http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9317864/Ben-Needhams-mother-contacted-by-man-demanding-500000-for-information-about-her-son.html
The mother of Ben Needham, the British toddler who disappeared in Greece more than 20 years ago, says a man is demanding £500,000 to reveal what happened to her son.
Ben was 21 months old when he vanished from the island of Kos on July 24 1991, close to an old farmhouse which was being renovated by his grandparents.
His mother Kerry Grist, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said yesterday that private investigators in Greece had contacted her through her Facebook page to say a man was offering information but wanted assurances that the original reward of £500,000 was still available.
“We then emailed the detective agency saying unfortunately the reward was no longer on offer and the benefactor who offered the reward had lost contact,” she said.
“When the man was informed of this he said without any money there would be no information.”
Mrs Grist added: "Why is somebody being allowed to blackmail a family like us? We just want to know where Ben is. It felt like he was making me put a price on my son's life.”
The mother of Ben Needham, the British toddler who disappeared in Greece more than 20 years ago, says a man is demanding £500,000 to reveal what happened to her son.
Ben was 21 months old when he vanished from the island of Kos on July 24 1991, close to an old farmhouse which was being renovated by his grandparents.
His mother Kerry Grist, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said yesterday that private investigators in Greece had contacted her through her Facebook page to say a man was offering information but wanted assurances that the original reward of £500,000 was still available.
“We then emailed the detective agency saying unfortunately the reward was no longer on offer and the benefactor who offered the reward had lost contact,” she said.
“When the man was informed of this he said without any money there would be no information.”
Mrs Grist added: "Why is somebody being allowed to blackmail a family like us? We just want to know where Ben is. It felt like he was making me put a price on my son's life.”
