Fresh twist in hunt for missing toddler Ben Needham

A man has come forward claiming he’s missing toddler Ben Needham after an emotional TV appeal by the boy’s family.

Cops are now investigating a number of new leads in the case of the British toddler who went missing in Greece 24 years ago.

A photograph of a man who believes he may be Ben was sent to officers after the appeal although Ben’s mum Kerry has since dismissed it as an old lead.

It’s the latest twist in the desperate hunt for Sheffield lad Ben, who was just 21 months old when he disappeared while on a family holiday in Kos in 1991.

Ben went missing from outside a farmhouse his grandparents were renovating in the village of Iraklise. Over the years, there have been a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to the youngster, who would now be 25.

The new appeal on Greek TV has already had a “massive impact” on the investigation, Kerry revealed yesterday. Ben’s mum said the “new information” had been given to South Yorkshire Police who are now poring over the details.

Kerry and Ben’s grandmother Christine took part in the three-hour TV show on Friday along with his sister Leighanna.

Kerry said: “Please end the pain that my family is suffering. I know he’s out there somewhere. Please call the police and put an end to this.”

Tearful Christine dabbed at her eyes as she added: “We are just appealing to the Greek population as a whole to help us after 24 years. He didn’t go away on his own. We need these people to not be afraid any more.”

The show, called Light At The End Of The Tunnel, broadcasts to around 50% of the Greek TV audience.

Several callers are said to have mentioned the name of a family believed by the Needhams to be connected to Ben’s disappearance. Other callers named two towns in northern Greece, Larissa and Veria, where previous sightings of a boy matching Ben’s description have been reported.

In January, South Yorkshire Police were granted £700,000 of Home Office funding to support the Greek authorities in continuing inquiries. The force asked for the financial help to follow up information the family believes has never been properly investigated.

In October 2012, officers excavated a mound of earth near to where Ben was last seen alive, investigating a theory he may have been accidentally buried under rubble by a JCB driver.

In 2013, a DNA test carried out on a man in Cyprus proved he was not Ben.

Kerry has spent years travelling to and from Kos following up leads and has handed cops a dossier. She has always maintained her son is alive and was probably abducted.

A statement from Kerry was posted on the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page last night.

It said: “I have been completely overwhelmed by the amount of public support we had from the show and extremely impressed with the investigation team they did us proud.

“I was incredibly encouraged by the response we have received. It’s fantastic to know that the Greek public are taking Ben’s disappearance seriously and want to help us.”