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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/17/ben-needham-died-in-an-accident-say-kos-island-search-police
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| Ben Needham: police find item belonging to toddler near Kos site | Ben Needham: police find item belonging to toddler near Kos site |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| British police in Greece looking for the missing toddler Ben Needham believe they have found one of his belongings near to where he disappeared in 1991. | British police in Greece looking for the missing toddler Ben Needham believe they have found one of his belongings near to where he disappeared in 1991. |
| The detective leading the search on the island of Kos said on Monday that he believed Ben died as a result of an accident near the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing on 24 July 1991. He was just 21 months old. | |
| DI Jon Cousins, the senior investigating officer from South Yorkshire police, said: “My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991 behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. 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. | DI Jon Cousins, the senior investigating officer from South Yorkshire police, said: “My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991 behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. 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. |
| “The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true. | “The events leading up to and following that incident have been explored by my team of experts to great lengths. The fact that we have not had a direct result during this visit to Kos does not preclude the facts that we know to be true. |
| “An item found on Saturday, which I have shown personally to some of Ben’s family, was found in one of the targeted areas at the second site, very close to a dated item from 1991,” continued Cousins. | “An item found on Saturday, which I have shown personally to some of Ben’s family, was found in one of the targeted areas at the second site, very close to a dated item from 1991,” continued Cousins. |
| “It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben’s possession around the time he went missing. | “It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben’s possession around the time he went missing. |
| “The recovery of this item, and its location, further adds to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the day that Ben disappeared.” | “The recovery of this item, and its location, further adds to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the day that Ben disappeared.” |
| The find came during a three-week excavation funded by the Home Office as part of what has come to be known as Operation Ben. Two sites on the island were searched, with the team carrying out 3,600 hours of work to sift through 1,200 tonnes of material. The team will soon return to the UK, along with some of the items recovered during the search. | The find came during a three-week excavation funded by the Home Office as part of what has come to be known as Operation Ben. Two sites on the island were searched, with the team carrying out 3,600 hours of work to sift through 1,200 tonnes of material. The team will soon return to the UK, along with some of the items recovered during the search. |
| Cousins said: “Ben’s family have been provided with a full and thorough account of the events which we know to have taken place and also the speculations that we have been able to discount. Our thoughts are with the family as they are given time to digest this and they have our full and continued support. | Cousins said: “Ben’s family have been provided with a full and thorough account of the events which we know to have taken place and also the speculations that we have been able to discount. Our thoughts are with the family as they are given time to digest this and they have our full and continued support. |
| “Our drive has always been the family, and their welfare. Ben’s family have never given up on the team and I am incredibly thankful for their constant inspiration. | “Our drive has always been the family, and their welfare. Ben’s family have never given up on the team and I am incredibly thankful for their constant inspiration. |
| “We are also grateful to the current Greek authorities for their assistance, and the help received from the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been vital in allowing the team to continue getting answers for a family in need,” he went on. | “We are also grateful to the current Greek authorities for their assistance, and the help received from the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been vital in allowing the team to continue getting answers for a family in need,” he went on. |
| “We remain committed to the investigation and it will not simply close; myself and Det Supt Matt Fenwick will retain ownership of it and if new information comes to light, we will investigate it thoroughly. We will not stop in our quest to find further answers for Ben’s family.” | “We remain committed to the investigation and it will not simply close; myself and Det Supt Matt Fenwick will retain ownership of it and if new information comes to light, we will investigate it thoroughly. We will not stop in our quest to find further answers for Ben’s family.” |