The Mystery of Ben Needham

That stone building is not the farmhouse Andrew. It's the neighbouring property across the road. In your first picture you can just about see a white building on the left, which is the farmhouse.

Since 1991 the white bit has been added to it.

Here's a good picture, you can just about see the stone house across the road on the right.



Confusion is good as they say and there are a lot of pictures focusing on the big stone house for some reason:

And another not so recent one.

Cheers, Seahorse.

I just put Needhams house, Kos, in Google Images and that's what it spun out.

I wonder why certain old articles are showing a completely different house then.

Andrew wrote:Cheers, Seahorse.

I just put Needhams house, Kos, in Google Images and that's what it spun out.

I wonder why certain old articles are showing a completely different house then.

Bad reporting? Or newspapers being obsessed with houses (even in those days?) thought it would look more impressive than the derelict little farmhouse?

This is from the book:

This is after 7 o'clock in the evening:

"The farmhouse felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, although there were one or two secluded homes dotted around. Across from where the lane joined the driveway stood the strange-looking villa. It wasn't just high, it seemed to have been built back to front. You had to go round the rear to enter - as the police discovered when they decided to pay a call.
And old lady Dad had seen once or twice answered. She confirmed that she had been in all day and had, crucially, seen Stephen leave on his motorbike.
'Was the baby with him?'
''No, the baby was playing. Over there.' She pointed to the back of the farmhouse. To exactly where Ben was last heard."

---------------------------------------------
So, when they realised Ben was missing, no one thought of knocking on the door of the villa across the road? Very odd.

I'm learning things anew about this case even now. I thought that the farmhouse was completely isolated with no other buildings or occupants for miles.

Reminds me of the Mrs Fenn episode.

Not immediately going round to ask/demand if saw/heard anything....

Likewise - learning more about this literally each day.

That's why I'm trying to locate it. In the book other buildings and houses are mentioned. Hopefully Satsuma will provide us with a link soon.

Now here's a blog from Kerry, dated Thursday, October 4, 2007, which contradicts the book:

"July 24, 1991
My dad and my brother Stephen had gone to work, they were restoring an old farmhouse in the remote village on the island, called Heracles.
I had also gone to work, at the "Palm Beach" Hotel, situated near the beach, where I worked as a waitress.
Ben was at home with my mum, as she was always looking after him during my long working hours.
Around lunchtime, my mum with Ben and Danny, went to the farmhouse where my dad and Stephen were working, to have their lunch.
Nothing unusual about this, they had done so, many a time.
The table was set indoors, Ben was playing with his toys, just outside the doorway and he kept running in and out of the house, getting water and pouring it over himself. It was a scorher of a day, at 42°C or about 105ºF."

http://benneedham18.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/never-ending-nightmare.html


The mind boggles.

Andrew wrote:Cheers, Seahorse.

I just put Needhams house, Kos, in Google Images and that's what it spun out.

I wonder why certain old articles are showing a completely different house then.

Because it wasn't Needhams house? It belonged to Mikaelos. Sorry not exact name.

Snipped from elsewhere (slightly different)

On 24 July, Christine, Eddie, Danny, Stephen and the owner of the house, Michaelis Kypreos, were in the farmhouse eating lunch. Ben was playing on the terrace just outside the door. He was running in and out, pouring water over his head and messing about with a stick. They could see through the open door on to the terrace where Ben was playing. There was a tree on which they'd hung his wet shorts.


... Do 21 month olds actually run? My son couldn't even walk until he was nearly 2.

Was there ever an explanation as to why he had wet shorts and the need to hang them up.. Was it because of he poured water over them, as subtlety mentioned above or did he accidentally wet himself (as toddlers do).. Or another reason...

chirpyinsect wrote:

Andrew wrote:Cheers, Seahorse.

I just put Needhams house, Kos, in Google Images and that's what it spun out.

I wonder why certain old articles are showing a completely different house then.

Because it wasn't Needhams house? It belonged to Mikaelos. Sorry not exact name.

Yes, I know that Chirps.

The point being that some of the images as reported in old press articles, showed the neighbours house instead.

snipped again:

The family stayed on Kos for two months after Ben disappeared. Then Eddie rang the British Embassy in Athens to ask if they could be repatriated. There had been no progress with the investigation and the strain on them was unbearable. He was told they would have to be means-tested and it might take a month.

So, desperate to get back to England, they sold everything and arrived home at the end of September, broke. They went back to Yorkshire, living with various relatives in Sheffield, before being housed by the council.

.... Why would you be so desperate to leave the place where your son/grandson disappeared from...

Another thing that echoes the McCann case.

I think that, if it was a case of stay there and starve or return to England where there was help available, they would have had to make the second choice.

I am belatedly coming to realise that there are similarities between this and the McCann case - obviously not in the terms of media coverage and celebrities falling over themselves to help - but because of the economy with the truth as to the events surrounding a child's disappearance.

Yeah, I must say, my opinions on this case have changed dramatically in the space of about 3 days.

Well according to this now it was down to illness why they returned back as they could no longer live or work there.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/help-find-ben-needham/timeline-of-events-since-ben-needhams-disappearance/140138162720690/

That could perhaps be stress-related because of their situation.

Yes, could well be.

Just merely pointing out yet another contradiction which seem to be alarmingly coming through the more I delve into this.

Freedom wrote:I think that, if it was a case of stay there and starve or return to England where there was help available, they would have had to make the second choice.

I am belatedly coming to realise that there are similarities between this and the McCann case - obviously not in the terms of media coverage and celebrities falling over themselves to help - but because of the economy with the truth as to the events surrounding a child's disappearance.

There's also a parallel with Murat: the Needhams started to suspect the shop owner Xanthippe (Sissy) Agrelli of involvement. She was used by the police as a translator. Her car had been spotted parked in the lane with two male occupants.

"I remember during our visit in Kos in 2003, when Christos Bafounis, responding to a question from Mariana Faithful -our representative in Greece-, as to the identity of the owner of the white car seen parked near the farmhouse, on the day that Ben was abducted, told us that the car belonged to Xanthippe Agrelli.
Speaking in English, he went on to say that this woman had been our friend.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Agrelli had never been our friend.
After this conversation at the police station, we went straight to Agrelli's shop and we played back the recording with Bafounis's own words, she became furious, screaming and yelling she told us that in July 1991, she did not have her white car -at the time the Greek government was giving monetary incentives when people turned in their old cars-, as she wanted to buy a new one.
Mariana challenged Agrelli for the documents.
She did not have them.
Mariana challenged her again and Agrelli agreed to come with us to the department of Motor Transport.
Finally, the official documents showed that Agrelli, had applied to the department in October 1991 and her application for the monetary benefit, was approved in November.
Our questions remain unanswered, why did Agrelli lied about her white car?
Nothing has ever been investigated regarding the Agrelli car and why she has lied about it.
What was her car doing there in this heat, on July 24?
Who else was in the car?
Witnesses accounts told the police there were 2 men in the car.
The Greek authorities hushed this incident up, like they have done with every other matter, that we have confronted them with.
Not a single official, has ever said "sorry" to us."

http://benneedham18.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/never-ending-nightmare.html

dandaar wrote:Satsuma's behaviour reminds me of the photojournalist Mike Gunnill who likes to haunt forums to get peoples details.

I did not mean to imply Satsuma was Mike Gunnill, just that the modus operandi seems similar.
If you care to google "Mike Gunnill McCanns" you can draw your own conclusions.

Thereyegomachinas.

Evening Sat.

I must say, that place is a bit of a dump.

That looks the right place Satsuma. Is that from Google Earth?

Just out of interest is the road coming towards us a dead end?

Not from google earth. I looked on it at this morn.

A blur, and can't make head nor tail.

Yes, Google Earth. Bottom of the road -  not a dead end. I think the left turn goes towards the caravan, which was 30 minutes away from here on foot



Top of the road - becomes a track



And looking up the road from the farmhouse (which is on the right)



Remember that things may have been different in 1991 and from the  description of the road it has been upgraded since then

Impressive find Satsuma. I still can't find it on google earth.

I remember reading they were working on the road at the time as well as doing building works. I imagine the whole road must have been like that uphill track.

Doff my cap, sat - but where did you find that.....