Widow of digger driver suspected of crushing Ben Needham to death says her husband is innocent

THE widow of the Greek digger driver suspected of crushing Ben Needham to death said her husband was a 'good man' and hit back at claims he may have killed the toddler.

Konstantinos Barkas' window Varvara insists her husband had nothing to do with 21-month-old Ben's disappearance in July 1991 and claimed he never even mentioned the missing boy.

The Sheffield youngster disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in the summer of 1991 while on holiday with his family.

Police acting on new information believe Konstantinos may have hit Ben while driving a powerful digger.

In her first interview his widow told the : “My husband was a good man and I know he had nothing to do with Ben’s disappearance."

However, Varvara admitted her husband had not opened up to her about what happened on July 24 – the day Ben went missing.

Varvara added: "He never once spoke to me about Ben. The only thing he ever said was that he saw a car that day. Even when he was dying he never mentioned Ben.”

Varvara insisted her husband had always co-operated with the authorities, even when he was very ill.

She said: “Even when he was really ill with his intestinal problems – and he had blood transfusions – he was still going to see the police whenever they asked to see him.

“I can’t believe after so many years this is happening again and our family name is being dragged into the gutter."

Sunday's interview comes after Ben's devastated mum Kerry has spoken of the 'living nightmare' she has faced every day since his disappearance 25 years ago.

Detectives working on the case now believe the youngster may have died shortly after he vanished from Greek island Kos in 1991.

Kerry told Good Morning Britain:  "He could have ended this 25 years ago. I could have grieved, had my daughter. You never forget your child but at least I would have known where he was. I could have done something with my life.