British mum facing wait for DNA results after man claimed to be missing son pleads for police to continue search
The mother of missing Ben Needham has pleaded with police in South Yorkshire to continue with their search for her missing son.
Yesterday (24 July) was the 33rd anniversary of Ben's disappearance from the Greek island of Kos, where he'd been on holiday with his family.
Aged just 21 months old, Ben was last seen near a farmhouse his grandfather was renovating in the village of Iraklis, with Greek and British police unable to work out what has happened to the toddler in the three decades since.
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Police returned to the island to conduct further investigations in 2012 and 2016, following an deathbed confession from a digger driver who claimed that he had accidentally killed the toddler and buried his remains.
However police have been unable to confirm the alleged confession from the man and any remains located were not a DNA match for Ben.
Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who was previously in charge of the inquiry, previously stated he believed the toddler had died in an accident near the farmhouse.
33 years on, Ben's mother Kerry Needham is pleading with police in South Yorkshire to reinterview key witnesses in the case.
"I’m going to be spending the day [the anniversary] trying not to relive the horror of it all. Every day is hard but this is always a devastating day to face," Kerry, now 52, said in an interview with The Mirror.
She continued: "I really want them to reinterview a number of witnesses who lied and those who refused to talk to us properly.
"There are people who know where Ben is on that island. I cannot understand how they can live with themselves knowing they could end our torture. They can't go to prison because the statute of limitations is 20 years, so they have nothing to lose."
Kerry is particularly keen for police to track down a witness who prompted the accidental death theory as well as for them to interview the original officers who investigated the case.
Speaking about the case, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire police said they were 'keen to support Greek authorities' in any way possible.
"Whist South Yorkshire Police has no jurisdiction in Greece, we are keen to support Greek authorities and Ben’s family in any way we can and a senior investigating officer remains in contact with Greek counterparts," the spokesperson said.
"Our thoughts are with Ben’s family who have never given up hope of discovering the truth of what happened on 24 July 1991 and we will continue to support them in that endeavour."
The renewed efforts to get to the bottom of Ben's disappearance coincide with reports from a Danish man who came forward believing he is Ben.
The man's DNA is currently being compared to a blood sample taken from Ben at birth to see if they are a match.
Topics: World News
Brenna Cooper