How son may look... 30yrs on from vanishing

KERRY wants to “blow up the internet” with the image of how her son might look now, as a 31-year-old, praying it will lead her to Ben.

She said: “I want the world to share it because I hope that he recognises himself.

“It has to go far and wide.”

It is the first age progression image of Ben in more than a decade, commissioned by the Mirror with the permission of Kerry and South Yorkshire Police.

When she first saw it, Kerry said: “I’m gobsmacked. I’m actually blown away. You know when you imagine what someone would look like, that’s it. It’s like someone I know staring back at me.

“This is how I have imagined him looking in my head. I can’t stop looking at it. It hasn’t upset me at all, actually quite the opposite. I find it comforting and calming.”

Forensic artist Tim Widden created the image by using Ben’s childhood photos and others of his family. He has since sent a full report about the image to detectives investigating Ben’s disappearance.

Kerry, originally from Sheffield, said her family were “stunned” by the image, which “looks just like us”.

She said: “I think everyone is kind of gobsmacked. It’s quite distinctive, his eyes. When I look at it, that’s my family looking back at me.

“If I saw him in the street I would be, ‘Wow, you are related to me’. It’s that kind of feeling. Even down to the lines on his forehead.

“We want to try to get this image far and wide, just in case he is out there. If someone comes across that picture, they will go, ‘That’s me’.”

Kerry’s daughter Leighanna said of the image: “I recognise him. I don’t know if that’s because it’s based on my face but he looks so familiar. I wasn’t expecting it in so much detail. It’s absolutely brilliant.

“The police are really happy with it too.

“I can’t imagine what Mum feels, because I can’t imagine not knowing what your own child looks like.

“We want to share this worldwide. Somebody out there must recognise this person.”

Why did they stop searching for him? That’s what angers me

KERRY NEEDHAM ON END OF POLICE PROBE