Family ‘torment’ over missing Ben goes on

THE MOTHER of missing toddler Ben Needham has spoken about her heartache after being told that blood found on a toy car does not belong to her son.

The car was uncovered in 2016 during excavation work by South Yorkshire Police on Kos, where the toddler went missing 27 years ago at the age of 21 months.

The force maintains that the youngster, who was staying at his grandparents’ farmhouse on the Greek island when he vanished on July 24, 1991, died as a result of an accident involving “heavy machinery”.

The boy’s mother, Kerry Needham, inset, had hoped that a positive match between the blood found on the car and her son’s DNA would help provide closure and allow his family to start grieving. But the 44-year-old told a national newspaper: “Our 27 years of slow torture goes on. It’s endless heartache and torment.” She added: “If that blood is not Ben’s – then who does it belong to? It’s devastating.” Ms Needham said that she and other family members had hoped a positive result would help confirm Ben’s death. She said: “When it came back negative it was a shock. I don’t know what to think now. Is Ben dead or is he still alive?” Detective Chief Inspector Jon Cousins, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “The DNA was not a match to Ben or his family.” He said it was his “professional belief ” that Ben died as a result of an incident at the farmhouse in Kos, involving heavy machinery.