Missing toddler Ben Needham’s mum has desperate request after man comes forward claiming to be son

Missing toddler Ben Needham’s mum Kerry has shared her desperate request after a man came forward this week claiming to be her son.

The 21-month-old British child, Ben Needham, disappeared on holiday on the island of Kos back in 1991.

Despite an extensive search and countless police interviews, however, investigating authorities had no leads on the fate that befell the child - until this week.

Ben Needham disappeared during a family holiday in Greece in 1991. (Kostas Souliotis)

Yesterday (24 July) marked the 33rd year since the disappearance of Ben.

A man living in Denmark has come forward claiming to be the missing child and, according to South Yorkshire police, the unnamed man's DNA has now been tested, and is being compared to a sample of Ben's DNA, maintained by the force 'to provide Ben's family with a definitive answer'.

Following the development, Kerry is now imploring with police to re-interview any suspects they believed could have had a part to play in his disappearance.

Speaking to The Mirror after the Danish man came forward, she explained: "I’m going to be spending the day [the anniversary] trying not to relive the horror of it all. Every day is hard but this is always a devastating day to face.

"I really want them to re-interview a number of witnesses who lied and those who refused to talk to us properly.

"There are people who know where Ben is on that island. I cannot understand how they can live with themselves knowing they could end our torture. They can't go to prison because the statute of limitations is 20 years, so they have nothing to lose."

Ben's mother, Kerry, urged police to re-interview any previous suspects. (AFP / Stringer / Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the British authorities also declared a wish to rekindle with the Greek police once again in the hope of getting to the bottom of the matter.

"Whilst South Yorkshire Police has no jurisdiction in Greece, we are keen to support Greek authorities and Ben’s family in any way we can and a senior investigating officer remains in contact with Greek counterparts," the representative said.

"Our thoughts are with Ben’s family who have never given up hope of discovering the truth of what happened on 24 July 1991 and we will continue to support them in that endeavour."

In the years that followed Ben's disappearance, Greek and British authorities returned to the case on numerous occasions.

In 2012, a digger driver reportedly said on his deathbed he may have killed the toddler accidentally.

His statement couldn't be confirmed however, and any remains that have since been found on the island do not match those of the missing toddler.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins, who was previously in charge of the inquiry, also stated he believed the toddler had died in an accident near the farmhouse.