Hopes of Ben Needham breakthrough rise after appeal on Greek TV brings new leads

POLICE WERE last night sifting through new information in the hope of making a breakthrough in the mystery of missing Ben Needham.

South Yorkshire Police say they have about seven “potentially interesting” lines of inquiry following a high-profile appeal on Greek TV.

Ben, from Sheffield, was just 21 months old when he disappeared during a holiday with his mother Kerry Needham and his grand- parents on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991.

Mrs Needham and other members of her family took part in a three-hour edition of Greece’s missing person TV show Light At The End Of The Tunnel on Friday night.

More than 30 people contacted police by phone and email as a result of their appeal for information regarding Ben’s whereabouts.

Mrs Needham said: “I have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of public support we had from [the] show and extremely impressed with the investigation team – they did us proud.

“They appealed on national television at our side and I was incredibly encouraged by the response we have received.

“The information received by the show will now be passed to the police for them to progress.

“It’s fantastic to know that the Greek public are taking Ben’s disappearance seriously and want to help us.” One man who came forward to say he believes he is Ben is reported to have previously been discounted as irrelevant to the inquiry following a DNA comparison.

Mrs Needham said she had also seen a photograph that had been sent to the show but added that she felt there was “stronger information” that should take priority.