Sheffield-born Kerry Needham, 53, is now pleading with the police to take action as she fears for her family’s safety – claiming the man has tracked down where her daughter lives

Mum Kerry Needham at the farmhouse on Kos where the latest search is concentrated on.
Mum Kerry Needham at the farmhouse on Kos where the latest search is concentrated on(Image: MDM)

The mum of missing Ben Needham says she’s been “hounded” and “stalked” for two years by a man falsely claiming to be her son.

Sheffield-born Kerry Needham, 53, is now pleading with the police to take action fearing for her family’s safety. She says he has tracked down where her daughter lives and managed to find a former address for her mum Christine. Ben was 21 months old when he went missing on the Greek island of Kos, in July 1991. Since then the family have searched relentlessly and South Yorkshire police have carried out two digs near the farmhouse he vanished from.
But they have been left “hurt” and in “heartache” by a 33-year-old man who has been trying to “bully” them into having a private DNA test despite two results already proving negative. Desperate for it to stop, Kerry told The Mirror: “He is causing me so much pain and heartache. It’s cruel to do this to us. I will spend my life fighting to find out what happened to my son. I just want him to leave us alone.

Ben was 21 months old when he went missing on the Greek island of Kos, in July 1991
Ben was 21 months old when he went missing on the Greek island of Kos, in July 1991(Image: PA)

“We have tried to talk to him rationally and the only thing we have refused is to meet him face to face, we feel awful for him but he’s not Ben and he won’t accept it, it’s heartbreaking.” She says he is now posting it worldwide claiming he had a vision of a flashback that he had been sold. He also says he has the same birthmarks as Ben, but they have faded.

Kerry said: “He hasn’t, I’ve seen pictures of them and they are not even in the right place.” Ben’s sister Leighanna has written directly to him saying: “Two separate DNA tests have been conducted, one by South Yorkshire Police and another through a private company, DNA family finders UK, whom you personally reached out to.

“This private company tested your DNA directly against mine and later contacted us to share the results. Both tests conclusively determined that there are no biological ties between you and my family. Regarding your comment about my mother seeking fame or sympathy – this is deeply hurtful. No one can truly comprehend the pain of losing a child unless they have lived through it themselves.”

In a family statement on the Find Ben website, they said: “We are aware of recent posts circulating on social media regarding [man’s name]. [He] approached the Help Find Ben page two years ago, believing he could be Ben. Given certain similarities in his story, Ben’s mum, Kerry, responded to him directly.

through piles of earth taken from an olive grove near the scene
South Yorkshire Police search through piles of earth taken from an olive grove near the scene in 2016(Image: PA)

“…A DNA test was conducted by South Yorkshire Police, despite claims to the contrary, and the results confirmed that he is not a match. Additionally, Ben’s full-blood sister, Leigh-Anna, has her DNA registered on multiple platforms for cross-matching. These have also been checked and yielded no match.

“We have no reason to doubt the integrity of any of these platforms whether operated by the police or global databases. We are deeply saddened by the allegations being made against our family, suggesting that we are denying [him] a DNA test. This is simply not true. We are also hurt by some of the comments he is making.

“As a family, we feel this is unnecessary at this time, and we have no further reason to believe that he is/could be Ben. We have offered our condolences to [him] directly, and we sincerely hope he finds the peace and answers he is searching for.”