Police searching for Ben Needham demolish part of farmhouse on Kos
Police searching for Ben Needham demolish part of farmhouse on Kos
Police searching for Ben Needham have demolished part of an old farmhouse near the spot where he was last seen, as they continue their hunt for clues in the 25-year mystery. The toddler from Sheffield disappeared as he played outside the farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos on 24 July 1991. South Yorkshire Police, along with Greek colleagues, have been excavating land around an old olive grove next to the farmhouse in a renewed search sparked by claims Ben might have been accidentally run over by a local digger driver, who panicked and hid his body.
It's going to be a distressing time for them. It's where many generations, including the current generation, were born and grew up. We've got to deal with it as sensitively as possible.
Detective Inspector Jon Cousins
The digger driver, Konstantinos Barkas, died of cancer late last year. A friend of Mr Barkas' came forward in the months after his death to offer the new information to police. Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who is leading the investigation, revealed that the family who own the farmhouse agreed to let the partial demolition to go ahead after a day of negotiations. He told reporters at the scene of the search: "The family are clearly upset about what we're doing but they have very kindly agreed to allow us to do that and I am extremely grateful for that." Investigators want to look around and under a relatively new extension which was added to the old farmhouse in the years after Ben disappeared.
I will be dismantling the lower part of the farmhouse, including the ground around it, just making sure that I haven't missed any opportunity to get the answers that we require.
Detective Inspector Jon Cousins
