***'Kos dig' starts 26 Sep 2016*** (was: Kerry Needham 'prepared for worst' by investigators)

ChippyM wrote:

Doug D wrote:ChippyM:
 
‘...the means of the incident were actually physically there without a doubt.’
 
JCB was there, but it can’t drive itself!

Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.

Barkas's own words ( The Mirror 2012) 

" 
Speaking for the first time, Mr Barkas, 61, also revealed he has given a statement to police.
“Yes, I was the man with the JCB that day,” Mr Barkas said.
“Loads of earth were being taken to clear the ground for the new house down the road. Cutting that much ground from the hill was a big job.
“I think people were misled in thinking the child was abducted."

The grandparents stated that Mr. Barkas had finished for the day and Ben was still with them then, although that article in The Mirror from 2012 also includes the following.
'He was at work on the site during the crucial first three hours after the little boy from Sheffield went missing while on holiday with his parents, Kerry Needham and her then boyfriend Simon Ward'.   This seems to be a contradiction. And then there's this.
"Could there have been an accident? I don’t think so but no one really knows what happened.
"The little boy was two years old and the thorns in that field were as high as my waist.
“I remember I was still there when Kerry’s brother Stephen, Ben’s uncle, came back late in the afternoon and told me the boy was missing. I will never forget that.”
Either I've goy my wires crossed or something doesn't quite add up here.

ChippyM:
 
‘Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.’
 
No, it’s because it says so in the book.
 
We know it’s not KN’s own words as she was at work at the hotel, but whoever it was that narrated the chapter (Christine at a guess) says:
 
‘They all sat down on chairs or boxes and had a typically Greek lunch. Ben was eating on the go, too excited to stay still longer than it took to pick up half a cucumber or a tomato. Then he’d wander off eating them like an apple, popping back for some bread and olives when he ran out.
 
It was a blissful afternoon. Those who wanted the sun sat in it and those who didn’t sat in the shade of the trees. And it was so peaceful. Earlier in the day there had been a digger truck transporting rubble from a building renovation at the bottom of the lane to the top. The driver had to pass the farmhouse to dump the hardcore ready to be used to improve the dirt track before driving back down again, kicking up a trail of dust with it’s heavy wheels as it went. But now building work had stopped there for the day, and they were able to eat undisturbed.’ (p.84)
 
…………………………..
 
Verdi:
 
Reference is made in the 'Somebody Knows' documentary posted upthread, that an elderly couple living close by kept chickens.  'The woman was sitting outside on the day Ben Needham went missing and she saw Stephen Needham leave on his bike - but she didn't see anyone else.'
 
Yes, this is the old lady from the square shaped farmhouse on the other side of the road. The book doesn’t say where she saw Stephen from, and the three upstairs windows facing the road are set well back in the thick walls and would not give a decent view of the ‘back of the farmhouse’. There is not an upstairs window on the side of the house facing the farmhouse.



https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEw3MWHtOrEHnJrb6-4azMvgu1XQumNGE8odtKX_ybawzm-TCF
 


https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROrXYh84qpBKgtCWWZsQyzXx4yXWFXNiIj8PyeJ5nW8UU6yXy2yQ
 
I can’t get screenshots from google maps, but this is the BBC’s aerial view, even if it is wrongly labeled.




http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/42E9/production/_91392171_ben_needham_dig_624map.png
 
 
If the documentary is correct and she was sitting outside, her view would be virtually impossible as the house is built facing away from the road, with her patio area and garden at the back and her angle of sight would be even worse.
 
Stephen also drove off twice that lunchtime, firstly to go and get the food and secondly when he was told to go home afterwards. It is not clear which time it was that the old lady saw him. If it was the first time, he would certainly have been on his own.

ChippyM wrote:
We don't have all the witness statements and reports to pore through on this case which is what makes it different from the McCann case. I think many people, myself included are basing judgements about what happened on media info.

Agreed, this is not the same as the case of Madeleine McCann because the Greek police case files have not been made public but it makes little difference.  Witness statements directly connected to Madeleine McCanns disappearance are no more reliable than media reports, this has been discussed extensively on this forum and elsewhere for years.  Even if the Greek investigation was made public I doubt if it would make any difference because there doesn't appear to be any witnesses to consider other than the Needham family.

Speaking personally, I'm more interested in video footage featuring members of the Needham family, the find Ben website and of course Kerry Needham's book.  I don't think much more is required to get an idea of a dysfunctional family background that raises questions about the true fate of Ben Needham.

ChippyM wrote:

Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.

Perhaps for the same reason that people keep ignoring the fact that all this latest twaddle about Ben Needham being killed in a freak accident and buried under builders rubble, had already been investigated in 2012 - as your reference to the Mirror report confirms.

Silverspeed wrote:

ChippyM wrote:

Doug D wrote:ChippyM:
 
‘...the means of the incident were actually physically there without a doubt.’
 
JCB was there, but it can’t drive itself!

Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.

Barkas's own words ( The Mirror 2012) 

" 
Speaking for the first time, Mr Barkas, 61, also revealed he has given a statement to police.
“Yes, I was the man with the JCB that day,” Mr Barkas said.
“Loads of earth were being taken to clear the ground for the new house down the road. Cutting that much ground from the hill was a big job.
“I think people were misled in thinking the child was abducted."

The grandparents stated that Mr. Barkas had finished for the day and Ben was still with them then, although that article in The Mirror from 2012 also includes the following.
'He was at work on the site during the crucial first three hours after the little boy from Sheffield went missing while on holiday with his parents, Kerry Needham and her then boyfriend Simon Ward'.   This seems to be a contradiction. And then there's this.
"Could there have been an accident? I don’t think so but no one really knows what happened.
"The little boy was two years old and the thorns in that field were as high as my waist.
“I remember I was still there when Kerry’s brother Stephen, Ben’s uncle, came back late in the afternoon and told me the boy was missing. I will never forget that.”
Either I've goy my wires crossed or something doesn't quite add up here.

I've just managed to locate the Mirror report - it's riddled with inconsistencies from start to finish.  For any one that hasn't read or forgotten, here it is..

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-may-be-buried-at-a-building-site-845614
 
Make your own mind up!

For starters, I quote..

'The Mirror tracked down JCB driver Konstantinos Barkas, who confirmed he was excavating earth for a new property to be built 50 yards away.'

Who gave the Mirror the tip-off to track down Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas?  Why was the Mirror, the intelligent tabloid, that has supported the Needham family since the beginning, looking for a JCB driver in particular?

Really?????????
 



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/18/11/3963F4F600000578-3846556-image-a-15_1476786159434.jpg
 
They don’t even try, do they.
 
Surprising all of the family didn’t get wiped out then, as they were all sitting round about there eating lunch, except that the digger driver, who wasn’t working there that day anyway, but had been up and down the road that morning, had already finished for the day.
 
And as for that being where they found the diggers tracks!
 
Twenty five years on from building the extension, on the gravel driveway to the property!
 
Obviously forgotten about the diggers employed back in 2012 and also this time around.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3861812/Children-Kos-digger-driver-accused-killing-Ben-Needham-SUE-British-toddler-s-mother-saying-hoped-father-burning-hell.html

Verdi wrote:

ChippyM wrote:

Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.

Perhaps for the same reason that people keep ignoring the fact that all this latest twaddle about Ben Needham being killed in a freak accident and buried under builders rubble, had already been investigated in 2012 - as your reference to the Mirror report confirms.

The rubble they apparently found the car in was not dug in 2012, so no it's not the exact same investigation all over again. Kerry Needham was quoted as saying that police came to her and said a witness told them about the new site they were going to dig. So they didn't just find the toy car out of the blue, it confirms what the witness was saying in....if we take the police at face value.

And why would the mirror track down the JCB driver? Probably because they heard the police were going to do another dig and it's quite logical that the missing child could have died in an accident with the JCB he was playing around?

DougD,   Barkas WAS there, he confirmed it in his own words, which I quoted earlier. It's extremely likely that the police confirmed he was there operating the digger before coming up with their theory too.

  According to the family they were eating inside, they weren't eating in the path of the digger. I think the account of the day may not be accurate at least in terms of the timing of things. That might give a longer time frame for an accident to happen and when they say work stopped, the incident may have already happend.

ChippyM wrote:

Doug D wrote:ChippyM:
 
‘...the means of the incident were actually physically there without a doubt.’
 
JCB was there, but it can’t drive itself!

Why do people keep saying he wasn't there? It seems to be a presumption based on it being a hot day so people finished early.

Barkas's own words ( The Mirror 2012) 

" 
Speaking for the first time, Mr Barkas, 61, also revealed he has given a statement to police.
“Yes, I was the man with the JCB that day,” Mr Barkas said.
“Loads of earth were being taken to clear the ground for the new house down the road. Cutting that much ground from the hill was a big job.
“I think people were misled in thinking the child was abducted."

The rest of what he supposedly said in 2012 reports.

The little boy was two years old and the thorns in that field were as high as my waist. I remember I was still there when Kerry’s brother Stephen, Ben’s uncle, came back late in the afternoon and told me the boy was missing. I will never forget that.

Strangely missing from the 2016 quotes.

There was a field surrounded by thorn bushes.

Between the house and the digger.

Family of digger driver take legal action against Ben Needham's mother 


1 hour ago

The family of a Greek digger driver, who police believe is responsible for toddler Ben Needham's death almost 25 years ago in Kos, are reportedly taking legal action action against his mother after she said she hoped his suspected killer was "burning in hell".

The children of digger driver Konstantinos "Dinos" Barkas say Ben's mother Kerry Needham has sullied the name of their late father, who died from stomach cancer last year.

Read on..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/22/family-of-digger-driver-take-legal-action-against-ben-needhams-m/

Uh Oh!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3861812/Children-Kos-digger-driver-accused-killing-Ben-Needham-SUE-British-toddler-s-mother-saying-hoped-father-burning-hell.html

Children of Kos digger driver suspected of killing Ben Needham SUE British toddler's mother for saying she hoped their father was 'burning in hell'
Children of driver Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas furious at Kerry Needham
They accused the 43-year-old of undermining their family's reputation
Also dismissed probe that concluded Ben died in construction accident

By Rory Tingle For Mailonline
Published: 09:29, 22 October 2016 | Updated: 09:37, 22 October 2016

The son and daughter of the Greek digger driver suspected of accidentally killing Ben Needham are suing the British toddler's mother.
Chrysovalandis Barkas and Maria Tsechou accused Kerry Needham of undermining their family's reputation after the 43-year-old said she hoped their father was 'burning in hell'.
They said their 'patience had run out' with Mrs Needham after her outburst following a police investigation that incriminated their father, Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas.
'We have a family reputation to uphold and my personal patience, even as a mother, was exhausted when Ben's mother last week uttered what she did.
'How dare she?' Mrs Tsechou told The Times.
She also challenged the findings of the three-month investigation by South Yorkshire Police, which concluded Ben was killed in a construction accident.
A toy car 'thought' to belong to the missing toddler was found on the site where he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos 25 years ago
It was discovered in the spot where Barkas was dumping materials during renovations at the Needham family’s farmhouse.
Barkas died of cancer last year. A witness came forward in May and told British detectives he had killed Ben in a terrible accident.

Kerry Needham, mother of missing Ben holding up a newspaper showing a photo of her missing son, 1991. She said digger driver Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas should 'burn in hell' for allegedly killing her son

Smeared: Valantis Barkis, right with his wife Ioanna , told MailOnline: ‘My father has been accused of being a child killer and his picture has been published everywhere without a trace of evidence'


The friend claimed Ben had wandered onto the site and in the midday heat, Barkas had not seen the boy amongst the swirling dust and crushed him under his digger.
Ridden with guilt, the witness said Barkas buried Ben in the rubble. His body was never found.
Barkas was interviewed by police in the hours after Ben was reported missing in July 1991 and released.
But he was later seen in a distressed state ‘sweating and shaking’ when he returned from the police station, the witness claimed.
The witness's 'credible' evidence led detectives from South Yorkshire police to begin digging at the site last month.
Ben's heartbroken mother Kerry, accused Barkas of taking the truth about her son ‘to his grave’.
Dinos Barkas is accused of accidentally killing Ben Needham when he went under wheels of his JCB digger while playing outside the remote farmhouse in Kos, above, which his grandfather Eddie was renovating

But the driver's son, cafe owner Valantis, 31, warned the 43-year-old to 'choose her words carefully' during an interview with MailOnline on Tuesday.
'Kerry should be ashamed of herself. We are very upset by the things she has said about my father Dinos – such as that 'he should burn in hell.'
‘It’s been 25 years and they have found nothing at all – not a shred of evidence to support these wild allegations against my father.'
‘My father has been accused of being a child killer and his picture has been published everywhere without a trace of evidence.'

After South Yorkshire Police concluded their search, Mrs Needham told The Mirror: 'They know he's dead but just can't find him'.
'They are right but I can't say goodbye knowing he's still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can't feel any worse than I do.'
'I want to tear up the whole island to find him.'

jta: 'me' being 'facetious', do we think Carter Fluck will 'represent' Ms Needham, 'pro bono', of course?

At least some of what KN said could be defended as her opinion, such as hoping someone 'burns in hell'.

  I don't know if she can defend the rest of what she said as she was repeating what police told her about a theory that is their professional opinion and apparently backed up by evidence.

ChippyM wrote:At least some of what KN said could be defended as her opinion, such as hoping someone 'burns in hell'.

I don't know if she can defend the rest of what she said as she was repeating what police told her about a theory that is their professional opinion and apparently backed up by evidence.

At least some of what KN said could be defended as her opinion, such as hoping someone 'burns in hell'.

But 'whom'?

She 'said' and i 'quote': '.....accused Barkas of taking the truth about her son ‘to his grave’.

Pretty 'distinct' what she 'said' isn't it?

KN did NOT 'accuse someone' of taking the truth about her son, 'to their grave'.............but 'named' Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas, 'specifically'

jeanmonroe wrote:

ChippyM wrote:At least some of what KN said could be defended as her opinion, such as hoping someone 'burns in hell'.

I don't know if she can defend the rest of what she said as she was repeating what police told her about a theory that is their professional opinion and apparently backed up by evidence.

At least some of what KN said could be defended as her opinion, such as hoping someone 'burns in hell'.

But 'whom'?

She 'said' and i 'quote': '.....accused Barkas of taking the truth about her son ‘to his grave’.

Pretty 'distinct' what she 'said' isn't it?

KN did NOT 'accuse someone' of taking the truth about her son, 'to their grave'.............but 'named' Konstantinos 'Dinos' Barkas, 'specifically'

I am glad the children of Barkas are coming out and complaining. The whole affair has been based on 'circumstantial' evidence, and that is in itself very weak.

The man who told of Barkas sweating and trembling should be held somewhat responsible for the bad naming of Barkas. Furthermore, why did he not come forward earlier. Also, the police on the finding of a child's car cannot seriously consider that to be enough evidence to prove Barkas the killer.

The toy could have come separate from Ben and subsequently be collected up in a scoop from the digger. Someone could have thrown the toy away, to get rid of evidence. What happened to Ben's shorts. Again a conflict. In a video Grandma said they were wet because he had wet them, the grandad said wet from playing in water. Whatever, where did the shorts go.

The police have fed Kerry information which she has 'emotionally' extrapolated to be the 'facts' of Barkas being the killer, yet nowhere is there anything that one would consider 'sound' evidence.

Yes, a complete mess, and the Barkas family are quite right to be up in arms, on such a flimsy line of inquiry and finding, in my opinion, unless the police are holding onto much more sound evidence which the public has not had access to.

This is the ever reliable Mirror report from 2012:
 
‘The Mirror tracked down JCB driver Konstantinos Barkas, who confirmed he was excavating earth for a new property to be built 50 yards away.
 
He was at work on the site during the crucial first three hours after the little boy from Sheffield went missing while on holiday with his parents, Kerry Needham and her then boyfriend Simon Ward.
 
Speaking for the first time, Mr Barkas, 61, also revealed he has given a statement to police.
 
“Yes, I was the man with the JCB that day,” Mr Barkas said.
 
“Loads of earth were being taken to clear the ground for the new house down the road. Cutting that much ground from the hill was a big job.
“I think people were misled in thinking the child was abducted.
 
"Could there have been an accident? I don’t think so but no one really knows what happened.
 
"The little boy was two years old and the thorns in that field were as high as my waist. (This is the little boy who squawked as soon as he ran onto 'coarse and spikey' Greek grass without shoes. 'After that experience, Ben wouldn't go anywhere without company. And certainly not without his shoes and socks.' (p.66). What about his shorts?
 
“I remember I was still there when Kerry’s brother Stephen, Ben’s uncle, came back late in the afternoon and told me the boy was missing. I will never forget that.”
 
The sensational development raises serious questions about whether blue-eyed Ben could have died in such appalling circumstances.’
 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-may-be-buried-at-a-building-site-845614
 
He is not quoted as being working with the digger when Ben actually went missing, make of that what you will.
 
As for Stephen ‘came back late in the afternoon and told me the boy was missing’, Stephen and Christine apparently went to the police station around 6.00 on his motorbike. Eddie and Danny drove the landrover back up to the farm. Two officers were then dispatched to follow Stephen and Christine back to the farmhouse from the police station.
 
Once the officers arrived with them ‘the search continued down the lane to where the new house was being built………… It was little more than a room and clearly no one was at home so Dad and the police split up to investigate the various outbuildings and hen houses’.
 
Do we believe the Mirror or the book (or take both with a pinch of salt)?
 
Again from the book:
 
 ‘They all sat down on chairs or boxes and had a typically Greek lunch. Ben was eating on the go, too excited to stay still longer than it took to pick up half a cucumber or a tomato. Then he’d wander off eating them like an apple, popping back for some bread and olives when he ran out.
 
It was a blissful afternoon. Those who wanted the sun sat in it and those who didn’t sat in the shade of the trees. And it was so peaceful. Earlier in the day there had been a digger truck transporting rubble from a building renovation at the bottom of the lane to the top. The driver had to pass the farmhouse to dump the hardcore ready to be used to improve the dirt track before driving back down again, kicking up a trail of dust with it’s heavy wheels as it went. But now building work had stopped there for the day, and they were able to eat undisturbed.’ (p.84)
 
ChippyM:
 
‘According to the family they were eating inside, they weren't eating in the path of the digger. I think the account of the day may not be accurate at least in terms of the timing of things. That might give a longer time frame for an accident to happen and when they say work stopped, the incident may have already happened.’
 
Where do they say they were eating inside? The first I heard of this was when Duncan Wood came up with it when he was filming inside the farmhouse and he kept going on about the family opening windows and doors which never even existed at the time.
 
In the ‘Somebody Knows’ documentary Christine is filmed saying ‘I don’t even think I went inside…’ although this could just be referring to before lunch.
 
‘and when they say work stopped, the incident may have already happened.’
 
Wishful thinking I believe.
 
Lunch (at whatever time, it doesn’t matter) is one of the few definites on the timeline. Stephen had been sent on his motorbike to the shop to fetch it, they sat down, some in the shade, some in the sun, (so not indoors) and were able to eat undisturbed as the noisy building work they had endured earlier with the digger going up and down the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust, had finished. Ben is specifically included in lunch.
Roughly an hour later Stephen was told he could go home, along with his story of telling Ben to go back to granddad.
 
If, when Ben was found to have disappeared, a digger could be heard and seen working close by, that is the absolute first place anybody would go to in order to warn the driver and get him to stop.
Sorry, but it just doesn’t wash, unless the whole book story is a complete fabrication, in which case you have to ask ‘Why?’

The Daily Mirrors front page 18th October edition features the now iconic image of Kerry Needham and her mother Christine on the verge of collapse whilst the Mirror cameras are rolling..

Anguish of Ben's family - 'too much to bear'

This also is now a prominent feature on the official Help Find Ben website - aside a donation button and good quality wristbands for sale.

I'm astonished that they are so willing to plug such a private moment. 

Still, Sir Cliff has found his way onto the top of the page giving the thumbs up to his new found freedom.

Xanthippe Agrelis had a Suzuki Alto exchanged under a scrapage scheme in October 1991. The local Police had stated to Kerry and Marianna,that this person was a friend of the family undertaking "Interpretations" between the Police and Needham Family.
When Kerry confronted Xanthippe about who was seen in a "White Car"with Two men and one Woman,on the day of Ben's disappearance,Mrs Agrelis's Daughter had an heated exchange,saying they did not "Own" the Vehicle registered in their Name at the time of the disappearance,which turned out to be not true!?
It is thought that the Greek Police never investigated the"White Car"and it's occupants seen by several construction workers,working just down the Road from where Ben is thought to have disappeared from in July 1991?
Do we know if DI Cousin;s is aware of this"White Car" and it's occupants on that day of the disappearance of Ben Needham?

'A small toy car that was said to have been in Ben's possession at the time of his disappearance has led the authorities to believe that he was run over by a bulldozer that Mr Barkas was driving while working at the farmhouse.
 
Mr Barkas's son Chrysovalandis said: "Are they serious? Is that the only deduction to be made from the find? Maybe the boy was kidnapped and the toy car yanked out of Ben's hands?
 
"But even if the latest line of inquiry is in fact true, why did the lead investigator come to me at the end of the investigation here to apologise for the inconvenience caused and the reference made to my father's name?"
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/22/family-of-digger-driver-take-legal-action-against-ben-needhams-m/
   
......................................

Does this apology perhaps tie in with DI Cousins closing statement?

"It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing."

where he only implied that he was taking about Barkas & the digger, rather than actually saying it?

Doug D wrote:'A small toy car that was said to have been in Ben's possession at the time of his disappearance has led the authorities to believe that he was run over by a bulldozer that Mr Barkas was driving while working at the farmhouse.
 
Mr Barkas's son Chrysovalandis said: "Are they serious? Is that the only deduction to be made from the find? Maybe the boy was kidnapped and the toy car yanked out of Ben's hands?
 
"But even if the latest line of inquiry is in fact true, why did the lead investigator come to me at the end of the investigation here to apologise for the inconvenience caused and the reference made to my father's name?"
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/22/family-of-digger-driver-take-legal-action-against-ben-needhams-m/
   
......................................

Does this apology perhaps tie in with DI Cousins closing statement?

"It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing."

where he only implied that he was taking about Barkas & the digger, rather than actually saying it?

I think the family Barkas read CMoMM  .

willowthewisp wrote:
It is thought that the Greek Police never investigated the"White Car"and it's occupants seen by several construction workers,working just down the Road from where Ben is thought to have disappeared from in July 1991?
Do we know if DI Cousin;s is aware of this"White Car" and it's occupants on that day of the disappearance of Ben Needham?

The very lengthy Guardian article published in March 2009 (posted up-thread), had this to say on the subject..

Gordon Brown was reported to have intervened when the McCanns were frustrated by lack of progress in the investigation. Encouraged by this, Kerry wrote to Gordon Brown. It took him three months to respond and his reply, when it came, gave her no hope. "He told me what the British authorities had done in all these years, but nothing about what could be done. I know what's been done and it's not enough. He wrote that the Greek authorities would reopen the case if there was a promising new line of enquiry." In her letter Kerry told him that a white car had been seen in the area the day Ben disappeared, and the police knew who owned it, but that there has been no conclusive investigation into it. She was surprised Brown didn't pick up on this.

She also wrote to her local MP, David Blunkett, in November, clearly spelling out the uninvestigated lead. He responded positively, saying he would approach the Home and Foreign Secretaries to contact Interpol and pressurise the Greek authorities to look at this "additional potential lead". Kerry then had a letter from the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, in which she said she had passed the information on to the chief constable of South Yorkshire Police.

"I've gone round the houses and been sent back to South Yorkshire Police. It still doesn't give me the answer I want, but I'll continue to push for Ben. They're still not telling me if this can be investigated or if Ben's case can be reinvestigated from the start."
----------

I can' help but think this is a ripping yarn - another dead end.  Again it mirrors the aftermath of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, there's even a mention of a taxi driver somewhere along the line.  The mere idea that the Greek police were deliberately concealing important evidence that related to a missing British child is about as realistic as the McCanns allegations against Goncalo Amaral and the PJ.
 
So what do we have - no trace of missing child since disappearance;  abduction;  hundreds of sightings;  a dead heavy duty machine operator;  gypsies;  inept local police;  pleas for UK government intervention etc. etc.  What next - a botched burglary?  Would you believe Christine Needham even said "it felt so safe"?

Who knows, maybe Ben Needham was sold after all - it's not beyond the realms of possibility..

jeanmonroe wrote:
jta: 'me' being 'facetious', do we think Carter Fluck will 'represent' Ms Needham, 'pro bono', of course?

I'm still waiting for some indication as to why Ms Needham suddenly changed her mind from being convinced her son had been abducted to believing DI Cousins' death by accident and buried around the farmhouse location - thanks to old and new intelligence leaked by a well-wisher, who claimed he was told by Konstantinos Barkas that he killed Ben Needham and buried his body.  The ONLY evidence being a child's toy found during the dig.

She didn't believe it in 2012 so why now?  If this litigation proceeds the Needhams are going to need a good lawyer - just like the situation the McCanns found themselves in when they tried to screw Goncalo Amaral.  Even in a civil court case, some very awkward questions can be asked - maybe then Ms Needham might enlighten me.

Doug D wrote:'A small toy car that was said to have been in Ben's possession at the time of his disappearance has led the authorities to believe that he was run over by a bulldozer that Mr Barkas was driving while working at the farmhouse.
 
Mr Barkas's son Chrysovalandis said: "Are they serious? Is that the only deduction to be made from the find? Maybe the boy was kidnapped and the toy car yanked out of Ben's hands?
 
"But even if the latest line of inquiry is in fact true, why did the lead investigator come to me at the end of the investigation here to apologise for the inconvenience caused and the reference made to my father's name?"
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/22/family-of-digger-driver-take-legal-action-against-ben-needhams-m/
   
......................................

Does this apology perhaps tie in with DI Cousins closing statement?

"It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing."

where he only implied that he was taking about Barkas & the digger, rather than actually saying it?

Yes, I believe he is implying that Konstantinos Barkas was responsible for the death of Ben Needham - he offers no other explanation for the conclusion does he.  All based on second hand knowledge of a dead man's confession, a digger (first you see it then you don't) and a child's toy that may have or may not have belonged to Ben Needham.

Whatever, the stigma will stay with the Barkas family for a very long time. 

I can't help but think the Mirror tabloid is behind much of this spasmodic focus on the Ben Needham case.  This is an interesting snip from a Mirror report way back in October (that month again) 2012..

'The hunt for her son, who vanished at the age of 21 months in July 1991, was re-started after a Daily Mirror investigation revealed he could have been killed on a site where earth was being dumped next to the farmhouse he was last seen at.

There is now one day of digging left there following an unprecedented operation organised by British police.'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-dig-mum-kerry-1399725

Food for thought?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-case-hallmarks-cover-9161080

From the most recent article from the 'intelligent' Mirror.  ('cover up')

So much for rumours and belief. What of facts, and the Mirror’s investigation?

Kerry believes there has been a cover-up over her son’s death and people wanted her to “go away….and forget about Ben”.

More belief. And facts?

In a bid to smear the Needham name, a man who worked with Kerry at a hotel on Kos falsely claimed to have slept with her, while she was out hunting for Ben. He left Kos shortly after making the allegation. He turned public opinion against the unmarried British mum and many blamed the family as a result. But Kerry has now been told by South Yorkshire Police officers this witness has finally told the truth.

He confessed it was a lie, but claimed he felt bullied into it. It is understood prosecutors on Kos are looking at this admission.

As we are invited to understand what the Mirror has understood, we hear from the unnamed source:

But he said his main reason for speaking was to reveal the statement of a mysterious witness, a friend of his, was never taken because bosses ignored his report. “He told me he’d seen a car with number plates from abroad. It had two people in the car and they were not Greek people. The witness said the child was playing outside and someone stepped out of the car and took him. My friend does not lie. I went back but once he knew the child was still missing he didn’t want to speak."

Can we speak with the witness?

He said the witness, like so many others, has since died.
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Hmmm, so NOT the 'dead' digger 'driver'................after all!

Oh well, 'onwards and DOWNwards'!

jeanmonroe wrote:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needham-case-hallmarks-cover-9161080

So much for rumours and belief. What of facts, and the Mirror’s investigation?

Kerry believes there has been a cover-up over her son’s death and people wanted her to “go away….and forget about Ben”.

More belief. And facts?

In a bid to smear the Needham name, a man who worked with Kerry at a hotel on Kos falsely claimed to have slept with her, while she was out hunting for Ben. He left Kos shortly after making the allegation. He turned public opinion against the unmarried British mum and many blamed the family as a result. But Kerry has now been told by South Yorkshire Police officers this witness has finally told the truth.

He confessed it was a lie, but claimed he felt bullied into it. It is understood prosecutors on Kos are looking at this admission.

As we are invited to understand what the Mirror has understood, we hear from the unnamed source:

But he said his main reason for speaking was to reveal the statement of a mysterious witness, a friend of his, was never taken because bosses ignored his report. “He told me he’d seen a car with number plates from abroad. It had two people in the car and they were not Greek people. The witness said the child was playing outside and someone stepped out of the car and took him. My friend does not lie. I went back but once he knew the child was still missing he didn’t want to speak."

Can we speak with the witness?

He said the witness, like so many others, has since died.

It looks like all of this Mirror report does not amount to any sort of investigation -but is merely a dish of completely uncheckable claims, served up on a plate by South Yorkshire Police and swallowed whole by the Mirror.

This is the very antithesis of investigative journalism

Has DI Cousin's spoke to the Greek Police and its former owner of who was in the Car that day Ben Needham disappeared or have they spoke to the registered keeper of a small White vehicle and independent witnesses had seen Two Men and One Woman in that vehicle around 14.30 pm,24 July 1991?
Do you"Trust Politicians"eg,Amber Rudd on Keith Vaz to sit on Justice Committee,Orgreve Decision and one infamous South Yorkshire Police,Hillsborough? They still fought tooth and nail against the Hillsborough Panel for Justice for the Victims right until they"Finally Admitted"their complicity to the deaths of 96 Football Fans in April 1989 after Twenty Seven Years of their involvement to Cover up?