THE heartbroken mum of missing Ben Needham has been told by UK cops they will no longer be investigating the disappearance of her son.
Kerry Needham, 51, has been searching for her son since the 21-month-old toddler vanished on the Greek island of Kos on July 24, 1991.
Ben Needham was 21-months old when he disappeared in Kos in 1991 Credit: PA:Press Association
Ben’s mum Kerry Needham was long convinced her son is still alive Credit: Peter Byrne
In the summer of that year, Kerry had relocated with Ben to the island to start a new life with her parents, who were already settled there, when the tragedy happened.
The desperate search to find Ben as an adult has spanned over 30 years.
But now, South Yorkshire Police has told Ben’s mum Kerry it would not be responsible for any investigations into the case any more.
Cops at the major crimes unit informed her it was the responsibility of the Greek police to undertake any future inquiries blaming lack of “time” and “resources”, the Mirror reported.
Breaking down in tears, the heartbroken mum told the outlet: “This is devastating news. The case will now fall solely to the Greek authorities.
“If this happens, I feel like I may as well give up the search for Ben because the Greek police have only ever wanted this case to go away.”
The news was broken to Kerry during a video call by her family liaison officer, she explained.
Kerry added: “For nearly 35 years, we have fought every single day to keep Ben’s case alive, to search for answers, and to make sure he is never forgotten.
Ben was playing outside a farmhouse being renovated by his grandparents when he disappeared Credit: SWNS:South West News Service
Kerry with her parents Eddie and Christine soon after he disappeared Credit: Rex Features
“We believe there are still avenues to explore. This feels like a devastating step backwards.”
South Yorkshire Police said: “We remain ready to support Greek authorities should any new evidence come to light, and we remain committed to supporting Kerry.
“However after 35 years, we must ensure all of the appropriate routes are in place and remain fit for purpose.”
Toddler Ben had been left with his grandparents, Eddie and Christine, at a farmhouse they were renovating while Kerry, 19 at the time, went to work at an island hotel.
The tot had been coming in and out of the house, but at 2.30pm it was found he’d vanished, seemingly without a trace.
Initially, after a two-hour search, the family assumed Ben had gone off with his teenage uncle Stephen, who had been helping his dad with work at the property before heading home on his moped.
But this was not the case, and on later finding Stephen alone at the family’s apartment, panic suddenly set in.
For the next 35 years the family has been desperate for answers – with Kerry long convinced Ben was still alive and was likely snatched by child traffickers.
Timeline of the Ben Needham missing person case
Here we take a look at the search for missing Ben:
- July 24 1991: Ben Needham vanishes while playing near the grounds of a farmhouse in the Iraklis region of Kos, which his family are renovating. His mother, Kerry Needham, and grandparents raise the alarm with local police and conduct a full search of the area.
- July 26 1991: Eyewitness reports claim a boy matching Ben’s description was found at the local airport on the day he disappeared. That boy has never been traced.
- September 1991: The Needham family return to England but vow to continue the search.
- June 2003: issue an image of what Ben might look like at age 12-14 years old.
- 2004: An anonymous businessman offers a reward of £500,000 for information leading to Ben’s safe return.
- October 2010: Another public appeal is made by Ben’s mother in the run-up to what would be his 21st birthday.
- May 2011: The airs a programme called Missing 2011, which includes a piece on Ben’s story and the campaign to find him.
- September 2011: Greek police on Kos officially re-open the case and grant the family a face-to-face meeting with the island’s prosecutor.
- October 2012: South Yorkshire Police in Kos begin digging up mounds around the property where Ben went missing to look for his remains.
- December 2013: Ben’s mother accuses then-Prime Minister of not giving her case the same backing as he gave the parents of . It comes as a dossier is produced containing reports from eight witnesses, none of who know each other, who all saw a boy possibly matching Ben’s description with the same Greek family.
- December 2014: Lawyers representing Ben’s family say they may take legal action to try to force the Government to make a decision about funding a new police investigation.
- January 2015: The Home Office agrees to fund a team of British detectives to help search for the toddler.
- March/April 2015: Three generations of Ben Needham’s family travel to Greece to follow up a “strong” lead that a man living there believes he may be the missing Brit due to having no photographs of himself under the age of two and no knowledge of where he was born. The man is later ruled out.
- May 2015: Ben’s family make a fresh appeal on Greek television for information regarding the disappearance.
- May 2016: The Sun reveals how members of the police operation went on an eight-hour booze-up in Kos during the latest stage of the investigation.
- September 2016: Ben’s family are told to “prepare for the worst” by detectives leading the investigation, amid the belief the 21-month-old was – the driver of which died in 2015. It comes as in the belief the boy’s remains may be buried near the farmhouse.
- October 15, 2016: On the penultimate day of a three week search at two locations – Site 1, near the farmhouse, and Site 2, a landfill site – an item which is .
- October 16, 2016: After digging up more than 800 tonnes of soil, the excavation work comes to an end with any items of interest sent back to the UK for forensic analysis.
- October 17, 2016: South Yorkshire Police DI Jon Cousins announces the discovery of an item that backs up their theory Ben died following an accident near the farmhouse on the day he disappeared.
- July 24, 2017: It emerges blood was found on a sandal and toy car belonging to Ben. The sandal was found in 2012 at the site where Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas was operating a digger, . No further information emerged. Ben’s mum makes another heartbreaking appeal for information.
- November 28, 2018: Forensic experts say the toy car found in the Kos dig does not belong to Ben.
- July 25, 2019: , saying it was “never too late to do the right thing”.
- July 2021: that a blonde boy found on a beach wearing a white t-shirt, “crying desperately” and speaking English 587 miles away in Corfu could’ve been the youngster.
In 2012, , which suggested Ben had been killed when a digger accidentally crushed him in an olive grove behind the farmhouse.
Digger driver Konstantinos ‘Dino’ Barkas was working nearby and an anonymous tipster claimed in 2015 he then told him on his death bed he had been responsible and had buried Ben’s remains.
However, multiple excavations, including at all sites he was permitted to dump rubble and waste on the island, have failed to find any trace of the toddler.
Kerry previously said: “If there had been an accident, there would have been something… They dug so deep in that area that they found an ancient burial ground.
“So I’m sure they can find one fragment of a child or a drop of blood, anything. They found nothing.”
Kerry moved to Antalya a couple of years ago and says it’s helped her to remain focused.
She said: “I live a simple life, I’ve got a partner here. I’m doing basically what I would be doing in the UK, being a housewife and doing whatever I’m doing with Ben’s campaign and following up information.
“The same but a very warm and beautiful country.
“I’ve got a good network of support around me.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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