The Mystery of Ben Needham

Perhaps no further need to dig!? I mean a lot could change in two hours so why organise press in advance unless they have a result?

Danny Savage ‏@dannysavage 10m10 minutes ago
BenNeedham search suspended because of a dispute over archaeological remains at site. No update until 1400BST @BBCLookNorth @FindBenNeedham

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-37518891

Ben Needham search: Greek landowner asks police to stop digging



This article says they have been asked to stop, but they are continuing until ordered otherwise by a magistrate.
Is it because they are disturbing graves?    Not nice.

bluebell wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-37518891

Ben Needham search: Greek landowner asks police to stop digging



This article says they have been asked to stop, but they are continuing until ordered otherwise by a magistrate.
Is it because they are disturbing graves?    Not nice.

It raises the interesting point that bluebell, on jurisdiction.  If the landowner has said stop and it is his land, what right have they got to dig in a foreign country when Ben disappeared there, so not a British case.  They seem to be ignoring, perhaps the law is different in Greece, I don't know

Ben Needham search: Dig halted over archaeological finds
16 minutes ago

Police were asked to stop searching farmland by the owner because of a dispute over the discovery of archaeological remains at the site
The hunt for missing toddler Ben Needham on farmland on the Greek island of Kos has been halted because of a dispute over archaeological remains.
The Sheffield toddler was 21 months old when he went missing on 24 July 1991.
Officers uncovered ancient graves on Thursday during a fresh excavation of the area, which began on Monday.
Police said they were asked to stop by the landowner. BBC reporter Danny Savage, who is in Kos, said police were going to court to sort out the dispute.
Specialists have been combing the farmland where Ben was last seen playing.

About five ancient graves in Kos were discovered at the farmland where police were digging
They were working on a tip-off he may have been crushed by a digger machine while his grandparents were renovating a farmhouse in the village of Iraklise

Ben Needham vanished on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991 when he was 21 months old
Det Insp Jon Cousins, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "I was approached... by Mr Troumouchis, the owner of the land on which we are currently conducting the search.
"He raised with me concerns about the discovery of what appear to be ancient tombs.

"My priority is to ensure that disruption to the operation that my team are running remains at an absolute minimum.
"If magistrates' permission is withdrawn, it will be my intention to seek immediate judicial authority to search this area of land."

The four or five graves that diggers have uncovered are believed to date from about 1,500 years ago.

Danny Savage ‏@dannysavage 7m7 minutes ago
I sense a more positive feeling around the #BenNeedham search site. After a delay of about 4hrs, work underway again. Update shortly frm SYP

Andy Lines ‏@andylines 6m6 minutes ago
Police back on site in past couple of minutes. Diggers working again. Looks like all resolved. #BenNeedham

Interesting tweets and very up to date Andrew, thanks !

The DI in charge does sound determined to carry on from that BBC item. Last chance perhaps?

I was imagining family graves being unearthed, but if they are ancient burials no doubt they are treated with respect and the archeaological people know exactly how to record what's being unearthed. Let's hope it was all a 'misunderstanding' with the landowner.

1,500 years old graves, that would trigger any cadaver dog worth its salt ...

Happy to understand though, that digging has restarted.

Justice for Ben, I hope.
And for Madelaine.

ETA hurray for advanced forensic techniques.
That's where my hopes are.

Danny Savage ‏@dannysavage 8m8 minutes ago
Police say presence of ancient burial site will not interfere with the search for Ben in Kos. It's back to normal.

Should that not be "Police diggings will not interfere with ancient burial sites" ?

Andy Lines ‏@andylines 8m8 minutes ago
Police chief confirms all resolved and #BenNeedham dig has resumed. Still pleased with progress. Delay cost them about 3 hours.

Was that the 16pm; 2oclock our time, police update then?

froggy wrote:Should that not be "Police diggings will not interfere with ancient burial sites" ?

Absolutely froggy.

Is it just me that feels using diggers seems inappropriate when searching for the remains of a tiny child? Admit I know nothing about these things.

Bampots wrote:Was that the 16pm; 2oclock our time, police update then?

Cousins did speak to the media - but I've not seen it yet.... (apart from a picture of him speaking to the media)

Interview with granddad from 1997.

35 seconds in he corrects himself. Can anyone make out what he says?

"Ben was playing inside and outside and running in and out, in and out the door and everything, playing with the (??????), with the sand sorry and tools, water .................."

It sounds like 'ammo', but I can't make it out.

Bizarre - it certainly does sound like Ammo doesn't it....

AMMO although he skips calmly enough over it..

Bampots wrote:AMMO although he skips calmly enough over it..

ammos (sp?) is the Greek word for 'sand'

bluebell wrote:

Bampots wrote:AMMO although he skips calmly enough over it..

ammos (sp?)   is the Greek word for 'sand'

You're quite right, Bluebell.

I'm glad you jumped in with that as was about to go off on a wild theory there.

Is he a fluent speaker of Greek? Is anyone aware?

Bampots wrote:Is he a fluent speaker of Greek? Is anyone aware?

Not judging by the latter part of that video....

Here's the Mirror's update with some new pics.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ben-needham-missing-police-dig-8949053

I'm sure he didn't in 1991 - remembering what Kerry said in her book about initial language difficulties - but maybe he had learned some by 1999.

bluebell wrote:

Bampots wrote:AMMO although he skips calmly enough over it..

ammos (sp?)   is the Greek word for 'sand'

That explains it. Thanks bluebell.

Yes to be fair a builder has to know the word for sand.....makes working there easy.

Saw an interview with Christine, she says as she pushed the buggy he was banging his cars together. Are there any mention of the cars in the book, was he still playing with them outside and where were they found?
Why did they not go to the villa across the road immediately? IIRC the Greek lady said she saw the teenager drive off on his moped and that Ben was outside playing. Did she not hear them shouting his name? It was a very quiet place.
Christine said it was the first time she had brought Ben and her son to the farmland yet IIRC Kerry said she had done it many times. It could be she meant her Mum had brought them to other sites in the past where the men and boys were working, for a walk to break up the days.
Christine walked back to the caravan to make the dinner, she says, and Eddie stayed working. I would have thought he would have dropped her down in his landrover.
Just random thoughts.