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

[ChatteringBirds]

I don't want to think about it, but perhaps the dosage he used resulted in an accidental death

So would he give women passengers in his cab drinks that were spiked? I mean it seems unlikely this is what happened, but if he was driving a cab in London at the time, you never know ...
(What an evil person.)

 

[vagab0nd]

Out of all the Flickr photos peoole have shared this one looks the most like Andrew:

https://flic.kr/p/379YRM

though it's hard to be certain. I'm surprised people haven't found any more beyond the dates of 2007.

 

[Inspector Evans]

A taxi in 2007 was about £12-£18 for 5-6km. That's not a crazy price.

He withdrew a fair amount of money for potentially a couple of hours in London. How much was the ticket down from Donny?

Meal would be in that era a tenner. All day travel card is currently £16.60 so twenty years ago would've been under a tenner I assume.

So what was the other money going on? Meeting someone and paying them? Visit to attraction but then you can go round some museums for free still.

He'd been promised a ride back for a set amount? Or he was staying somewhere over the weekend so needed money for the next two days?

 

[Inspector Evans]

So would he give women passengers in his cab drinks that were spiked? I mean it seems unlikely this is what happened, but if he was driving a cab in London at the time, you never know ...
(What an evil person.)

Yes Carrie Johnson was one such victim of this.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Out of all the Flickr photos peoole have shared this one looks the most like Andrew:

https://flic.kr/p/379YRM

though it's hard to be certain. I'm surprised people haven't found any more beyond the dates of 2007.

What is the street name on the side of the Sainsbury's? Can't quite zoom in enough.

 

[Sarahlou]

What is the street name on the side of the Sainsbury's? Can't quite zoom in enough.

Belmont street I think.

 

[vagab0nd]

He withdrew a fair amount of money for potentially a couple of hours in London. How much was the ticket down from Donny?

Meal would be in that era a tenner. All day travel card is currently £16.60 so twenty years ago would've been under a tenner I assume.

So what was the other money going on? Meeting someone and paying them? Visit to attraction but then you can go round some museums for free still.

He'd been promised a ride back for a set amount? Or he was staying somewhere over the weekend so needed money for the next two days?

I don't understand about the return ticket. I know it was 50p more but you can get certain types of return tickets which means there's no set time for you to return. I would assume he would want to be back in time to pretend he had gone to school.

According to Google about ticket prices in 2007:

• Advance Singles: If booked weeks in advance, you could find "Value" fares for as little as £13.50 to £16.00 each way.
• Off-Peak Returns: For those buying a ticket on the day but traveling outside of rush hour, a return ticket typically cost between £65.00 and £75.00.
• Anytime / Peak Fares: Fully flexible tickets for travel during peak morning hours were the most expensive, often exceeding £110.00 to £130.00 for a return.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I would assume he would want to be back in time to pretend he had gone to school.

Surely it would have been impossible to travel from Doncaster to London (at the time he left), spend any time there and return in time to pretend he had been to school as normal?

Why did he put his uniform in the washing machine before leaving?

 

[vagab0nd]

Surely it would have been impossible to travel from Doncaster to London (at the time he left), spend any time there and return in time to pretend he had been to school as normal?

Why did he put his uniform in the washing machine before leaving?

I think that's an English thing. It was a Friday. Maybe mom did laundry on the Friday evenings so clothes were ready for Monday. It does take two days to air dry clothes if you don't have a tumble dryer combo machine.

It does seem like such a short amount of time to spend in London just to have a Ferris Bueller kinda day. Maybe he wanted to buy the new PSP model on launch day instead of at his local GAME store at home. Maybe he wanted to see an exhibition somewhere. I know sometimes the paid for ones at The British Museum can be viewed in under 40 mins. There's many things we could speculate. He could've met someone off Craigslist to buy something if Craigslist was popular in the area. I don't know. I once got a job from Craigslist and there was the known Craigslist Killer in the States. It wasn't exactly as safe as eBay or the later Facebook Marketplace.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Why did he put his uniform in the washing machine before leaving?

I think he did with his uniform what he normally does when he gets home from school on Friday. Maybe he was hoping his family would see it and think he attended school and came home, or maybe -- what I believe -- he just followed his normal habit. I don't think it is a clue. JMO.

 

[vagab0nd]

Belmont street I think.

I was able to zoom in and it's Belmont Street according to the sign
[/NOSOURCE

 

[vagab0nd]

I was able to zoom in and it's Belmont Street according to the sign.

I asked ChatGPT about the street and said I was a time traveler and asked what I could see in the area and it says: If you’ve stepped back to September 14, 2007, you’ve picked a fascinatingly chaotic day in London. The vibe is very different from today—think flip phones, the height of "indie sleaze" fashion, and a lot of guitar music.
Since you're starting on Belmont Street, here is your itinerary for that specific Friday:
1. The Gigs (Camden’s Heartbeat)
Camden is buzzing tonight. If you like heavy music, head to The Underworld (right under the World's End pub at Camden Town station) to see After Forever. Alternatively, if you're willing to hop over to Islington, the progressive metal band SikTh is playing a massive "farewell" show at the Carling Academy.
2. The Tech & Gaming Hype
If you're into gaming, today is actually a big day: the PSP-2000 (the "Slim & Lite") officially launches in the UK today. You’ll see people lining up at electronics shops like GAME or HMV to get the new, thinner version of the handheld console.
3. "The First Run on a Bank in 150 Years"
If you see long queues of people looking stressed outside a Northern Rock bank, you're witnessing history. Today, the news is dominated by the "bank run"—it's the first major sign of the global financial crisis hitting the UK. It’s a surreal sight to see people trying to withdraw their life savings in person.
4. Big Exhibitions & Shows
* The British Museum: Go see the Terracotta Army. It's the blockbuster exhibition of the year and it's incredibly hard to get tickets for, but since you're a time traveler, maybe you can snag a spot.
* West End: The Lord of the Rings musical is playing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It’s one of the most expensive stage productions ever made.
5. In the Headlines
If you pick up a copy of The Evening Standard today, you'll see:
* Prince is in the middle of his legendary "21 Nights in London" residency at the O2 Arena.
* Amy Winehouse is a local Camden fixture at this time—you might even spot her at The Hawley Arms (just a 5-minute walk from where you are).
A Note for a Time Traveler:
This specific date is also known for a high-profile missing person case. A 14-year-old boy named Andrew Gosden arrived at King’s Cross station this morning (Sept 14, 2007) and was never seen again. If you happen to be near King's Cross around 11:20 AM and see a young lad in a black Slipknot t-shirt, you might be the only person in history who can change that story.
Would you like me to look up the setlist for any of the concerts happening tonight so you know what to expect?
By the way, to unlock the full functionality of all Apps.

 

[vagab0nd]

Interesting link regarding the Sikth concert: Shoutbox for SikTh at Carling Academy Islington (London) on 14 Sep 2007 | Last.fm It was £12 for a ticket and doors opened at 4pm. I don't think Andrew attended though because his father said elsewhere that all the DVD footage was reviewed along with other footage from other concerts that day and Andrew wasn't spotted. Maybe he didn't have a ticket and listened outside the venue and met foul play? Seems odd because loads of people loiter out London and don't come into contact with evil. Also, who goes to a concert venue location hours before the show? I wouldn't want to tire myself out like that. I went to an Arsenal match recently and I turned up like 45 mins before the match. No way would I spend the whole day in London waiting around.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Belmont street I think.

Had a look on the map and this is Camden so 10-15 minutes walk from XC.

Also opposite the Roundhouse Music venue but no idea what was on during September 2007.

So plausible he would be around this area based on location and his general interests.

The world famous KOKO music venue is also five minutes walk away.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Surely it would have been impossible to travel from Doncaster to London (at the time he left), spend any time there and return in time to pretend he had been to school as normal?

Why did he put his uniform in the washing machine before leaving?

His parents didn't really go looking for him or saying hello when they got back from work. His Father said they only realised he was missing when they shouted for him to come down for dinner at 7pm that Friday and there was no response so looks like they came back from work and both assumed he was in his room playing video games or something else.

Or maybe he did come back later after schooldays so perhaps there was a window up to 7pm for him to return.

Would like to know more about his routines after the school day finished and also what he was doing that summer holidays as the main focus is always on the holiday camp but that was the previous summer wasn't it?

 

[Inspector Evans]

Interesting link regarding the Sikth concert: Shoutbox for SikTh at Carling Academy Islington (London) on 14 Sep 2007 | Last.fm It was £12 for a ticket and doors opened at 4pm. I don't think Andrew attended though because his father said elsewhere that all the DVD footage was reviewed along with other footage from other concerts that day and Andrew wasn't spotted. Maybe he didn't have a ticket and listened outside the venue and met foul play? Seems odd because loads of people loiter out London and don't come into contact with evil. Also, who goes to a concert venue location hours before the show? I wouldn't want to tire myself out like that. I went to an Arsenal match recently and I turned up like 45 mins before the match. No way would I spend the whole day in London waiting around.

There are always plenty of touts around and also people selling merch. 4pm is very early for a midweek gig. The ones I go to usually have doors opening from half 6 with first support an hour later and then headliner from 9pm. Curfew at half 10.

Guessing with this being SikTH's farewell show they had 2-3 band supporting them?

You would think with the focus on the case in the weeks after concert goes would've noticed someone of his description inside or outside the venue as there would be big queues to get in and between bands playing lights come on and people spread out to go the bar/toilet so someone just on their own would be noted.

Based on his musical taste it would be a band he would be interested in as they had played Download Festival two years previously so I have heard of them.

 

[tes1984]

Could this be a similar thing? Is it possible he was looking for work experience? But maybe just assumed his parents would be ok with it? What throws me off the scent is the one-way train ticket. The return ticket as we all know was 50p more. From what I read, he insisted he didn't want the return ticket. It makes me think he knew he wasn't coming back (at least by train?)

Work experience seems a possibility to me. It's a good excuse for him with his parents.

There are a lot of other potential reasons for him to head to London.

New Playstation being released? A favourite band gigging? Heading to London to try and lose his virginity or buy certain types of pornography? A nervous breakdown where he's not thinking clearly? A grand gesture, setting new boundaries and telling his parents that in the future he'll do as he pleases?

I wonder if the single ticket wasn't Andrew being naive, but rather something he could later use as leverage if challenged by his parents.

 

[rvlvr]

I think he did with his uniform what he normally does when he gets home from school on Friday. Maybe he was hoping his family would see it and think he attended school and came home, or maybe -- what I believe -- he just followed his normal habit. I don't think it is a clue. JMO.

I think you’re right, unfortunately I think there are very few clues at all in this case, mainly because it’s difficult to make sense of the things teenagers do, 14 year old boys don’t always behave consistently or rationally, even incredibly intelligent ones.

My hunch has always been that the trip to London was simply an act of rebellion, of pushing boundaries, of Andrew seeing if he could pull it off. He was going through puberty, it was a new school year, and he was perhaps just trying to shake off some of his old image - maybe because he was being bullied, maybe because he was bored, maybe because hormones.

And he did pull it off - up to a point.

After that what happened to him is anyone’s guess, I hope one day his parents find out because the not knowing must be brutal, but I think this case will always be a mystery sadly, the opportunity to piece it all together was lost by police very early on and there’s really no getting it back.

 

[vagab0nd]

There are always plenty of touts around and also people selling merch. 4pm is very early for a midweek gig. The ones I go to usually have doors opening from half 6 with first support an hour later and then headliner from 9pm. Curfew at half 10.

Guessing with this being SikTH's farewell show they had 2-3 band supporting them?

You would think with the focus on the case in the weeks after concert goes would've noticed someone of his description inside or outside the venue as there would be big queues to get in and between bands playing lights come on and people spread out to go the bar/toilet so someone just on their own would be noted.

Based on his musical taste it would be a band he would be interested in as they had played Download Festival two years previously so I have heard of them.

Apparently HIM and Sikth were part of the investigation and they reviewed all concert footage from around that time and nothing was found. There's no evidence to say he attended a concert for any specific band.

 

[vagab0nd]

Work experience seems a possibility to me. It's a good excuse for him with his parents.

There are a lot of other potential reasons for him to head to London.

New Playstation being released? A favourite band gigging? Heading to London to try and lose his virginity or buy certain types of pornography? A nervous breakdown where he's not thinking clearly? A grand gesture, setting new boundaries and telling his parents that in the future he'll do as he pleases?

I wonder if the single ticket wasn't Andrew being naive, but rather something he could later use as leverage if challenged by his parents.

Job experience doesn't make sense anymore when you realise that you can't legally work until you receive your NI in the post which happens on your sixteenth birthday.