16 Years On, Family Nurtures Hope

The hunt for Madeleine McCann has echoes of the disappearance of another Briton 16 years ago.

Twenty-one-month-old Ben Needham vanished while holidaying with his parents on the Greek island of Kos in 1991. He disappeared from outside a farmhouse that was being renovated by his grandparents in the village of Iraklise.

Shortly before his disappearance, the child's young parents, Kerry Needham and Simon Ward, had emigrated to the island in the hope of finding work.

Police initially thought the toddler had been murdered but no remains have ever been found, raising the likelihood that he was kidnapped by child traffickers.

Since his disappearance there have been more than 200 sightings of boys that witnesses thought was him. In 1996, an anonymous millionaire posted a £530,000 reward for the safe return of the child but that failed to elicit any significant information. The Needham family also offered a £105,000 reward for information.

In 2003 Ian Crosby, a private investigator, flew to Kos with Ben's uncle Danny. He concluded that the boy may have ended up in Scandinavia.

Last month, Mrs Needham said the family would never give up hope but knew the chances of finding him were slim.