Ben Needham's Mum: Public 'Want Answers Too'

The mother of missing Ben Needham has told Sky News there has been a lot of support from the public, and "they want to know the answers too".

Kerry Needham was speaking as 10 police officers from South Yorkshire Police begin a new search for her son in Greece.

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on 24 July 1991, after travelling to the island of Kos with his mother and grandparents. 

In a statement on Monday, Help Find Ben Needham said the officers were hoping to "find new witnesses as they urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case". 

There will be a news conference at the farmhouse from where Ben went missing later on Tuesday.

He had been taken to the site, in Irakles, by his grandmother, Christine Needham, to visit his grandfather, who was helping to renovate the run-down building. 

Ben would now be 26. 

An artist's impression has been made of what he would look like as an adult. 
Speaking to Kerry, Sky's Eamonn Holmes asked whether she had ever faced any opposition, in the way that Kate and Gerry McCann had, in the search for their missing daughter Madeleine.

Kerry said: "No, luckily for myself, and my family, we've not been up against that...
"I think we have an awful lot of support out there.

"The public are amazing, very very supportive, and while there is information that needs to be investigated the public will support us, and they want to know the answers too.

"I think people feel for us, and they want to help us find Ben also."

Kerry Needham says she will never give up looking for her son: "We know that Ben is alive. He's out there somewhere. 

"It's just a matter of finding the right people to come forward with that vital information."

Kerry believes people may have feared talking to police in the past: "In Greece they have a statute of limitation and after a certain amount of time no one can be prosecuted for this crime, unfortunately.

"Now this timescale has lapsed and there is no fear of somebody getting into trouble for this then they might come forward.

"Also, having the British detectives to talk to, people might feel more comfortable talking to them than the Greek police." 

Source: AFP