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| Ben Needham: police to excavate land on Kos where toddler went missing | Ben Needham: police to excavate land on Kos where toddler went missing |
| (4 months later) | |
| A team of officers will on Friday begin a search on the Greek island of Kos for the remains of the British toddler Ben Needham who disappeared more than 20 years ago. | A team of officers will on Friday begin a search on the Greek island of Kos for the remains of the British toddler Ben Needham who disappeared more than 20 years ago. |
| The specialist officers from police forces in the UK, led by South Yorkshire police, will excavate a mound of rubble close to the home where Ben's mother, Kerry, and grandparents lived in July 1991, when he went missing aged 21 months. | The specialist officers from police forces in the UK, led by South Yorkshire police, will excavate a mound of rubble close to the home where Ben's mother, Kerry, and grandparents lived in July 1991, when he went missing aged 21 months. |
| The South Yorkshire force said it was supporting Ben's mother in her quest to discover what happened. One line of inquiry is that Ben was accidentally buried by a digger driver dumping rubble in a field adjoining his grandparents' home. | The South Yorkshire force said it was supporting Ben's mother in her quest to discover what happened. One line of inquiry is that Ben was accidentally buried by a digger driver dumping rubble in a field adjoining his grandparents' home. |
| The officers are leading a group of specialist search advisers who will be supporting the Greek authorities as they decide whether to excavate the ground, South Yorkshire police said. | The officers are leading a group of specialist search advisers who will be supporting the Greek authorities as they decide whether to excavate the ground, South Yorkshire police said. |
| Ben vanished in Kos after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Despite a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to him, no trace of the youngster has ever been found. | Ben vanished in Kos after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Despite a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to him, no trace of the youngster has ever been found. |
| His mother has spent two decades looking for her son and has consistently maintained that he was abducted and is still alive. | His mother has spent two decades looking for her son and has consistently maintained that he was abducted and is still alive. |
| On Thursday a South Yorkshire police spokeswoman said: "South Yorkshire police is leading a team of specialist search advisers who have travelled to the Greek island of Kos to support the Greek authorities as they search for missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham. Greek police are pursuing a line of inquiry centred on the grounds of the property from which Ben disappeared in 1991 aged 21 months. | On Thursday a South Yorkshire police spokeswoman said: "South Yorkshire police is leading a team of specialist search advisers who have travelled to the Greek island of Kos to support the Greek authorities as they search for missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham. Greek police are pursuing a line of inquiry centred on the grounds of the property from which Ben disappeared in 1991 aged 21 months. |
| "Beginning tomorrow, work will begin to examine the ground, including using geophysical ground examination equipment, to determine whether any area should be dug." | "Beginning tomorrow, work will begin to examine the ground, including using geophysical ground examination equipment, to determine whether any area should be dug." |
| The spokeswoman said other specialist resources had been deployed including a forensic archaeologist and search dogs. She said the operation was expected to last a week to 10 days and followed a Greek police request for specialist support. | The spokeswoman said other specialist resources had been deployed including a forensic archaeologist and search dogs. She said the operation was expected to last a week to 10 days and followed a Greek police request for specialist support. |
| "During the past 18 months, South Yorkshire police has also reviewed all material held by the Greek police in relation to Ben's disappearance in order to support the Greek inquiry. South Yorkshire police has also obtained Ben's DNA from Sheffield children's hospital. SYP has for a number of years supported Ben's mum Kerry and other members of the family." | "During the past 18 months, South Yorkshire police has also reviewed all material held by the Greek police in relation to Ben's disappearance in order to support the Greek inquiry. South Yorkshire police has also obtained Ben's DNA from Sheffield children's hospital. SYP has for a number of years supported Ben's mum Kerry and other members of the family." |
| Ben's mother told the Daily Mirror: "This is an elimination process and that's how I'm dealing with it. It's one of the most important things to happen in 21 years." | Ben's mother told the Daily Mirror: "This is an elimination process and that's how I'm dealing with it. It's one of the most important things to happen in 21 years." |
| The new search is centred on a large mound which is now grassed over. It is close to a farmhouse next to the one Ben's grandparents were renovating when he vanished. One line of inquiry is he could have accidentally been buried beneath it. But Kerry Needham has maintained in previous interviews that she believes the large mound was already there when Ben went missing. | The new search is centred on a large mound which is now grassed over. It is close to a farmhouse next to the one Ben's grandparents were renovating when he vanished. One line of inquiry is he could have accidentally been buried beneath it. But Kerry Needham has maintained in previous interviews that she believes the large mound was already there when Ben went missing. |
| Earlier this year, she said: "I find it very, very unlikely that Ben is there, unless he buried himself." | Earlier this year, she said: "I find it very, very unlikely that Ben is there, unless he buried himself." |
| MP Angela Smith, who has supported the family, said she believed the search was important as it ruled out another line of inquiry. Smith, who is Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, told BBC Radio Sheffield: "Hopefully they won't find Ben in that rubble and it closes down another line of inquiry and narrows down the possibilities." | MP Angela Smith, who has supported the family, said she believed the search was important as it ruled out another line of inquiry. Smith, who is Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, told BBC Radio Sheffield: "Hopefully they won't find Ben in that rubble and it closes down another line of inquiry and narrows down the possibilities." |
| She said: "I know that she (Kerry Needham) will be very keen for this work to be undertaken and has rock solid confident, I'm sure, that they won't find Ben there." | She said: "I know that she (Kerry Needham) will be very keen for this work to be undertaken and has rock solid confident, I'm sure, that they won't find Ben there." |
| Ben's disappearance made headlines for a number of years, similar to the case of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007. | Ben's disappearance made headlines for a number of years, similar to the case of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007. |
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