UK UK - Andrew Gosden, 14, Doncaster, South Yorks, 14 Sep 2007 #2

[Eam001]

I'm trying to keep an open mind at this stage, though it's not sounding good.

I know, me too. But I just don't think the police would have made a statement saying kidnap and trafficking specifically in relation to Andrew Gosden. I think they must have seen CSAM where Andrew was clearly identifiable. Otherwise the story would have just been 'two men arrested for kidnap/trafficking' and no mention of Andrew. Or it hardly would have been noticed in the news/a small local story.

 

[Oakie]

Perhaps the reason that he was walking home, instead of taking the bus, was so he could have a conversation on a mobile phone with his "groomer", without anyone in his family knowing.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

What I'm afraid of right now regarding the alleged POIs is that there isn't yet evidence pointing to Andrew except for a tip.

Maybe they were able to arrest the men in December and seize their electronics just based on a tip or because one of them downloaded illegal material.
They might not actually have evidence yet directly linking to Andrew (so no images of him).
Is this scenario plausible speculation (not possible but plausible?)

IF the men are guilty regarding Andrew, I hope there is enough evidence, because Andrew's family deserves to finally have answers.

 

[cardiologist4976257]

I'm just looking through a news articles archive (have gone from oldest to newest). This just stuck out at me from a piece the Times posted yesterday:

Detectives searching for a boy feared to have been sold into the sex trade when he vanished nearly 15 years ago have arrested two men.

and

...South Yorkshire police said it had arrested the men as part of a human-trafficking investigation...

 

[dotr]

Off-hand, have there been other young guys who have gone missing from that area or

I'm just looking through a news articles archive (have gone from oldest to newest). This just stuck out at me from a piece the Times posted yesterday:


and

From this link? rbbm.
Andrew Gosden: Human trafficking suspects held over disappearance of boy in 2007 | News | The Times
''Detectives searching for a boy feared to have been sold into the sex trade when he vanished nearly 15 years ago have arrested two men.

Andrew Gosden was 14 when he left his home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, withdrew £200, bought a one-way ticket to London and disappeared.

The teenager, a straight *advertiser censored* student, was last seen on CCTV at King’s Cross railway station in September 2007 but his reason for leaving his family home remains unknown.

South Yorkshire police said it had arrested the men as part of a human-trafficking investigation, assisted by officers from the Metropolitan Police, on December 8.''

 

[Mrs Marple]

I mean the fact these men are from his in area and not London suggests he was groomed

 

[Mrs Marple]

And...this coild just be speculation on the part of the police. As in they were arrested for trafficking and think it might be linked.

 

[RobinCAL]

Police issue Andrew Gosden investigation update on arrested men

A spokesperson for the force has told Yorkshire Live the devices are likely to take between "six and 12 months" to analyse.

 

[dotr]

Just noting fwiw.
April 2021
Convicted Cambridge sex offender caught again after messaging '12-year-old boy' - Cambridgeshire Live (cambridge-news.co.uk)

BOYS Documentary Teaser_01 - Bing video
General 4 — BOYS Documentary
''Through their interviews, Chris, Anna, and Kartal gained an understanding of what male sex trafficking looks like within the United States. In search of an answer to the enormous problem, they found the rebounding voices of the men who identify as ones with lived experience as the most poppable testimony to healing and reliance. Here in Boys Documentary, they hold space for their stories to be seen, heard, and known.

Boys Documentary tells the narrative of male sex trafficking through the voices of four brave men and a collection of allies who stand with them in solidarity.

BOYS Documentary is a clear statement that absolutely boys and men are sex trafficked and our humanities response to be the antidote to this crime by standing with survivors.''
2015
Human trafficking beast forced men to have sex with each other for 20 hours a day - World News - Mirror Online
''Running a company called Never Sleep Inc, Vass was involved in bringing in young male victims from Hungary, where most lived in poverty, reports the Miami Herald .''

 

[JennyJukes]

I mean the fact these men are from his in area and not London suggests he was groomed

They were? I know it says South Yorkshire police arrested the men, but the news articles I've read said the men were arrested in London. I assume South Yorkshire were just leading the investigation as he was from there. Not to say they weren't originally from Doncaster though.

 

[cardiologist4976257]

I looked closely at the press reports and the description they used was "London men" the "South Yorkshire police had arrested with assistance from Met officers".

 

[Officer Dibble]

I'm just looking through a news articles archive (have gone from oldest to newest). This just stuck out at me from a piece the Times posted yesterday:


and

Woah well spotted.

 

[dotr]

The victims in this case are Romanian, so unlikely AG was put to work by them, but maybe his math skills, youth and British ''appearance'' made him a useful tool for criminal organizations? complete speculation.

London: Boy among 55 suspected trafficking victims working in capital | Metro News
by Sean Seddon 28 Sep 2021
''Dozens of suspected trafficking victims working on London building sites have been identified after dawn raids on a gang.
Eight alleged ringleaders were arrested in an operation which also saw a gun and larges amounts of cash seized.
The 55 trafficked males, one of whom is a child, were found staying in overcrowded houses and enduring grim conditions. ''

''A senior Metropolitan Police officer said he believes there are modern slavery victims in every corner of the capital and called on Londoners to report suspected cases.
It’s the culmination of an 18 month investigation into a Romanian gang operating in the UK.''

Dec 21 2021
London boy, 18, so shocked to learn about modern slavery he now teaches other children about it - MyLondon

 

[rosesfromangels]

The victims in this case are Romanian, so unlikely AG was put to work by them, but maybe his math skills, youth and British ''appearance'' made him a useful tool for criminal organizations? complete speculation.

London: Boy among 55 suspected trafficking victims working in capital | Metro News
by Sean Seddon 28 Sep 2021
''Dozens of suspected trafficking victims working on London building sites have been identified after dawn raids on a gang.
Eight alleged ringleaders were arrested in an operation which also saw a gun and larges amounts of cash seized.
The 55 trafficked males, one of whom is a child, were found staying in overcrowded houses and enduring grim conditions. ''

''A senior Metropolitan Police officer said he believes there are modern slavery victims in every corner of the capital and called on Londoners to report suspected cases.
It’s the culmination of an 18 month investigation into a Romanian gang operating in the UK.''

Dec 21 2021
London boy, 18, so shocked to learn about modern slavery he now teaches other children about it - MyLondon

Wow, kudos to the young man alerting his peers to trafficking. This should be a standard in middle and high school. It's real and kids need to know the signs of the trap.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Dowls90]

I have lived in Doncaster all my life and this is the only case I can recall of this nature.

For such a large town it is pretty unremarkable in terms of major crime. Don’t get me wrong bad things happen but nothing to suggest an issue with grooming/ missing children.

Off-hand, have there been other young guys who have gone missing from that area or

 

[DanCJ]

The one thing I need clarity on is PlayStation checking Andrews Online Activity. They said he didnt have a presence, but what does that actually mean?

Does it mean an online PlayStation account where they can only see his gaming history and PlayStation network? OR are they saying he has never used the PSP to access emails, messenger, web browsers etc? Because they are two totally different prospects entirely and the PSP was quite versatile from what I have been told.

Side Note 1: If he has went to meet someone I absolutely refuse to believe that he didnt have an online presence.
Side Note 2: If he hasnt went to meet someone I definitely think someone could have imposed themselves on him to snatch him away from the public eye.
Side Note 3: Just retracing the general area on Google Maps. Desperately wish we could back to 2007 for an exact time analysis, but alas 2008 will have to do.

 

[DanCJ]

Just want to drop these in here. I'm sure this is the Pizza Hut sighting that Kevin Gosden said was the most credible, due to how the woman described the boy who she served that day. These are images I believe were the Pizza Hut where the alleged sighting of Andrew occurred. This particular restaurant is no longer open and frustratingly enough I can only get a 2008 image from a nearby street. I have also attached a travel distance from google maps.

Just would like to clarify that all this above is based on an unconfirmed sighting, added purely for speculation and to piece together the events of that day.

Edit: Quality of uploads is pretty poor/small. On foot from Kings Cross Station to Oxford Street Pizza Hut (Now Shutdown) is 34 mins walk with a distance of 1.6miles.

 

[Danaya]

I was a teenager a few years older than Andrew and I can say for certain that in the 2000s, party "chat lines" on the phone were used by young teens. Even though you were supposed to be 18 or older, nobody checked. These chat lines were also used by child predators.

 

[cuecard]

I was the same age as Andrew and had the same kind of profile – straight A student, adults thought I was mature for my age, small-ish friend circle and never missed school. But I also know me and my friends did some stupid stuff that our parents had no clue about like texting numbers that were in personal adverts in papers/magazines and talking to God knows who at the other end. Brainless looking back on it but we all thought it was a harmless bit of fun.

I just can’t shake the feeling that he was communicating with someone. It’s a feeling I’ve always had about this case. It's the how he was doing it that I can never come to a concrete conclusion on.

 

[Pinkizzy]

What made him buy a single ticket to London? Was he running away and starting a new life elsewhere?