Ben Needham officers want to knock down farmhouse extension built months after toddler vanished
UK officers searching for missing toddler Ben Needham have asked for permission to knock down part of a farmhouse as part of their investigation.
UK officers searching for missing toddler Ben Needham have asked for permission to knock down part of a farmhouse as part of their investigation.
A team of South Yorkshire Police (SYP) investigators have spent the last seven days examining an area of land on the Greek island of Kos after claims surfaced that Ben was accidentally killed and buried by a construction worker.
Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said he was waiting to hear from the property`s owner to see if one room of the building could be demolished.
The extension was added in the months after toddler Ben went missing.
Det Insp Cousins said he was pleased with how the investigation was going and said: “I should hear shortly whether that permission is granted.”
The 19-strong SYP team has revealed a pair of sandals which could give police a clue in solving the disappearance.
They were specially made by an island cobbler last week and are near identical to those worn by the tragic toddler when he disappeared.
SYP believes the sandals may help the search teams ploughing through tons of soil. A small piece of leather was found back in 2012 but it could not be linked to Ben.
Frank Harkness, Crime Scene Investigation forensic manager for Yorkshire and the Humber region, said: “The woman who made the sandals was quite emotional about it when she realised it was connected with Ben.”
He added: “It gives the searchers a better idea of what they are looking for.”
Search teams have been digging around the last spot where digger driver Konstantinos Dino Barkas was working on the day Ben disappeared. But they ran into problems when the landowner asked them to stop digging after the discovery of suspected ancient tombs.
Det Insp Cousins has confirmed that the legal issues surrounding the dig have been resolved.
The Needham family, staying at a location near Kos, were due to meet Det Insp Cousins for an update on the search for Ben. But at the last minute he had to abandon the trip and leave the ferry to return to the dig site in Iraklis.
Trouble flared after Roman remains were uncovered by SYP. On Thursday (September 29) they uncovered four or five ancient tombs which are believed to be 1,500 years old.
The next morning land owner Stephano Troumouchis, 33, arrived with his lawyer at the olive grove who described his client as not happy.
At first police refused to budge until an official order was made. But then all 19 officers and their Greek volunteers were forced to leave the dig site after an order was made by a local magistrate.
The land owner and his lawyer examined the ground where the tombs were found. After negotiations with SYP, Mr Troumouchis agreed a deal to let the dig continue.
According to The Mirror Mr Troumouchis has been told by SYP he will be compensated for any damage to his land.
It is believed the Society of Archaeology on Kos, who are managing the site, were aware it could be a site of interest before the discovery.
Greek police are providing 24-hour security to protect the tombs from grave robbers.
Det Insp Cousins added: There has then been a lot of discussions with the Greek authorities and with the land owner himself in relation to what has been happening.
And I am pleased to say that we are now back up and running and we are continuing with this investigation.
My main aim being to find answers for Bens family and the people of Kos.
Bens mother, Kerry, said: If the dig had stopped I dont think my family could have coped with being left hanging once again.
I hope this man understands how important this is to us. The police believe Ben is dead and I need to know if this is true.
Weve come this far, what is the point of stopping now. It will serve no good to anyone.
South Yorkshire Police have put their lives on hold to help us solve this and we hope that this one man continues to give us his support. Its crucial.
SYP has been scouring the land for Kerrys son, who was 21 months old when he went missing on July 24, 1991.
It is feared Ben