yards from where the 21-month-old vanished on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

And authorities in the country are trying to get British police to provide hi-tech 3D scanners capable of detecting human bones buried beneath rubble.

A source close to the investigation said: “The officers who worked on the case last year told me they want to dig up the mound.”

JCB driver Konstantinos Barkas – who was excavating earth for a new house yards away during the hours that Ben went missing – has also been tracked down.

Barkas, 61, said: “Yes, I was the man with the JCB that day. Loads of earth was being taken to clear the ground for the new house down the road.

“I think people were misled in thinking the child was abducted.”

Our source has three theories:

* Ben was accidentally buried after wandering off.

* Ben was the victim of a fatal accident which someone wanted to hide by placing him in a shallow grave, knowing it would be further covered by tons of earth.

* Ben was murdered and buried at the site in the east of the island to conceal the crime.

He went missing on July 24, 1991, when his mum Kerry, only 19 at the time, left him with her parents Eddie and Christine while she went to work in a hotel.

The couple, from Sheffield, took Ben to a farmhouse owned by Greek friend Michaelis Kypreos.

The grandparents were eating lunch when Christine realised Ben had gone quiet while playing outside. They couldn’t find him and police were eventually contacted.

Greek cops are increasingly convinced the most likely explanation is that Ben, who would be 23 this year, died on the day he vanished.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Fenwick, of South Yorkshire Police, visited the island last year with a colleague when the case was relaunched. The British team were told about the burial theory, along with other lines of inquiry.

A Greek source said: “This idea is a lot more plausible than Ben being abducted.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2012/05/24/police-believe-missing-uk-toddler-ben-needham-may-be-buried-under-mound-of-earth-on-kos-86908-23871625/

**Tezza** on Thu May 24, 2012 1:50 pm

The Mirror

By Tom Parry

24 May 2012 00:00

Is lost Ben buried under rubble? Police suspect missing toddler died in tragic accident on building site
Investigators suggest Ben, who was aged just 21 months, may have been buried by accident after wandering to the nearby site

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-may-be-buried-at-a-building-site-845614

**Tezza** on Thu May 24, 2012 1:57 pm

BBC News

24 May 2012 Last updated at 12:49

Ben Needham's mother dismisses report he was buried

The mother of a boy who went missing in Greece 21 years ago has dismissed a report that the toddler died at the time in a building site accident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-18190779

**Tezza** on Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:13 am

The webmaster of the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page has put out the following message.

Please note that regardless of the newspaper report this morning, Kerry has had NO indication from police that what has been reported is the case. Kerry strongly feels and believes Ben is still alive, and will keep that faith and keep looking Smile

**Tezza** on Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:24 am

The Mirror

By Tom Parry, Lucy Thornton

22 Aug 2012 00:00

'Let us dig for Ben': British police in bid to check site where toddler went missing 21 years ago

The dramatic development comes after the Mirror revealed Ben Needham could have been accidentally buried under rubble

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-2012-south-yorkshire-1273074

**Tezza** on Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:29 am

Daily Mail

Police on Greek island 'to dig up mound of earth' where they fear British toddler Ben Needham is buried, 21 years after he went missing

Police investigate mound of rubble where toddler might have been accidentally buried
His mother Kerry Needham insists he is still alive

By Anna Edwards

PUBLISHED:07:57, 22 August 2012| UPDATED:14:11, 22 August 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191843/Police-Greek-island-dig-mound-earth-fear-British-toddler-Ben-Needham-buried-21-years-went-missing.html#ixzz24PmroIT8

**Tezza** on Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:01 am

The Mirror

Ben Needham sensation: British police to start digging mound in Greece near to where boy went missing
A crack search team are to scour a mound of earth where it is feared the 21-month-old was accidentally buried in Kos in 1991

By Tom Parry, Lucy Thornton

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-police-to-start-digging-1384886

**Tezza** on Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:05 am

Sky News

Ben Needham: New Search For Missing Toddler

There are reports that British police are to dig up a plot in Greece near to where the toddler disappeared 21 years ago.

7:41am UK, Thursday 18 October 2012

Police investigating the disappearance of toddler Ben Needham 21 years ago are to start digging up an area close to where he went missing in Greece, it has been reported.

http://news.sky.com/story/999208/missing-ben-needham-new-search-in-greece

**Twiglet** on Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:05 am

ITV News

18 October 2012

South Yorkshire Police in Greece to search for Ben

South Yorkshire Police have released a statement as search teams have travelled to the Greek Island to Kos to take part in the search for missing Ben Needham from Sheffield.

“South Yorkshire Police is leading a team of specialist search advisers who have travelled to the Greek Island of Kos to support the Greek authorities as they search for missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham.

Greek police are pursuing a line of enquiry centred on the grounds of the property from which Ben disappeared in 1991 aged 21 months.

Beginning tomorrow work will begin to examine the ground, including using geophysical ground examination equipment, to determine whether any area should be dug.

– South Yorkshire Police

It continued:

“Other specialist resources include a forensic archaeologist and search dogs.

The operation, expected to last a week to ten days, follows a Greek police request for specialist support to follow through a line of enquiry they have developed.

During the past 18 months, South Yorkshire Police has also reviewed all material held by the Greek police in relation to Ben's disappearance in order to support the Greek enquiry. SYP has also obtained Ben's DNA from Sheffield Children's Hospital.

SYP has for a number of years supported Ben's mum Kerry and other members of the family.

– South Yorkshire Police

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2012-10-18/south-yorkshire-police-in-greece-to-search-for-ben/

**Twiglet** on Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:38 pm

The Mirror

19 October 2012

'If they find his bones my life will be finished': Ben Needham's mum praying British police dig FAILS to find him

Kerry broke down in tears as she admitted, for the first time, she is beginning to have “horrifying” doubts that her missing son is still alive

FOR more than two decades she has clung to the belief that her missing son is still alive – and that one day they will finally be reunited.

But yesterday Ben Needham’s mum Kerry broke down in tears as she admitted that, for the first time, she is beginning to have “horrifying” doubts.

She spoke out as a specialist team of British police prepared to start digging up a patch of farmland on the Greek island of Kos, where 21-month-old Ben vanished on July 24, 1991.

Kerry, 41, sobbed: “I have lived my life convinced I would see Ben again one day. I have been campaigning for 20 years, searching everywhere.

“And now they are digging up the ground looking for my son’s bones. It has left me traumatised – really shaken.

“I know in my heart of hearts they will not find Ben there because he is still alive somewhere.

"But I have to admit for the first time ever this search has put doubts into my head.”

Kerry, originally from Sheffield, is being supported by her parents as she waits at a secret location for news.

Soon she plans to make the painful journey to join the search team in Kos – returning to the holiday island that still haunts her.

She said: “I just feel I should be there. It is the last place I want to be but I feel I need to.

"It has been difficult for me to think about, because deep down I believe Ben is alive but then this makes you doubt it.

“It makes you think what if after all these years my motherly instincts were wrong? It would possibly make me doubt my whole life.”

She admitted: “If they find Ben’s body I’m finished. I don’t want to hear they have found my son’s bones. I want to hear he is alive, well and happy.

“I want them to do this search and then rule it out. Then we can all move on and concentrate on finding my son.”

The decision by UK police to excavate the area where Ben was last seen came after the Mirror revealed reports from Greece that the youngster may have been accidentally buried under tons of rubble that was being dumped in a nearby field on the day he disappeared.

Eighteen specialist officers from forces across Britain have been drafted in for the search, which will involve the use of ground sonar equipment.

Blond, blue-eyed Ben went missing when his grandparents Eddie and Christine were looking after him at a farmhouse while his mum was out working as a waitress.

Kerry and her family have always insisted he was snatched when his grandparents’ backs were turned and sold – possibly to a gang of gypsies.

Ben would be 22 now and the search for him is the longest active missing person inquiry in British history.

Kerry, who has a 19-year-old daughter, Leighanna, has followed up more than 200 sightings all over the world.

She says: “I’ve also listened to nutty psychics and even been the victim of blackmail.

"But when South Yorkshire police opened up Ben’s case again last year, I was given real hope.

"We even got his DNA from the sample taken at his birth by the hospital and I dared to dream there was still a chance I could be reunited with my son.

“At the moment we are waiting for his DNA to be distributed worldwide. It has been in the UK and Europe so far.

"Greece does not yet have a database, but it will have one in the near future.

“I always hoped they would use the sample to prove Ben was alive – now I fear they will use it to prove he is dead.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-dig-mum-kerry-1386552

**Tezza** on Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:30 am

ITV News Calendar

8:10pm, Fri 19 Oct 2012 New search for Ben Needham

EXCLUSIVE: Eddie Needham talks to Calendar

Last updated Fri 19 Oct 2012

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2012-10-19/exclusive-eddie-needham-talks-to-calendar/

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