The family of Ben Needham, the toddler who vanished in Greece, are preparing to take the British home secretary to court.
They have been trying to get funding for the British police to investigate suspects who could be linked the 1991 disappearance of the 21-month-old boy.
The case remains unsolved, but the family says the police have some leads to follow up but need the funds to do so.
The Home Office has spent more than £7m on the Madeleine McCann investigation being run by the Metropolitan police, officials said on Friday. British officers have recently been in Portugal to question 11 people, seven Portuguese and four Brits. The financial support for Ben’s case is believed to be in the thousands.
Ten months ago South Yorkshire police asked the Home Office for funding to travel to Greece, but has heard nothing positive. The Needham family’s pro bono barrister has also not received a reply to his letter to the home secretary.
Now the lawyers are preparing to go to the high court to get a court order compelling the home secretary to respond to the police request.
Christine Needham, Ben’s grandmother, said: “The police really want to crack on with this and have heard nothing. We feel ignored and abandoned by the government. It’s very difficult. I am pleased for the family of Madeleine McCann that they are getting support, but what we are saying is please listen to our requests for support.
“Ben was a small child who went missing too.”
South Yorkshire police want to investigate leads which include eight sightings of a boy who could be Ben and to pursue information on individuals who might be of interest to the inquiry.
Ben vanished on the Greek island of Kosin 1991, where he and his mother were staying with his grandparents who were living there. They were looking after him on the day he disappeared while his mother worked in a local hotel. He had been playing in and out of the farmhouse but at 2.30pm his grandparents realised he was not there.
The case is one of the longest-running missing persons case in British history.
In 2012 the Home Office supported a South Yorkshire police operation to excavate land on Kos near the farmhouse where Ben was last seen but no trace of the boy was found.
Several sightings over the years have all been false leads.
Minister for policing Mike Penning confirmed a request for financial assistance had been made by South Yorkshire police. “This is currently under consideration by the Home Office”, he said.
