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

[BethAnn777]

Andrew was 14 and had never taken a train anywhere by himself before. It's highly unlikely he was aware of all the different ticket options, just bought one for his destination, and would buy another one back when needed. He had the cash, after all.
When the ticket clerk offered him a return for just £1 more, he probably got a bit confused, and said no, and just kept his mind on the job of getting what he originally wanted.
He may have even thought she was trying to up-sell or extract more money or something. Always best to say no.
If only he had said no to whomever he met in London.

Are we sure he had never traveled by train alone?

 

[annpats]

Are we sure he had never traveled by train alone?

He seemed to be quite mollycoddled at home, and I'm sure it was the first time he'd travelled to London by train alone. He was 14. London is a long way to go by yourself at that age!

Are you saying he may have made the trip to London before (and no-one ever knew?) and the trip (where he disappeared) wasn't the first time?

 

[HCcoffee]

Are we sure he had never traveled by train alone?

He seemed to be quite mollycoddled at home, and I'm sure it was the first time he'd travelled to London by train alone. He was 14. London is a long way to go by yourself at that age!

Are you saying he may have made the trip to London before (and no-one ever knew?) and the trip (where he disappeared) wasn't the first time?

His father has said he was very familiar with public transportation in London and knew his way around on buses and trains. I'm unsure if Andrew had ever travelled there/anywhere alone before, but that kind of suggests he has? I suppose it also doesn't necessarily mean he'd be aware of the different ticket types, but I can't see it being much of an issue for someone who was familiar enough travelling this way.

 

[BethAnn777]

He seemed to be quite mollycoddled at home, and I'm sure it was the first time he'd travelled to London by train alone. He was 14. London is a long way to go by yourself at that age!

Are you saying he may have made the trip to London before (and no-one ever knew?) and the trip (where he disappeared) wasn't the first time?

No, I wasn’t saying he may have made the trip before, I was genuinely curious why you thought he had never traveled by train alone.

It seems to me he had age appropriate freedoms and who knows what he was up to? If my parents knew the stuff I did at that age, they’d be shocked! I was a quiet, shy girl with only a few friends who managed to find all kinds of mischief.

 

[Kitkat28]

No, I wasn’t saying he may have made the trip before, I was genuinely curious why you thought he had never traveled by train alone.

It seems to me he had age appropriate freedoms and who knows what he was up to? If my parents knew the stuff I did at that age, they’d be shocked! I was a quiet, shy girl with only a few friends who managed to find all kinds of mischief.

Same here!

He seemed to be quite mollycoddled at home, and I'm sure it was the first time he'd travelled to London by train alone. He was 14. London is a long way to go by yourself at that age!

It’s really not that far from Doncaster to London on the train. Just over 2 hours. I see no real evidence of Andrew being “mollycoddled” either - on the day in question his parents didn’t even realise he wasn’t home until he didn’t appear for dinner. That definitely doesn’t suggest crazy over-protective behaviour to me.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Now I want to know what you girls got up to. Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[annpats]

His father has said he was very familiar with public transportation in London and knew his way around on buses and trains

Well, then, that's that. He knew what he was doing, knew what he wanted, and with those freedoms, sometimes comes danger, sadly.
At 14 years old though, he was still very much a minor, and a child in the eyes of the law.
I only wish there was some responsibility on behalf of the train companies not to sell long distance tickets to minors. Parents/guardians/adults should have to buy on their behalf, at least if they're under 16. MOO.

 

[?unknown?]

Andrew was 14 and had never taken a train anywhere by himself before. It's highly unlikely he was aware of all the different ticket options, just bought one for his destination, and would buy another one back when needed. He had the cash, after all.
When the ticket clerk offered him a return for just £1 more, he probably got a bit confused, and said no, and just kept his mind on the job of getting what he originally wanted.
He may have even thought she was trying to up-sell or extract more money or something. Always best to say no.
If only he had said no to whomever he met in London.

I agree that the return ticket thing is most likely a red herring for the same reasons you’ve stated. Even if he had travelled alone before I still think he wouldn’t be familiar with the different ticket options. It’s just not the way young teens and kids think. I’ve been taking my son to school on the bus for the last couple of months (this is U.K. too) and I watch kids Andrew’s age come on the bus and dump money in the bus then they come
Home on the same bus later in the day and dump another load of money in, they don’t care about how much it costs or cheaper options etc, they only care about getting where they need to go pronto. These things are just not on the mind of very young kids and teens. Budgeting in this way is what the parents do. I have never seen a 14 year old in my life who knew the benefits of return ticket or an “off peak ticket” or what anything like that was.

 

[JG123]

If I was a 14 year old boy bunking off school with the potential plan to stay overnight at a relatives, I think this is how my thought process would go:

Ticket to King's Cross, please.
That will be X amount. Or do you want a return, it's only £1 more?
No, thanks.
Are you sure?
Please stop asking me questions.
A single is fine, thanks.

Imagine the alternative:

Ticket to King's Cross, please.
That will be X amount. Or do you want a return, it's only £1 more?
And what does the return cover?
The return will be a same day return.
Oh, I might return today, but I might not.
When do you think you'll return?
Maybe today, but probably tomorrow, or even Sunday.
We do have open returns.
And how much is that?
It's X amount. Are you doing anything interesting in London? Hold on, why are you off school?

 

[SJ16321]

Hold on, why are you off school?

I agree. I've said similar before, he was probably just scared of getting challenged. There was quite often police officers knocking about in the concourse at Doncaster station as 2007 was pre cuts to the police numbers. I can see him wanting to rush out the office as quick as possible and avoid them asking why aren't you in school.

It's kind of shocking he wasn't challenged by anyone to be honest. With his relatively short stature and young looking face it's absolutely obvious he was too young to not be in school.

 

[HCcoffee]

I agree that the return ticket thing is most likely a red herring for the same reasons you’ve stated. Even if he had travelled alone before I still think he wouldn’t be familiar with the different ticket options. It’s just not the way young teens and kids think. I’ve been taking my son to school on the bus for the last couple of months (this is U.K. too) and I watch kids Andrew’s age come on the bus and dump money in the bus then they come
Home on the same bus later in the day and dump another load of money in, they don’t care about how much it costs or cheaper options etc, they only care about getting where they need to go pronto. These things are just not on the mind of very young kids and teens. Budgeting in this way is what the parents do. I have never seen a 14 year old in my life who knew the benefits of return ticket or an “off peak ticket” or what anything like that was.

Not trying to be a smart arse or anything, but I would travel via train a lot when I was the same age as Andrew and was very much aware of the different ticket options and prices But I guess that was because I was a very frequent train traveller, it may be different for someone who only uses them occasionally.

I agree. I've said similar before, he was probably just scared of getting challenged. There was quite often police officers knocking about in the concourse at Doncaster station as 2007 was pre cuts to the police numbers. I can see him wanting to rush out the office as quick as possible and avoid them asking why aren't you in school.

It's kind of shocking he wasn't challenged by anyone to be honest. With his relatively short stature and young looking face it's absolutely obvious he was too young to not be in school.

Interesting and good point, I hadn't considered he was worried about being spotted/questioned by police. I still think the return ticket is a red herring in that he was planning to come home a different way or at a different time, but your theory makes sense too.

 

[Kitkat28]

It's kind of shocking he wasn't challenged by anyone to be honest. With his relatively short stature and young looking face it's absolutely obvious he was too young to not be in school.

I suppose on a busy station, no one is quite sure if a kid is with someone. If he tagged along close enough to an adult, I guess the casual passerby would assume he was with them.

 

[19thcenturynovel]

Incredibly sad case. Such a gifted boy growing up in a loving family. I've read over the known details a few times and it's hard to fathom why he took off. Impulsive acts aren't exactly unknown in the teenage years, however. Very frustrating that the police acted so slowly in the early stages and potential video evidence was wiped. Very likely someone knows what happened to Andrew and will have probably confided in someone else. Relationships change, allegiances change so we may know the truth some day. The Ben Needham case is a recent example of long held secrets coming out. None of these are very original thoughts but I sincerely hope these fine people finally get an answer to what happened to their son/brother.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

The Ben Needham case is a recent example of long held secrets coming out

Quote RSBM.

I read through recent posts on BN's thread. Sounds like there are rumors of potential sightings, but the rumors are being denied by the subject of the rumors?

But I do share your hope for Andrew's case - that somehow the truth will come out. He was just an innocent teenager who deserved to be home safe again by the evening of September 14th.

 

[AndyR70]

Ive been reading about this case for a long time now. Having been reading a lot of material it seems Andrew had friends & family in london. He had travelled alone there by train before & was very familiar with the london transport system.

 

[AndyR70]

Originally posted by: Jackalyn. Moved here for discussion.

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Missing People - Andrew Gosden
Andrew has been missing from his home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, since 14 September 2007. He was last seen on CCTV footage at King s Cross Station in London later that morning. There is great concern for Andrew and he is urged to call the Runaway Helpline on Freefone 0808 800 7070 for confidential advice and support . When Andrew went missing he was 5ft 3in tall, slim with light brown hair and brown eyes. He needs strong prescription glasses. He was last seen wearing black jeans and T-shirt.

Facebook - Andrew Gosden

Thread #1

I have been reading about this case for a few years now from various scources howver i have wikipedia to be very accurate.
These are the things that stand out for me.
Andrew had a 100% attendance record at school.

Andrew always caught the bus home from school without fail except on one occasion which begs the question why?
Was he avoiding somebody on the bus?
Was he walking home with somebody else?
Or did meet somebody on his way home or pick something up from someone on his way home?

On the morning of his leaving home he woke up late & was irritable which by all accounts was unusual for him. Was something on his mind perhaps??

Did he have in his possesion something which he took to London?
Was he expecting some sort of cash reward for taking it to london?

Is this why he left £100 in cash at home & only took the money from his account with him?

Also, who was the man in November of 2008 who went to Leominster police station, spoke through the intercom saying he had info about Andrew but then vanished by the time police went to speak to him at the front doors?

 

[BethAnn777]

I have been reading about this case for a few years now from various scources howver i have wikipedia to be very accurate.
These are the things that stand out for me.
Andrew had a 100% attendance record at school.

Andrew always caught the bus home from school without fail except on one occasion which begs the question why?
Was he avoiding somebody on the bus?
Was he walking home with somebody else?
Or did meet somebody on his way home or pick something up from someone on his way home?

On the morning of his leaving home he woke up late & was irritable which by all accounts was unusual for him. Was something on his mind perhaps??

Did he have in his possesion something which he took to London?
Was he expecting some sort of cash reward for taking it to london?

Is this why he left £100 in cash at home & only took the money from his account with him?

Also, who was the man in November of 2008 who went to Leominster police station, spoke through the intercom saying he had info about Andrew but then vanished by the time police went to speak to him at the front doors?

What’s an idea of something he could have been delivering to London for payment? Not a thought I’ve heard before, so I am curious what you are thinking.

 

[AndyR70]

What’s an idea of something he could have been delivering to London for payment? Not a thought I’ve heard before, so I am curious what you are thinking.

I am thinking that he may have come into contact with somebody going tonor from school. Im a bus driver by trade so my chain of thought is could he have been befreinded by somebody. Why did he walk home on that one occasion instead of catching the bus?
Did he meet somebody on his walk home?
Did they possibly give him something to take to London?
I suspect the answer to his leaving home is in Doncaster

 

[ChatteringBirds]

@AndyR70
Welcome to Websleuths.

Any thought what he would have been asked to bring, though? He didn't bring a very large bag, and his Playstation would have had to fit in the bag, too. He didn't even wear a jacket (for pockets...)

I do agree he may have been lured to London, though. (But it's not my "most likely" scenario.)

It's only a few days until Sept. 14. What happened to him?

 

[Dan Cooper]

@AndyR70
Welcome to Websleuths.

Any thought what he would have been asked to bring, though? He didn't bring a very large bag, and his Playstation would have had to fit in the bag, too. He didn't even wear a jacket (for pockets...)

I do agree he may have been lured to London, though. (But it's not my "most likely" scenario.)

It's only a few days until Sept. 14. What happened to him?

Andrew would have had a PSP, not an actual PlayStation home console. PSPs are quite small, and easy to fit into any sized bag.