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Undated file photo of Ben PA WIRE
reason to hope
Man calls TV show saying he looks like toddler who went missing 24 years ago
Ben Needham has been missing since 24 July 1991.
NEW LEADS HAVE emerged in the case of Ben Needham, a British child who disappeared 24 years ago.
South Yorkshire Police have said that they have received “a number of calls” in relation to the case following an appeal on Greek television last night.
The BBC has reported that detectives have been contacted by a man claiming that he resembles Ben. Police working on the case had said they would seek to contact the man for a DNA sample, but it has since emerged that the man had been tested previously.
In a post on the ‘Help Find Ben Needham’ Facebook page, it was revealed that there are “seven very strong possible leads” as a result of the fresh appeal.
TV Appearance
Last night Ben’s mother, sister and grandmother all appeared on Greek television.
The three-hour programme of Alpha TV saw the family appeal for his return, with his mother saying:
I want him to know that as his mum, I love him just as much today as the day he was born and I will never, never stop looking for him.
The police have said that they are investigating around seven new lines of inquiry and had received around 30 phone calls and emails during the course of the programme.
Earlier this year South Yorkshire police were granted funding by the Home Office to continue their work with the Greek authorities in attempting to find Ben.
His mother has always maintained that her son is alive.
Disappearance
The toddler disappeared on 24 July 1991 after travelling to the island of Kos with his mother Kerry and his grandparents.
Ben had been playing at a farmhouse near to where they had been staying when the adults realised that he was missing.
In 2012 it was thought that he might have accidentally been buried in a digging operation that had been taking place near to where he disappeared.
Over the years there have been a number of sightings of him and appeals for information about his whereabouts have been consistently renewed.
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