HUNT FOR BEN

Missing toddler Ben Needham DID die after farmhouse ‘accident’, says top cop

Lead investigator says he believes missing tot died as a result of an accident near a farmhouse

emma lake

Published: 12:10, 17 Oct 2016
Updated: 13:44, 17 Oct 2016

THE cop leading the search for Ben Needham believes the missing tot died in an accident close to the farmhouse at the centre of a police hunt.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins also revealed that a significant item, believed to have been in Ben's possession at the time of his disappearance, had been found during the search on the Greek island of Kos.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins speaking during a press conference this morningCredit: Athena Picture Agency

Ben vanished from Kos while on holiday with his family when he was 21-months-oldCredit: PA:Press Association

At a press conference today DI Cousins said: "Based on the information that I have now as a result of an extensive and thorough investigation it's without doubt that the current line of enquiry is the most probable cause for Ben's disappearance.

"My team and I know that machinery including a large digger was used to clear an area of land on July 24 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."

Police launched the three week search after a witness said the toddler was killed by a mechanical digger driven by Konstantinos “Dino” Barkas, who has since died of cancer.

after the search ended Ben's mum Kerry Needham said further reports had corroborated the theory.

She added: “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.’"

Police spent three weeks searching this site for clues about the youngster's disappearanceCredit: Athena Picture Agency

Ben's mum Kerry today thanked "hero" police as their search endedCredit: ITV

It is believed Ben was crushed by a digger in 1991 - police have spent three weeks searching sitesCredit: Athena Picture Agency

Kerry said she hoped the digger driver suspected of killing her son is “burning in hell”.

Ben was last seen playing near a farmhouse his grandparents were renovating in July 1991, when he was 21-months-old.

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

Ben's mum Kerry 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.

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