NEWS: Ben Needham found in Cyprus?

by twenty-nine 28.10.13 11:06

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/missing-sheffield-boy-ben-needham-dna-test-1-6190245

See link above!

by Guest 28.10.13 11:15

Hmmm - no disrespect to the Needham family but this has come hot on the heels of the spate of "blonde children with gypsies" stories and I doubt that this is Ben.

Still, time will tell.

by twenty-nine 28.10.13 11:23

And The Mirror with blurry picture of "Cyprus-look-alike":

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-picture-roma-man-2643982

by Liz Eagles 28.10.13 13:01

No Fate Worse Than De'Ath wrote:Hmmm - no disrespect to the Needham family but this has come hot on the heels of the spate of "blonde children with gypsies" stories and I doubt that this is Ben.

Still, time will tell.

It makes me wonder if Kerry Needham now has a PR 'agent' - and before anyone shoots me down in flames I bought Kerry Needham's book (pre-ordered it in fact) but I don't like the timing and media frenzy of all this.

by plebgate 28.10.13 13:04

Can't make anything out from that blurry pic really.

Would love for it to be him though but as NFWTD said we will wait and see.

by ChippyM 28.10.13 18:09

There's such a lack of evidence in the reports on this. How was the man identified as potentially being Ben?
Last week on one of the ''Maria" stories, someone decided Ben Needham might be at the same town based on the 'fact' that the stolen blonde Maria was there (even though he was 20 years older!) Now we know she was Roma and was not stolen.

So was this Ben look alike spotted by a member of the public and then 'shopped' to the police, or did he volunteer himself because of doubts about his origins? I feel for Ben's mother but if this guy was just spotted by a member of the public then i'm doubtful.

(Edit to add, there is more info in the Mirror story, a man looking for his own son saw the man that he thought looked like Ben Needham, the authorities haven't located him yet to do the dna test)

by twenty-nine 28.10.13 20:04

The video of the Ben look-alike is now in The Telegraph. I don't see any resemblance to the 'real' Ben Needham, but it's hard to say anyway.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/10410233/Ben-Needham-case-video-emerges-of-man-identified-as-missing-British-boy.html

by plebgate 28.10.13 20:08

Well going on the video, I would not have recognised him as Ben and would certainly not have reported it to the authorities as being him.

by twenty-nine 28.10.13 21:29

Have a look on the Ben Needham facebook page. There is a pic of the Ben look-alike and I now tend to think there is a resemblance (ears and nose) to the well-known pics of little Ben.

https://www.facebook.com/helpfindben

by galena 29.10.13 8:19

I doubt very much that Ben is still alive - I think he was no more stolen by gypsies than Madeleine was.
Didn't his uncle confess to some involvement with his disappearance - an accident on a motorbike or something?

by ChippyM 29.10.13 8:21

The papers are showing an unblurred image, the nose is pointy and nothing like Ben's parents. I don't think it's him.

by Liz Eagles 29.10.13 8:25

At the risk of being totally wrong and I'm being completely controversial - how about someone paid a Roma to come forward to take a DNA test and plaster it all over the media. There seems little point in reporting someone might be Ben. DNA tests don't take that long.

I'm afraid that I'm sniffing rodent territory and I hope I'm wrong.

by ChippyM 29.10.13 8:35

aquila wrote:At the risk of being totally wrong and I'm being completely controversial - how about someone paid a Roma to come forward to take a DNA test and plaster it all over the media. There seems little point in reporting someone might be Ben. DNA tests don't take that long.

I'm afraid that I'm sniffing rodent territory and I hope I'm wrong.

I thought this was a possibility too but if you read the Mirror story, they don't even know where this look alike is in order to get a DNA test done. I think this is an over enthusiastic (well meaning) man who has spotted someone vaguely like Ben, reported it and now the media are hyping it up.

by Guest 29.10.13 10:01

Galena: no, his uncle never admitted to there being an accident; this was just a theory.

I have always wondered about the younger uncle (then 11) and whether he could have been involved in some way.

There is certainly no evidence to confirm that Ben was abducted by strangers.

by galena 29.10.13 10:10

No Fate Worse Than De'Ath wrote:Galena: no, his uncle never admitted to there being an accident; this was just a theory.

I have always wondered about the younger uncle (then 11) and whether he could have been involved in some way.

There is certainly no evidence to confirm that Ben was abducted by strangers.

I also remember reading at the time that the place where they were staying was basically on the side of a mountain and it would have been quite easy for him to wander off and fall into a crevice never to be seen again - though like most stuff on the internet I don't know how much truth there is in that. Though I feel very sorry for Kerry I think an accident of some sort or other is far more likely than abducted by passing gypsies whatever ... though I can see why she would need to believe that he is still alive and being cared for.

But who knows - miracles do happen and I would love to be proved wrong -

by twenty-nine 29.10.13 11:21

There is an update on https://www.facebook.com/helpfindben:

'UPDATE: Institute of Neurology and Genetics check DNA in Ben Needham case. Results expected tomorrow - 30th October.'

What makes me wonder is the timing of these news and Ben's birthday today?!

by Ayniia 29.10.13 12:56

twenty-nine wrote:There is an update on https://www.facebook.com/helpfindben:

'UPDATE: Institute of Neurology and Genetics check DNA in Ben Needham case. Results expected tomorrow - 30th October.'

What makes me wonder is the timing of these news and Ben's birthday today?!

I'm really hoping for good news, the timing is really a good omen, IMO