Greece BEN NEEDHAM: Missing from Kos, Greece - 24 July 1991 - Age 21 months

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Toddler, Ben Needham, went missing on the Greek island of Kos. His mother Kerry, from Sheffield, has always maintained he was abducted.


Media - http://crimewatchers.net/index.php?...s-greece-since-24-july-1991-age-21-months.91/
 
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http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest- ... eek-island

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Ben Needham's grandma reveals horror moment tot vanished 25 years ago

BEN Needham's grandma has described the harrowing moment she had to tell his heartbroken mum her son was missing.


Christine Needham – who has spent the last 25 years desperately searching for her grandson on the island of Kos – even passed out in the road as she realised the tiny toddler was probably dead.

Christine had already started looking for 21-month-old Ben when his mum, Kerry, came home from her shift as a waitress.

She told the Mirror she began shouting at her daughter: "I've lost Ben, I've lost him."

Kerry, 43, replied: "Mum, he's not lost. Don't worry. We'll find him."

But panic and fear set in as day turned into night and all hope faded into grief.

Christine said: "As darkness set in, the fear set in.

"We looked like skeletons.

"It was complete numbness caused by unbelievable horror.”

It all finally became too much for Christine when police began searching a pile of earth near a house in Iraklis a few days later.

She says: “I collapsed in the road. We were completely exhausted by then.

“My legs went to jelly.

“I screamed, ‘Find him, please’, then passed out.”

She says the family's hopes were raised by police who regularly claimed to have leads about "a little blonde boy", only to be dashed when they turned out to be false.
 
http://www.helpfindben.co.uk/sept-oct-2016.html


As Ben’s mum Kerry braced herself for the worst, Varvara invited the Sunday Mirror into a cafe owned by her son Valandis in the village of Lampi.
She was clearly shaken by the news British police are to launch a new dig for the body of Ben.
Speaking nervously, Varvara said: “My husband never talked about what actually happened on that day.



Other sources on the Greek island of Kos said that Dino had kept his involvement in the case secret from his wife.

One said Varvara only discovered he had any possible connection to Ben in 2012 when South Yorkshire Police launch their initial search.

It is clear her husband’s death and speculation over Ben have taken a big toll on Varvara’s health.

“I am not very well and now I’m on a lot of medication,” she said.

Dino died in an Athens hospital in April last year, aged 62.

He was buried within 36 hours in the family tomb in his home village of Zipari.

Tthe Daily Mirror revealed that rather than being a simple digger driver he was a powerful, successful figure in the building trade. One friend said Dino was known by “everyone” on the island.

His son Valandis added: “When the British police came here he went up there to the site to help them.



Dino’s brother Ioannis Barkas has a butcher’s shop in Zipari and is furious at the latest developments. He said: “The British boy went missing 25 years ago. I don’t understand why this is all coming up again.”
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... TWICE.html

EXCLUSIVE - 'They will never find him': Greek detectives who searched for Ben Needham in 1991 say latest £1m search is FLAWED because they have already searched dig site TWICE

01:24 EST, 15 October 2016

It was going to be the closure she had longed for.

Although heartbroken mother Kerry Needham had been warned to prepare for the worst, at least now she would finally learn the fate of her missing infant son Ben, 25 long years after he vanished.

A quarter of a century of false hopes, hoaxes, sightings that raised hopes and cruelly dashed them: He'd been taken by gypsies, sold to child traffickers, he was seen at Kos airport buying sweets with an older child.

Each misleading claim led Kerry on the same wild goose chase and the same sickeningly familiar sinking feeling when it turned out to be false.

Then, a precious lead emerged during 100 phone calls received by British investigators when Ben’s case was featured on a Greek missing persons television show earlier this year.

The tip-off was from a 'credible' witness said Ben had been killed in a terrible accident by a Greek digger driver, now deceased, who was doing building work next door to the property where Ben went missing in 1991.

Although they believed he was dead, at least now for Kerry, and Ben’s anxious grandparents Christine and Eddie, there would be closure.

A quarter of a century of hoaxes, false sightings that raised hopes and cruelly dashed them again; He'd been taken by gypsies, sold to child traffickers, he was spotted at Kos airport buying sweets with an older child, he was in Turkey, Germany, Athens.

But as they waited with bated breath, hardly daring to hope that an answer to the toddler’s disappearance might finally be found, there was a small group of people who knew the family would be left bitterly disappointed.

For the Greek detectives working on the original case 25 years ago had scoured every inch of the search area being pored over by South Yorkshire Police – twice.

They could only watch as the latest search unfolded, already knowing the answer to the hunt which had set such high hopes.

‘The British police will never find anything [from their current investigations],’ one of the original officers who took part in the 1991 search told MailOnline.

The retired policeman said they searched the whole area around the remote farmhouse at the time of the boy’s disappearance.

‘We thoroughly investigated all the areas that the British investigators are searching now at the time [1991] and nothing was found,’ he said.

‘We examined all scenarios of the disappearance of the young English boy and a full report of our findings was compiled and sent to police HQ consistent with an allegation of the abduction of a minor.

‘The investigation and the whole saga continues because the British have provided the money.

‘But the whole operation is futile.’

As lead investigator DI Jon Cousins from South Yorkshire agreed on Friday to the repair of the farmhouse ripped apart in the search for Ben, it appears - tragically - the Greek officer may be right.

In June this year a witness came forward claiming to know precisely what had happened on the afternoon of 24 July at a remote farmhouse in the hills over-looking the Aegean Sea where 21-month-old Ben had been playing.

The witness said that Ben was crushed under the wheels of a large JCB digger that was clearing land around the farmhouse which his grandfather Eddie had been renovating.

The driver – Konstantinos ‘Dinos’ Barkas – had not noticed the little blonde boy go under the wheels of his powerful machine through the clouds of dust that swirled around, he claimed.

And when he saw what he had done he could not bring himself to admit his part the boy’s death so buried him amid the hundreds of tonnes of earth that he was excavating.

Barkas was interviewed by police in the hours after Ben was reported missing in July 1991 and released.

But he was later seen in a distressed state ‘sweating and shaking’ when he returned from the police station, the witness claimed.

The death of Barkas from cancer the year before the latest appeal to Greeks had emboldened the whistle-blower to come forward, it is believed.

Alerted to the new information British detectives from South Yorkshire Police flew to Kos and spoke to the witness themselves.

Bank-rolled with a £1 million war chest from the Home Office a team of forensic investigators arrived on Kos in June this year and identified two areas where they believed Ben’s body could have been buried.

DI Cousins had already been on the case for over year – rifling through all the documents, reading all the witness statements and corroborating all the evidence. He even flew to Australia to verify one account.

Proudly wearing their jet black South Yorkshire Police uniforms DI Cousins and his team strung up ‘do not enter’ police tape around the Kos farmhouse where Ben was last seen.

Among the team is highly qualified anthropologist Gaille Mackinnon who has worked on the biggest forensic recoveries this century – including New York 9/11, London 7/7, and war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Sierra Leone.

And almost three weeks ago they began digging in the dry, dusty soil, looking for traces of Ben’s tiny bones.

The police warned his mother Kerry to expect the worst.

As bone fragments were unearthed by an olive grove close to the farmhouse Ms Needham broke down in tears on television as she explained how finding Ben’s body would finally give the family closure.

She told Good Morning Britain: ‘You know 25 years of living and not knowing where your child is, is torment.

‘I don't like to say it but then at least we would know and it would be closure - and he can be laid to rest and we can remember him as he was.'

The bones were not Ben’s – but the remains of ancient Greeks who had lived on the island some 3,000 years ago.

Now almost three weeks into the search South Yorkshire Police admit they have not found a single item directly linked to Ben Needham and no other evidence that the boy died under the wheels of a digger and that his body was buried nearby.

However as the British police operation reaches an unsuccessful conclusion the retired Greek officers display a grim satisfaction that DI Cousins and his team have failed.

The former officers also dismiss the idea that digger driver ‘Dinos’ had any part in Ben’s disappearance.

One retired officer said: ‘The digger driver [Dino Barkas] was very helpful from the beginning.

‘We interviewed him and he did not show any strange behaviour.

‘I remember searching the land around the farm house twice. There was a lot of soil to examine.

‘Barkas helped us excavate the area with his digger. By the end of his operation we were all white from the dust.’

The officer told MailOnline how he and his colleagues worked night and day for a week as part of a huge search operation in the hope of finding Ben.

He said: ‘The mobilisation was huge. From the morning of Ben’s disappearance all of the policemen and firemen on the island took part,

‘I remember the firemen climbing down the wells in the area with ladders.

‘They searched all the streams, ditches, everywhere the kid might have fallen into.

‘We searched a 1km wide radius around the mountain side and down to the sea.

‘We eliminated every possibility that Ben had wandered off by himself or had fallen somewhere.’

Former Kos Chief of Police Christos Bafounis declined to comment on the British police investigation when contacted by MailOnline.

But other officers who took part in the 1991 investigation have also dismissed the involvement of digger driver Barkas into Ben’s disappearance.


For his part DI Cousins refuses to criticise the Greek police – the officers who were in charge back in 1991 and the officers who are helping his team now.

However he maintains his team is searching in the right places to find answers about what happened to the 21-month-old boy.

DI Cousins told MailOnline: ‘I have reviewed, in great detail, every piece of evidence made available to me by the current Greek authorities, who are very supportive of the work we are doing in assisting their investigation.

‘This information was gathered as part of the initial investigation conducted by the Greek authorities at the time. In addition, I have had the opportunity to personally view hundreds of pieces of information, sourced by my team, from Greece and the rest of the world.

'As a result of the work that has been conducted over the last 18 months and direct information received after our successful appeal in May, I have no doubt that this phase of the operation is absolutely essential in order to get answers for Ben's family.’
 
http://news.sky.com/story/police-end-wo ... s-10617736

Police end work on Ben Needham excavation site in Kos

Officers investigating the toddler's disappearance are also likely to conclude work at a second location in the coming days.

Saturday 15 October 2016


Police searching for clues surrounding the disappearance of Ben Needham have ended excavation work at the site where the toddler was last seen.

For the last three weeks, officers from South Yorkshire and search volunteers from Greece have been excavating land around an old farmhouse on the island of Kos.

Ben, who was 21 months old, had been playing outside the farmhouse when he disappeared on 24 July 1991.

Despite investigations at the time and at various points over the years, no trace of the youngster or clues to his fate have ever been found.

Officers are now working on the theory that Ben may have died on the day he disappeared, run over by a local digger driver who was clearing land near the spot where the toddler had been playing.

The driver, Konstantinos Barkas, died of cancer last year - prompting a new witness to come forward with fresh evidence.

Excavation work is still continuing at a second site not far from the farmhouse, but is also likely to end in the coming days if nothing is found.

At a daily news briefing on the island, lead investigator Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said his officers were still determined to find answers for the Needham family.

DI Cousins said: "Their dedication is exactly the same as it was on day one.

"The determination to find an answer for Ben's family has not changed at all."

Ben Needham's grandparents had been sheltering from the sun inside the old farmhouse when he disappeared.

During recent excavation work officers dismantled a small annex on the side of the farmhouse to search the foundations for any clues.

Hundreds of tons of earth from an olive grove next to the building have also been excavated and raked through as investigators look for minute clues.

Forensic anthropologists, who worked in the aftermath of the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks, have also been assisting investigators examine hundreds of animal bone fragments and other small items recovered over the past three weeks.

The second site where officers are searching is an old landfill tip about a quarter of a mile from the farmhouse.

Investigators have excavated hundreds of tonnes of soil and other debris from that location, which is being transported to a spot next to the farmhouse for more detailed examination.

DI Cousins told Sky News there was a lot of "compacted material" that investigators had to excavate and work through.

He said: "There was some 20 deposits that had not been compacted.

"But then we got down to the compacted ground and there is a mix, across thirty years of material throughout this area."

More than 70 small items have been sent off for further analysis but as of yet nothing significant has been found that might help to solve the disappearance.
 
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1981939/g ... ite-twice/

'THEY WILL NEVER FIND BEN' Greek detectives warn Ben Needham search is pointless because they already searched dig site TWICE

Officers from South Yorkshire Police have been searching sites on the Greek island of Kos

15th October 2016


GREEK detectives have said cops hunting for missing tot Ben Needham will not find anything, because they have already searched the area twice.

Officers from South Yorkshire Police finished searching their primary site on the Greek island of Kos, where Ben went missing in 1991, today.

A search of a second site is expected to continue for several more days but lead investigator Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said nothing significant has been found yet.

Greek detectives who worked on the original case 25-years-ago have told the MailOnline: "The British police will never find anything.

"We thoroughly investigated all the areas that the British investigators are searching now at the time and nothing was found.

"We examined all scenarios of the disappearance of the young English boy and a full report of our findings was compiled and sent to police HQ consistent with an allegation of the abduction of a minor.

"The investigation and the whole saga continues because the British have provided the money.

"But the whole operation is futile."

Digging began after a new line of inquiry suggested 21-month-old Ben may have been crushed to death by a digger near a farmhouse his grandparents were renovating in July 1991.

Konstantinos Barkas, who has since died of stomach cancer, was clearing land near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished.

A pal of the builder reportedly told police what happened and how Barkas may be responsible for the child’s death.

At the outset police said they were "optimistic" a new excavation would provide answers.

Ben's mum Kerry Needham had been told to prepare for the worst, but weeks on it is possible nothing will be found.

An emotional Kerry told Good Morning Britain this week: “We need those answers whether they are good or bad.

“Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to get a bad one.”

When asked if that answer would give her a sense of closure, Kerry said: “In a way yes because then we’ll know.

"You know 25 years living and not knowing where your child is, is torment.

"I don’t like to say it but then at least we would know and it would be closure and he can be laid to rest and we can remember him as he was.”

Last week the search was expanded to new sites on the island after fresh witnesses told police about areas where Barkas would dump rubble.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who is leading the search, has repeatedly spoken of his determination to find answers.

He told MailOnline: "I have reviewed, in great detail, every piece of evidence made available to me by the current Greek authorities, who are very supportive of the work we are doing in assisting their investigation.

"This information was gathered as part of the initial investigation conducted by the Greek authorities at the time. In addition, I have had the opportunity to personally view hundreds of pieces of information, sourced by my team, from Greece and the rest of the world.

"As a result of the work that has been conducted over the last 18 months and direct information received after our successful appeal in May, I have no doubt that this phase of the operation is absolutely essential in order to get answers for Ben's family."

Last week the search was expanded to new sites on the island after fresh witnesses told police about areas where Barkas would dump rubble.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who is leading the search, has repeatedly spoken of his determination to find answers.

He told MailOnline: "I have reviewed, in great detail, every piece of evidence made available to me by the current Greek authorities, who are very supportive of the work we are doing in assisting their investigation.

"This information was gathered as part of the initial investigation conducted by the Greek authorities at the time. In addition, I have had the opportunity to personally view hundreds of pieces of information, sourced by my team, from Greece and the rest of the world.

"As a result of the work that has been conducted over the last 18 months and direct information received after our successful appeal in May, I have no doubt that this phase of the operation is absolutely essential in order to get answers for Ben's family."

n the almost three weeks the area has been searched cops have knocked down part of a farmhouse, examined a fig tree planted after the youngster's disappearance and analysed samples of bone and other matter found at the site.

Ben's granddad Eddie has previously said he fears that cops wouldn't find anything to help explain the tot’s disappearance.

The former builder from Lincolnshire, told the Daily Mirror: “I feel confident they are doing a fantastic job. They have the best search teams and best archaeologist in the world.

“But I really don’t think they will find anything despite how hard they’re working.”
 
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sout ... e-37671368


Police investigating the disappearance of toddler Ben Needham in Kos have concluded their three-week search for information on the Greek island.


Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he disappeared on 24 July 1991.
Searches have taken place over the past 21 days after it emerged he may have been accidentally killed by a digger driver.
More than 800 tonnes of soil was dug up, with items of interest sent back to the UK for forensic analysis.
Det Insp John Cousins, who is leading the investigation, said: "I've got the confidence that we have done exactly what we can, given the plans we had before we came out here so that I can give an answer, whatever that might be, to Ben's family."
He said he was proud of his team: "It has been a difficult job, the conditions have been extremely hot and very dusty and they are long hours they have been working."
The Help Find Ben Needham campaign thanked South Yorkshire Police, Hellenic search and rescue workers and the media for their work over the past three weeks.

Police are expected to hold a briefing on Monday for a further update on the progress of the search.
Ben vanished from a farmhouse, which his grandfather was renovating, in the village of Iraklis.
Officers are working on the theory that Konstantinos Barkas, who died of cancer in 2015, might be responsible for Ben's death.

Over the past three weeks, digs took place near the farmhouse where he was last seen and a second site 750m away.
A team of 19 South Yorkshire Police officers, forensic specialists, an archaeologist and search and rescue personnel have been excavating the area as a result of a television appeal in May, which brought the theory about Mr Barkas to the attention of the force.
 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/he ... um-9059615


Heartbreaking scenes as Ben Needham's mum collapses in tears at missing son's 'death site' after dig ends

22:01, 16 OCT 2016

Kerry Needham clutched her parents, Christine and Eddie, as police concluded the dig at the spot on Kos, where officers fear Ben was killed by a digger in 1991

Ben Needham’s mum Kerry collapses in grief at the site on Kos where her son vanished 25 years ago, as the police search for him ended in failure.

The 43-year-old clung on to her mother during the visit to the spot where officers fear he was killed by a digger in 1991.

Kerry said: “I’d tear up the whole island to find him. I can’t say goodbye until I know where he is.”

Clutching her parents Christine and Eddie Needham, Kerry also pleaded with anyone who knows anything about her son’s disappearance to come forward.

After arriving to thank South Yorkshire Police for trying to find the boy with their painstaking search, she said: “They know he’s dead but just can’t find him.

“Police said it’s time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can’t say goodbye knowing he’s still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can’t feel any worse than I do.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum ChristineKerry Needham and her mum Christine break down in tears at the dig site
“He didn’t leave Kos, he didn’t walk away...somebody didn’t take him, so he’s here somewhere.

"They believe he is there but they can’t dig in everyone’s gardens or homes that have been built over the years. I want to tear up the whole island to find him.

"Someone knows where he is. For God’s sake help me find him. We know he’s dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place.

“Somebody knows where he is. Somebody else put him there and I can’t say goodbye until I know exactly where he is.

"Please let me say goodbye to my son. I can’t leave him there on that island. I need to find him.

"I need to take him somewhere he can be at peace and I can be at peace and grieve for him and somewhere I can remember him.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine and father EddieKerry held on to her mum and dad, Christine and Eddie, as police stopped digging
“I will find a special place, somewhere private where I can go and remember him. I’m still in limbo.

"But I know in my heart and talking to the police. If they believe it, I have to believe it. They have enough information.”

As Kerry visited the farmhouse where Ben was last seen alive, dad Eddie also broke down sobbing.

The 68-year-old said: “I hate this place. I can’t take any more.”

He turned to his daughter and declared: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Eddie is haunted by guilt as he and his wife were looking after Ben when he disappeared in the summer of 1991.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben NeedhamKerry says she'd dig up the whole island just to find her son, Ben
But Kerry said: “I just held dad and told him it was not his fault.”

Christine, 64, was also overcome with emotion on the visit to the property.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum ChristineKerry said: “They know he’s dead but just can’t find him"
She begged: “Get me away from here, get me away from here.”

The trio had to hold on to each other for support as they crossed the police lines to the site of the dig.

Volunteers and police surrounding fought back tears at the heartbreaking scene.

The Mirror, which has supported the Needhams throughout their ordeal, were invited by the family.

The family arrived on Kos at the weekend and met Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who has been leading the search for Ben.

Police decided to carry out another dig when a “significant” new witness came forward after a Greek TV appeal.

They believe his body was then removed from the farmhouse in Iraklis and taken to a fly-tipping site.

The new dig was their first on the island since 2012.

But after three weeks of digging at two sites, Ben’s remains have not been found and search teams have been left devastated they could not help bring “closure” to the family.

Daily MirrorKostantinos BarkasPolice fear Ben was killed by a digger operated by Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas
After Kerry left Kos, she said she would not return to the island unless her son is found.

But she said new information about Dino has come forward since the new search began.

Kerry, of Sheffield, added: “People who live in the area have been coming day by day and have confirmed that the number two area was where Dino was always bringing things from Iraklis just after Ben went missing.


“He learnt about Ben and asked Dino a few times and he kept saying, ‘No not possible’ but then in 2012 this person asked Dino about it again and he admitted to him in 2012: ‘I don’t know for sure but yes it’s possible.’

"Dino knew. Of course he knew. I hope he’s burning in hell.”


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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... rch-police

Ben Needham: police find item belonging to toddler near Kos site

Detectives say they believe child died as a result of accident near Greek farmhouse where he was last seen in July 1991

Helen Pidd North of England editor
Monday 17 October 2016 08.48 EDT

British police in Greece looking for the missing toddler Ben Needham believe they have found one of his belongings near to where he disappeared in 1991.

The detective leading the search on the island of Kos said on Monday that he believed Ben died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing on 24 July 1991. He was just 21 months old.

DI Jon Cousins, the senior investigating officer from South Yorkshire police, said: “My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991 behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing.

“The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true.

“An item found on Saturday, which I have shown personally to some of Ben’s family, was found in one of the targeted areas at the second site, very close to a dated item from 1991,” continued Cousins.

“It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben’s possession around the time he went missing.

“The recovery of this item, and its location, further adds to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the day that Ben disappeared.”

The find came during a three-week excavation funded by the Home Office as part of what has come to be known as Operation Ben. Two sites on the island were searched, with the team carrying out 3,600 hours of work to sift through 1,200 tonnes of material. The team will soon return to the UK, along with some of the items recovered during the search.

Cousins said: “Ben’s family have been provided with a full and thorough account of the events which we know to have taken place and also the speculations that we have been able to discount. Our thoughts are with the family as they are given time to digest this and they have our full and continued support.

“Our drive has always been the family, and their welfare. Ben’s family have never given up on the team and I am incredibly thankful for their constant inspiration.

“We are also grateful to the current Greek authorities for their assistance, and the help received from the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been vital in allowing the team to continue getting answers for a family in need,” he went on.

“We remain committed to the investigation and it will not simply close; myself and Det Supt Matt Fenwick will retain ownership of it and if new information comes to light, we will investigate it thoroughly. We will not stop in our quest to find further answers for Ben’s family.”
 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/de ... en-9061983

Detectives find item belonging to Ben Needham - and believe missing boy died in accident

14:25, 17 OCT 2016
BY LUCY THORNTON , STEPHEN JONES

The search for Kerry Needham's missing son in Greece has come to a halt with some earth-shattering news after South Yorkshire Police carried out a painstaking 21-day operation


An item belonging to missing Ben Needham has been found by detectives searching for clues in Kos.

South Yorkshire Police now firmly believe that Ben died in an accident at a farmhouse on the Greek island on July 24, 1991.

At an earth-shattering press conference at midday today, police said that they were in no doubt - after checking with his family - that the item belonged to the 21-month-old little boy who vanished 25 years ago.

The item - discovered on Saturday, the penultimate day of the search - is believed to have been in Ben's possession at the time of his disappearance.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, leading the investigation, would not be drawn on what the item is - but said it had been located at "Site 2" during the 21-day search which drew to a close on the Greek island yesterday.

South Yorkshire Police are working on the theory that someone moved the item there from "Site 1" - near the farmhouse where Ben was last seen playing.

While 93 items have been uncovered by search teams working at both sites, this one is said to be of "greater significance".

DI Cousins added that when he showed the item to Ben's family "the reaction I got from them leads me to believe it was taken on or around the day) he disappeared)".

He said that the Needham family were "devastated, distraught, upset..." and that "it was a very emotional moment".

PABen NeedhamBen Needham disappeared 25 years ago on the Greek island of Kos
DI Cousins added: "In my professional opinion I believe an accident took place involving heavy machinery on the day Ben disappeared."

Ben's family are now understood to have accepted that he died on the day he disappeared - in a "farming accident".

A Greek digger driver called "Dino" is now widely believed - not least by the police - to have taken secrets of Ben's death to his grave when he died of cancer last year.

Detectives are understood to be working on the theory he ran over the toddler by accident while working near the farmhouse and "panicked" - disposing of evidence at the landfill site known as "Site 2".

Ben's mum Kerry said last night she hoped he was "burning in hell" for failing to come forward with information when he was alive.


Philip Coburn/Daily MirrorD.I. Jon Cousins at the second dig site in KosDI Jon Cousins is leading the investigation in Greece
A large digger is known to have been being used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991 - behind the farmhouse that was being renovated.

Earlier at the press conference DI Cousins wouldn't be drawn on who had discovered the item - or what it was - only to say that it had been found on the penultimate day of searching at Site 2, one of the targeted areas which had been searched "based on information received".

South Yorkshire Police/FacebookDI Jon Cousins live from Kos provides closing statement after the conclusion of the search for Ben NeedhamDI Jon Cousins made the shock announcement of the discovery at a live press conference
An appeal for new information in May led someone to come forward in June regarding a local digger driver who had been working near a farmhouse on the day Ben vanished - the area known as "Site 1".

He added that Ben's family have been informed of the discovery - that they were in no doubt that the item was linked to the lad when he went missing - and that discussions needed to be had with Greek authorities as to "what further work would be done in the future".

RexA forensic archaeologist works at the second site during the search operation for missing Ben Needham, Kos, GreeceA forensic archaeologist works at "Site 2" during the search operation for missing Ben

REXForensic archaeologists assisted by Hellenic Rescue volunteers use rakes to search through soil at the second site in Kos, Greece in the missing Ben Needham operationForensic archaeologists assisted by Hellenic Rescue volunteers use rakes to search through soil at "Site 2"
In a later interview with Sky News, DI Cousins said he believed "material had been moved from (the farmhouse) on or around the day Ben disappeared" to Site 2.

He also appealed again for anyone with any further information to come forward.

scene.
 
Continued

RexForensic archaeologists assisted by Hellenic Rescue volunteers work at the second site in Kos, GreeceSite 2 is where the item which has been linked to Ben Needham has been discovered
RexForensic archaeologists assisted by Hellenic Rescue volunteers work at the second site in Kos, GreecePolice say they believe the item was moved to Site 2 on or around the day Ben disappeared
DI Cousins earlier said at the press conference: "It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse here ... where he was last seen playing.

"Ben's family have been provided with a full and thorough account of the events which we know to have taken place and also the speculations that we have been able to discount.

"Our thoughts are with the family as they are given time to digest this and they have our full and continued support."

Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine break down in floods of tears as they visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years agoKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham, with her mum Christine
GettyDetective Inspector Jon Cousins of the South Yorkshire Police talks with a team memberDetective Inspector Jon Cousins talks with a team member during the 21-day search
Operation Ben has involved 3,600 hours of work physically digging and 1,200 tonnes of material sifted, police said.

In a complex investigation - still being led by Greek authorities - the UK team will now return "along with some of the items recovered during the search", police said.

The Needham family had long clung on to hope that Ben would one day be found alive.

There have been more than 300 reported sightings of boys matching Ben's description over the years - in Greece and further afield - but each one drew a blank when investigated.

Daily MirrorKostantinos BarkasPolice fear Ben was killed by a digger operated by Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas
Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine and father Eddie break down in floods of tears as they visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years agoKerry Needham with her mum Christine and father Eddie
Last night Kerry, 43, was seen clinging on to her mother at the site on Kos where her son vanished 25 years ago.

Kerry said: “I’d tear up the whole island to find him. I can’t say goodbye until I know where he is.”

Detectives are thought to believe the 21-month-old was killed under the tracks of a mechanical digger operated by driver Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas, who died last year.

They believe Ben's body was then removed from the farmhouse in Iraklis and taken to a fly-tipping site - the area known as "Site 2".

After Kerry left Kos, she said she would not return to the island unless her son is found.

Heartbreaking scene as Needham visit pay final visit to Kos search site
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Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine break down in floods of tears as they visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years agoThe family broke down in tears as the search drew to a halt
But she was given fresh hope when the new information about Dino surfaced.

Kerry, of Sheffield, had said: “People who live in the area have been coming day by day and have confirmed that the number two area was where Dino was always bringing things from Iraklis just after Ben went missing.

Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham breaks down in fllods of tears as she visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years ago.Kerry Needham said she hopes the digger 'burns in hell'
“It can’t have been from another job because he was only working on that site.

“One man has taken a secret to his grave. Police believe that.

“They know enough information to know that happened. Someone else has come forward who was a teenager working for Dino.

Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine break down in floods of tears as they visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen 25 years ago'One man has taken a secret to his grave. Police believe that'
“He learnt about Ben and asked Dino a few times and he kept saying, ‘No not possible’ but then in 2012 this person asked Dino about it again and he admitted to him in 2012: ‘I don’t know for sure but yes it’s possible.’

"Dino knew. Of course he knew. I hope he’s burning in hell.”

VIEW GALLERY Police search a septic tank by the house where Ben Needham went missing
Clutching her parents Christine and Eddie Needham, Kerry had also pleaded with anyone who knew anything about her son’s disappearance to come forward.

After arriving to thank South Yorkshire Police for trying to find the boy with their painstaking search, she said: “They know he’s dead but just can’t find him.

“Police said it’s time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can’t say goodbye knowing he’s still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can’t feel any worse than I do.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine'Police said it’s time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can’t say goodbye knowing he’s still on that island somewhere'
“He didn’t leave Kos, he didn’t walk away...somebody didn’t take him, so he’s here somewhere.

"They believe he is there but they can’t dig in everyone’s gardens or homes that have been built over the years. I want to tear up the whole island to find him.

"Someone knows where he is. For God’s sake help me find him. We know he’s dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place.

Good Morning Britain: Kerry Needham breaks down during interview over hunt for Ben


“He’s not where I left him. Somebody knows where he is.

“Somebody knows where he is. Somebody else put him there and I can’t say goodbye until I know exactly where he is.

"Please let me say goodbye to my son. I can’t leave him there on that island. I need to find him.

"I need to take him somewhere he can be at peace and I can be at peace and grieve for him and somewhere I can remember him.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine and father EddieKerry held on to her mum and dad, Christine and Eddie, as police stopped digging
“I will find a special place, somewhere private where I can go and remember him. I’m still in limbo.

"But I know in my heart and talking to the police. If they believe it, I have to believe it. They have enough information.”

As Kerry visited the farmhouse where Ben was last seen alive, dad Eddie also broke down sobbing.

Final piece of earth is inspected as Ben Needham search comes to an end
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The 68-year-old said: “I hate this place. I can’t take any more.”

He turned to his daughter and declared: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Eddie is haunted by guilt as he and his wife were looking after Ben when he disappeared in the summer of 1991.

But Kerry said: “I just held dad and told him it was not his fault.”

Christine, 64, was also overcome with emotion on the visit to the property.

Andy Stenning/Daily MirrorKerry Needham, mother of missing Ben Needham with her mum Christine'They know he’s dead but just can’t find him'
She begged: “Get me away from here, get me away from here.”

The trio had to hold on to each other for support as they crossed the police lines to the site of the dig.

Volunteers and police surrounding fought back tears at the heartbreaking scene.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... loses.html

Ben Needham detectives find 'item belonging to' the missing British toddler in Kos and reveal they now believe he died 'in an accident'
South Yorkshire police formally ended their search of Kos on Sunday
They were digging for clues for three weeks nears where Ben disappeared
Police 'found item believed to be in child's possession when he vanished'
His mother Kerry said she is 'still in limbo' more than two decades on
She said: 'I want to tear up the whole island to find him' in emotional plea
By REBECCA TAYLOR and JULIAN ROBINSON and NICK ***GE IN KOS, GREECE, FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 19:56 EST, 16 October 2016

A detective investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham says officers have found a 'significant item' belonging to the toddler in Kos and that it is his belief he died in an accident.

Search teams unearthed an item that was believed to be in the toddler's possession on the day he went missing on the Greek island 25 years ago, according to Detective Inspector John Cousins.

The revelation comes as Ben's mother said she hoped a Greek digger driver 'is burning in hell' after she claimed he took secrets about the youngster's death to his grave.

Police launched a fresh search on the island amid claims Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, may have been responsible for Ben's death as he was clearing land with an excavator near the spot where the child had been playing on the day he vanished.

Mr Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year and South Yorkshire Police has now formally ended its latest search.

In a press conference this morning, DI Cousins said 93 items, mostly of 'low interest' had been discovered during recent searches on Kos - some of which were due tobe taken back to the UK for examination.

But one item found on October 15 was said to be of 'greater significance' and was believed to have been in Ben's possession on the day he went missing on July 24 1991.

However, DI Cousins refused to reveal what exactly had been discovered.

'The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true.

'An item found on Saturday, which I have shown personally to some of Ben's family, was found in one of the targeted areas at the second site, very close to a dated item from 1991.

'It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben's possession around the time he went missing.'

Ben's mother Kerry had earlier said that Mr Barkas had 'taken a secret to his grave' and now hoped the digger driver was 'burning in hell' for failing to come forward while he was still alive.

Speaking at the scene, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said: 'My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing.

Kerry also said she wants to 'tear up' the whole island as the police search came to a close.

After the police announcement today, she thanked South Yorkshire Police for their 'determination' to find answers.

She said: 'There are no words to describe how grateful we are to South Yorkshire Police and the Hellenic Search and Rescue team and Red Cross / Red Crescent volunteers - but i will try.

'For 25 years we have felt alone and adrift as we searched for answers. This is the first time anybody has properly listened to us and cared enough to try and help.

'On behalf of my family I also want to sincerely thank Superintendent Matt Fenwick, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, Ian Harding and Ian Marshall for their kindness compassion and sheer dedication. Not to forget all the other officers who have worked tirelessly to help our family.

'We also want to thank the British media for showing us so much compassion and allowing the police to get on with their job.

'It was never going to be a happy ending and we will have to decide at a later date where we go from here.'



Ben Needham's father Simon Ward added: 'I would just like to reiterate my thanks to the police officers and to all the volunteers who have been working on Kos.'

Mr Cousins said the recovery of the item added to his belief that material had been removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the 21-month-old disappeared.

Despite this stage of the investigation coming to an end, the officer pledged to continue searching for answers, and paid tribute to Ben's family.

He concluded: 'We remain committed to the investigation and it will not simply close; myself and Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick will retain ownership of it and if new information comes to light, we will investigate it thoroughly.

'We will not stop in our quest to find further answers for Ben's family.'

Kerry Needham broke down in tears when British detectives showed her the item they had discovered during their search.

DI Cousins said: 'I met with Kerry and other members of her family over the weekend. They were shown the item that was recovered. It was an item that Ben was in possession of at the time he disappeared. Kerry was able to confirm this. It was an emotional time for all of us.'

British investigators are still searching for the JCB digger that they believe ran over and killed Ben.

DI Cousins told MailOnline: 'We have not been able to find Dinos' [Barkas] digger. The digger left the island six or seven years ago.

'It was taken to [Greek commercial port] Piraeus where there are over a dozen building plant firms.

'Dinos sold it in a part exchange for another newer digger. It would have been recommissioned and sold on. Even a 30 year old JCB digger is worth more than €30,000.

'We thought we had traced it to Egypt but it was not Dinos' digger. 'We are still looking for it.'


South Yorkshire Police said officers formally ended their search on Kos on Sunday afternoon, and a full update will be released from the team on the island on Monday at 12pm UK time.

Ben, from Sheffield, disappeared on July 24, 1991, aged 21 months, after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.

Kerry Needham told the Daily Mirror she is 'still in limbo', more than two decades on.

She said: 'They know he's dead but just can't find him. Police said it's time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can't say goodbye knowing he's still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can't feel any worse than I do.

'He didn't leave Kos, he didn't walk away... Somebody didn't take him, so he's here somewhere. They believe he is there but they can't dig in everyone's gardens or homes that have been built over the years. I want to tear up the whole island to find him.


'Someone knows where he is. For God's sake, help me find him. We know he's dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place.'

Ms Needham collapsed in grief when she visited the spot where he vanished, with her father Eddie also left in tears as they walked around the island.

Her parents, Ben's grandparents, said they could not bear to be on the island any longer. The pair are haunted by guilt as they were looking after Ben when he disappeared.

The search operation was prompted by information that digger driver Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, may have been responsible for the toddler's death, as he was clearing land with an excavator near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished.

Mr Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year.

After a search lasting three weeks, South Yorkshire Police said on Sunday: 'The physical search of two sites on Kos, Greece, has formally come to an end.

'Work continues behind the scenes as officers begin to process the findings from each site.'

Two weeks into the search, detectives said they had accumulated more than 60 items of interest that they will bring back to the UK for forensic testing.

A variety of theories on his fate and reported sightings have arisen since Ben's disappearance, and Ms Needham had been hoping that she would one day be reunited with her son.

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search for Ben.

After this search closed, Detective Inspector Jon Cousins apologised for not finding the toddler's remains.

He said: 'I have expressed my sorrow that we have not been able to find Ben.

'I still believe somebody knows what happened to Ben on that day and where he is now.'

Ms Needham called the DI a 'hero' and a 'truly amazing man'.

Ms Needham has been forthright in her support of the investigation.
 
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/uknews/19 ... d-her-son/

'I HOPE HE BURNS IN HELL' Ben Needham’s mum blasts Kos digger driver who ‘took secret to grave’ as she says she wants to tear up the whole island to find her son

Heartbroken Kerry, 43, hit out as the police search for her 21-month-old toddler son ended

BY SAM CHRISTIE 17th October 2016, 9:22 am


Devastated Kerry, 43, broke down in tears as she said she wanted to “tear up” the whole of Kos where her son vanished 25 years ago.

She hit out as the police search for the 21-month-old toddler ended.

Kerry told the Daily Mirror: “I’d tear up the whole island to find him.

“I can’t say goodbye until I know where he is.”

Police believe the toddler was killed by a mechanical digger driven by Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas, who has since died of cancer.

Ben’s body is thought to have been transported from the farmhouse to a fly-tipping site.

Kerry, of Sheffield, added: “People who live in the area have been coming day by day and have confirmed that the number two area was where Dino was always bringing things from Iraklis just after Ben went missing.

“It can’t have been from another job because he was only working on that site.

“One man has taken a secret to his grave. Police believe that.

“They know enough information to know that happened. Someone else has come forward who was a teenager working for Dino.

“He learnt about Ben and asked Dino a few times and he kept saying, ‘No not possible’ but then in 2012 this person asked Dino about it again and he admitted to him in 2012: ‘I don’t know for sure but yes it’s possible.’

“Dino knew. Of course he knew.

“I hope he’s burning in hell.”

Hugging her parents Christine and Eddie Needham, Kerry thanked South Yorkshire Police for trying to find Ben.

She said: ”

“They know he’s dead but just can’t find him.

“Police said it’s time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can’t say goodbye knowing he’s still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can’t feel any worse than I do.

“He didn’t leave Kos, he didn’t walk away…somebody didn’t take him, so he’s here somewhere.

“They believe he is there but they can’t dig in everyone’s gardens or homes that have been built over the years. I want to tear up the whole island to find him.

"Someone knows where he is. For God’s sake help me find him. We know he’s dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place.

He’s not where I left him. Somebody knows where he is.

“Somebody knows where he is. Somebody else put him there and I can’t say goodbye until I know exactly where he is.

"Please let me say goodbye to my son. I can’t leave him there on that island. I need to find him.

"I need to take him somewhere he can be at peace and I can be at peace and grieve for him and somewhere I can remember him.

“I will find a special place, somewhere private where I can go and remember him. I’m still in limbo.

"But I know in my heart and talking to the police. If they believe it, I have to believe it. They have enough information.”

Digging began after a new line of inquiry suggested 21-month-old Ben may have been crushed to death by a digger near a farmhouse his grandparents were renovating in July 1991.

Konstantinos Barkas, who has since died of stomach cancer, was clearing land near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished.

A pal of the builder reportedly told police what happened and how Barkas may be responsible for the child’s death.

At the outset police said they were "optimistic" a new excavation would provide answers.

Ben's mum Kerry Needham had been told to prepare for the worst.

An emotional Kerry told Good Morning Britain last week: “We need those answers whether they are good or bad.

“Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to get a bad one.”

When asked if that answer would give her a sense of closure, Kerry said: “In a way yes because then we’ll know.

"You know 25 years living and not knowing where your child is, is torment.

"I don’t like to say it but then at least we would know and it would be closure and he can be laid to rest and we can remember him as he was.”
 
http://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain/n ... car-is-his

Ben Needham's sister Leigh-Anna: 'We aren't completely sure the car is his'

9:27 - 18 OCT 2016

The sister of missing toddler Ben Needham has brushed off police claims in Greece that say her brother is most likely to have died in a tragic accident on the island of Kos.

Speaking this morning, following the discovery of a toy car that could have belonged to Ben, Leigh-Anna Needham said: "I still remain hopeful that he's out there.
"The toy car has been shown to my mum and my grandparents. My nan is only 90% sure that it's one that is similar to one Ben had.
"We can't say for certain that it was Ben's. It could be Ben's, it could also not be Ben's."

She continued: "Without any remains, I will still have hope that he's out there.
"I'm sort of half angry they didn't find anything because we were told to prepare for the worst"
 
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