The Mystery of Ben Needham

chirpyinsect wrote:My fiver is on number 3 but I have 50 quid on this latest flurry of activity in Ben's case having an ulterior motive. Like just as OG is winding down, new developments surface in Greece. I predict new leads and sightings to emerge, burying the fading out of Grange. They can't solve it, they can't whitewash it so they will turn up the volume on Ben and dim the lights on Maddie.

Surely you don't believe that chirpy.... they would be that callous as to give hope to the family of Ben  just to whitewash Op Grange.  No way.

Guest wrote:This worries me a bit. Focussing on the findability of Ben Needham just when OG is winding down the result could be that they are presented to the public  as parallel cases. Except for the cadaver dogs of course.

Even so, I don't like the timing. Surely this Greek TV thing could have been done some years ago when they searched Cos again?

@chirpy

How odd, just found this on the thread, almost exactly a year ago, from Tigger.

candyfloss wrote:

Guest wrote:This worries me a bit. Focussing on the findability of Ben Needham just when OG is winding down the result could be that they are presented to the public  as parallel cases. Except for the cadaver dogs of course.

Even so, I don't like the timing. Surely this Greek TV thing could have been done some years ago when they searched Cos again?

@chirpy

How odd, just found this on the thread, almost exactly a year ago, from Tigger.

Now that really is spooky. I swear I didn't read Tigger's post. My own thoughts entirely from hearing the news this morning. I think Tigger was referring to a television prog tgat Kerry was to appear on in Greece iirc.

candyfloss wrote:

chirpyinsect wrote:My fiver is on number 3 but I have 50 quid on this latest flurry of activity in Ben's case having an ulterior motive. Like just as OG is winding down, new developments surface in Greece. I predict new leads and sightings to emerge, burying the fading out of Grange. They can't solve it, they can't whitewash it so they will turn up the volume on Ben and dim the lights on Maddie.

Surely you don't believe that chirpy.... they would be that callous as to give hope to the family of Ben  just to whitewash Op Grange.  No way.

And you are way too nice for your own good. But note I said they can't whitewash it, ergo my comment about fudging the issue.

Why is everybody on here so convinced that BN was abducted?  There's no proof, or even evidence

Was there cadaver alerts on any of the family or surrounding area? Serious question because I don't know much about this case.

dogs don't lie wrote:Was there cadaver alerts on any of the family or surrounding area? Serious question because I don't know much about this case.

I don't think they used cadaver dogs in 1991 when he disappeared. Maybe live search dogs? Not sure.

They did send in cadaver dogs in 2012, but I can't find anything on the results of that.

Yeah, of course he was. Was this guy spotted by the Smiths by any chance?

I must admit, I can't recall the Gran saying anything about being whisked away in a speedboat before. Ever.

But as we know, these papers have a very creative imagination when it comes to 'juicing' up the story.

I'm glad - not being sarcastic - that you are commenting on other issues too, Satsuma.

I agree with you; there is no proof that Ben was abducted. I prefer to say that his is a disappearance that has yet to be solved.

Freedom wrote:I'm glad - not being sarcastic - that you are commenting on other issues too, Satsuma.

I agree with you; there is no proof that Ben was abducted. I prefer to say that his is a disappearance that has yet to be solved.

Freedom, before being lured into talking about the playground photo after being accused of being Maff2016, I have posted re pyjamas and dogs in the past plus Canada's imaginary flowers in the last photo, so you can't say I don't comment on other topics
As for BN, yes indeed

I wonder if there was an accident involving Ben's uncle - not the 17-year-old and his motorbike as have been frequently mentioned, but the 11-year-old.

How, if this is the case, the family can have hidden the truth all these years I don't know.

Perhaps someone would like to explain roughly how an abduction could have happened

Well with whatever went on, then I don't think BN's Mother was involved at all.

On the other hand, I think MM's Mother was absolutely involved.

Imo.

Satsuma wrote:Perhaps someone would like to explain roughly how an abduction could have happened

The farmhouse was at the end of a dirt track. A dead end. So abduction seems very unlikely.

Certainly with the information that is known - and assuming it's the truth - there is nothing to say what happened to Ben.

The most likely explanation is that he wandered off and came to grief but why wasn't his body found?

Freedom wrote:Certainly with the information that is known - and assuming it's the truth - there is nothing to say what happened to Ben.

The most likely explanation is that he wandered off and came to grief but why wasn't his body found?

That's the big mystery. According to Eddie (Ben's grandfather):



“There was a man from the BBC based in Athens at the time and he said he could try and get heat-seeking equipment from the UK to search but the police officer in charge said ‘no’ because he didn’t think Ben was on the island.

“He said if he was the birds would have alerted them as they come in huge numbers even if a small animal is dead.

"He said the ground was too hard for someone to have buried him.”


So, what are the alternatives?

Taken alive? But that means the farmhouse must have been watched. It was the first time Ben was ever taken to the farmhouse. So was Christine (Ben's grandmother) followed? Unlikely, she would have noticed in such a quiet area.

Thrown in the sea? But a body would have eventually washed up.

On the face of it, there appear to be many similarities to the MM case. Incidentally, have we ever seen any photos of BN actually on holiday in Kos before he disappeared? I know it was the pre-digital age but some photos must have been taken and the film developed. Surely?
Please post them here if  so, I need to have a look

I'll have a look to see if I can find any.

The family wasn't on holiday but hoping to settle in the country permanently; there certainly should be some photos of Ben taken there.

is this one?

Nice photo - not one I've seen before. 

On reflection I'm personally sure there can be no doubt that Ben was ever on Kos. 

I have read Kerry's book but can't recall how long she'd been there. She had a job there so I would think it wasn't just in the last week or so.

Kerry arrived around 21st April 1991. She started working at the Palm Beach Hotel, not sure when. Her fiancé arrived on the 12th of June. He couldn't settle, and returned back to the UK on 22nd July.

Here's Ben on uncle Stephen's moped. That photo must have been taken in Kos?

Satsuma wrote:Why is everybody on here so convinced that BN was abducted?  There's no proof, or even evidence

I voted for your third option which was something unexplained happened to both children, so not everyone is convinced.

I feel that the McCann case (amongst others) has opened many people's eyes to the likelihood that, whatever happened to Ben, he was not taken by a stranger. 

Thank you for your post, seahorse. I remember now from Kerry's book that inevitably Ben's father was considered as a suspect - having left two days before Ben was reported missing - but he was cleared.