My son Ben Needham vanished 32 years ago as a toddler – police must speak to crucial witness to find out the truth

THE mother of a toddler who disappeared 32 years ago has urged UK police to return to Greece to find out what happened to her son.

Little Ben Needham was playing at his grandparents’ farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos when he disappeared on July 24, 1991.

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British police believe Ben was killed in a tragic accident by a backhoe operator near the farmhouse.

But the failure to find Ben’s body has fueled speculation as to what exactly happened to him.

The witness who told police about the excavator accident later refused to sign a statement and refused to pursue dialogue with police.

In the past, Kerry had claimed her son’s body was hidden in an oil drum after the accident.

Now Kerry has urged British police to return to Greece to find evidence her son died in an accident involving an excavator.

Speak with the mirror She said: ‘I want them to come back to Kos. This witness must be spoken to before he dies. Why did he stop speaking to the police? Did someone try to silence him? In the beginning he said, ‘The mother deserves to know the truth.’

“If he really wanted to help me, why did he refuse to sign a statement?”

Dino Barkas, the backhoe operator suspected of killing Ben, is now dead.

Kerry said on the 32nd anniversary of her son’s death, “It doesn’t get easier with the years, it gets harder. Someone knows where Ben is and what happened to him.”

Kerry experienced new anguish when a man appeared under bizarre circumstances claiming to be her long-lost son. However, a DNA test by South Yorkshire Police revealed the man was not Ben.

Kerry said she was “angry” that police were paid £1million to find Ben, compared to the £13million cops gave to find Madeleine McCann.

She said: “It makes me angry. Why don’t we get the same help? Isn’t Ben important enough?”

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman confirmed police would continue to work with Greek authorities as new information emerged.

A spokesman for the force said: “Should a new viable line of inquiry come to light, we would seek to work with the Greek authorities to assist them in their investigation.”

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