The mom of lacking Ben Needham has refused to consider the police idea that he was killed by a digger on a Greek island.
His mom Kerry stated ‘we should hold looking out’ forward of the thirtieth anniversary of his disappearance on the island of Kos on July 24, 1991.
Police consider Ben died on the day he went lacking on account of an accident involving ‘heavy equipment’ as he performed exterior his grandparent’s home.
He was staying at his grandparents’ farmhouse on the Greek island when he vanished however Ms Needham believes her son continues to be alive.
She advised the Each day Mirror: ‘I nonetheless have that hope that South Yorkshire Police are mistaken.
Ben Needham (pictured) went lacking from his grandparents’ farmhouse on Kos in 1991
‘And whereas there isn’t any proof to point out me, I’ve to consider he’s nonetheless alive. There’s not a single thread of proof to say in any other case.’
She added she feels ‘caught’ in 1991 and has devoted three a long time to the search of her son. She stated: ‘I’ve by no means had any desires or objectives aside from discovering Ben.’
Ms Needham had moved from Sheffield to start out a brand new life along with her household in Greece when she went to work and left her son together with his grandparents. She by no means noticed him once more.
South Yorkshire Police twice despatched a crew to Kos, the final time after a witness got here ahead to say that, earlier than his loss of life, digger driver Konstantinos ‘Dino’ Barkas confessed to killing Ben.
Forensic scientists stated in 2018 chemical traces which point out the presence of decomposing human blood had been discovered on a toy automotive and a sandal which they consider belonged to Ben
Police digs on land on the farmhouse did not uncover stays and checks on a toy automotive and scrap of leather-based sandal didn’t discover a DNA match with Ben.
It was this that made Ms Needham doubt the digger idea, including that ‘issues do not add up’.
Detectives from South Yorkshire Police carried out a three-week search of Kos in 2016.
Talking on the time, then Detective Inspector Jon Cousins stated: ‘My crew and I do know that equipment, together with a big digger, was used to clear an space of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams.
‘It’s my skilled perception that Ben Needham died on account of an accident close to to the farmhouse in Iraklis the place he was final seen taking part in.
Mom Kerry Needham (pictured) believed the physique was dug up and moved a second time earlier than officers returned to look the positioning in 2016
‘The occasions main as much as and following that incident have been explored by my crew of specialists to nice lengths. The truth that now we have not had a direct consequence throughout this go to to Kos doesn’t preclude the details that we all know to be true.’
He stated the investigation wouldn’t shut and new info could be checked out, including: ‘We is not going to cease in our quest to seek out additional solutions for Ben’s household.’
Ms Needham desires to go to Kos to fulfill a witness, a enterprise associate of Barkas, who stated he noticed Ben taking part in on a mound of soil within the morning of his disappearance whereas the adults had been inside.
He stated Barkas advised him he feared he might have run the boy over.
In September 2018, Ms Needham was advised by forensic specialists in Oxford they’d discovered weak DNA profile from decomposed blood contained in the automotive close to to the place Ben went lacking.
Police formally ended a search on the Greek island in October 2016, saying they consider Ben died on account of an accident involving a digger on July 24, 1991
Ms Needham wiped away tears as she spoke about attempting to remain robust in the course of the police search in 2016
She supplied a DNA pattern, solely to be advised there was no optimistic match.
On the time, Ms Needham stated: ‘If that blood isn’t Ben’s – then who does it belong to? It is devastating. We had constructed ourselves up considering it might be a optimistic consequence and would show Ben had died.
‘It will have given us closure and we might have been capable of begin the grieving course of.
‘When it got here again damaging it was a shock. I do not know what to suppose now. Is Ben useless or is he nonetheless alive?’
She added: ‘I am offended and I am unable to cease shaking my head.
‘Some folks on Kos have been mendacity for 27 years and we have suffered years of torture, sluggish torture.’
The toy automotive was present in 2016 by an aged witness who advised British police and advised them Mr Barkasin was behind Ben’s loss of life.
Police consider Ben was crushed to loss of life in a tragic accident near the farmhouse the place he was final seen in 1991 and the place the sandal was present in 2012.
Barkas died from abdomen most cancers however apparently confessed on his loss of life mattress.
The witness claimed Barkas had advised him he thought he killed the toddler.
Barkas allegedly stated: ‘I believed I heard a yelp however I believed it may have been a canine.’
The toy automotive thought to have belonged to Ben was discovered on a second dump web site the place the witness led them to.
Barkas’ household denied his involvement in Ben’s disappearance. It’s thought the witness has now stopped serving to police.
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