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

[Officer Dibble]

In 2007 Autism was still mainly referred to as Aspergers Syndrome.

Was also nowhere near in the news daily (U.K) as it is now so awareness would be lacking in many quarters.

So I agree he could've felt isolated especially being in a mainstream school.

Whether that made him want to run away and start a new life somewhere I'm not sure.

I can believe on relative spur of the moment he loved Music enough to want to go and see a band in London. His Dad said in an interview they already travelled to different cities to watch music so maybe he just wanted to do it by himself for once?

Same as when kids get to 16-17 they want to go to a music festival together.

When I watched the documentary and heard what Gary said, it made it all clear in my mind what could have happened to AG

 

[ChatteringBirds]

When I watched the documentary and heard what Gary said, it made it all clear in my mind what could have happened to AG

Realistically, though, where could a 14-year-old boy have gone in England/Europe in 2007 to start a new life, without so much as a backpack of supplies, and without ever being recognized?

I do believe he may be on the spectrum, or have traits of it. I can't really buy that he's still alive and free and hasn't attempted to contact his family, not even his sister, though. (Just my thoughts but respect you and yours.)

 

[Inspector Evans]

I can't see it either.

Hints more at he just trusted the wrong person in London or surrounding area and became a problem and his life was then ended shortly afterwards.

Or a completely random encounter that also ended very badly.

 

[VelvetDiamante]

I think there still might be relevance to the two men being arrested on suspicion of kidnap and trafficking. Even though those 2 men in particular were innocent, the police might still believe this is what happened to Andrew. There must have been a good reason for them to be arrested?

 

[Sarahlou]

I think there still might be relevance to the two men being arrested on suspicion of kidnap and trafficking. Even though those 2 men in particular were innocent, the police might still believe this is what happened to Andrew. There must have been a good reason for them to be arrested?

This is what I always come back to too. I think it may be what they think happened to him.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

There must have been a good reason for them to be arrested?

My opinion only is that in England the requirements for arresting and questioning someone is something like reasonable suspicion, so police didn't need to already have concrete evidence or anything in order to arrest and question them.

I still wonder if there was any illegal or even unethical activity at all by either of these men, but it seems like we will never know.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Were any ages of the two men ever mentioned in the reports or was it all undisclosed?

 

[Sarahlou]

Were any ages of the two men ever mentioned in the reports or was it all undisclosed?

38 and 45 at the time of their arrests.

Andrew Gosden: Men released without charge in 2007 missing boy case

Andrew Gosden, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire disappeared in 2007 when he was 14 years old.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Inspector Evans]

When Andrew went missing they'd have been 22 and 29 respectively.

If he was groomed I'd say someone in their late teens, early twenties would be profile of groomer if you were drawing up realistic profile.

Then when things go wrong someone older is asked to help.

 

[tes1984]

In 2015, 51 year old David Harsley of Yorkshire was jailed for a pathetic two years for his involvement in a depraved paedophile gang.

The gang of seven men targeted children under five, and filmed the abuse on the dark web.

Chillingly the gang also advised fellow paedophiles on the dark web how to drug and abuse children.

The victimology is slightly different to 14 year old Andrew, but the gang was described as having "tentacles that go round the world" and the likes of Harsley could potentially have advised fellow paedophiles online in the mid 2000s.

Harsley was described as having previous convictions for child sex offences, but I can't find the details, or his profession, or whereabouts in Yorkshire he was from.

 

[tes1984]

When Andrew went missing they'd have been 22 and 29 respectively.

If he was groomed I'd say someone in their late teens, early twenties would be profile of groomer if you were drawing up realistic profile.

Then when things go wrong someone older is asked to help.

The arrested men may have had previous convictions anytime from the mid 90s (in the case of the 29 year old) or early 2000s (in the case of the 22 year old).

If they had juvenile convictions then they will be almost impossible to trace. Likewise if they had convictions involving their own children/relatives.

It's really harrowing research, but I would suggest looking for convicted child sex offenders who lived or worked, or had family living near Oxford Circus, Covent Garden or Brighton around the period when Andrew vanished.

 

[Officer Dibble]

When Andrew went missing they'd have been 22 and 29 respectively.

If he was groomed I'd say someone in their late teens, early twenties would be profile of groomer if you were drawing up realistic profile.

Then when things go wrong someone older is asked to help.

I'd love to know the ages of people involved with the place he went away to for gifted students. People working there. Volunteers etc.

 

[tes1984]

In November 2006, the Home Secretary John Reid ordered a review of bail hostel conditions after claims that paedophiles on probation were free to befriend children.

Senior hostel officials admitted that once offenders left hostels they didn't have "a clue what they were doing".

In February 2008, the Home Office admitted that there were 236 freed offenders in London bail hostels who posed "a danger to the public". I wonder how many of them were recently released child sex offenders.

 

[tes1984]

In September 1995, 65 year old convicted paedophile James Stewart was working as a Big Issue seller in Leicester Square.

Stewart lured a 15 year old boy (who had run away from his home in Essex that morning) to his house in Kilburn Lane, where he plied the boy with beer and whiskey, and subjected him to a brutal sex attack.

This is the same MO Dennis Nilsen used with young boys in the 80s, and what I suspect happened to Andrew. I suspect the killer or killers would have been caught if CCTV hadn't been ignored by police and wiped.

 

[Inspector Evans]

In September 1995, 65 year old convicted paedophile James Stewart was working as a Big Issue seller in Leicester Square.

Stewart lured a 15 year old boy (who had run away from his home in Essex that morning) to his house in Kilburn Lane, where he plied the boy with beer and whiskey, and subjected him to a brutal sex attack.

This is the same MO Dennis Nilsen used with young boys in the 80s, and what I suspect happened to Andrew. I suspect the killer or killers would have been caught if CCTV hadn't been ignored by police and wiped.

Yes this could easily have been the scenario. Ultimately he was in London without parents or anyone else so there is a vulnerability there especially if he's hanging around the whole day and then night draws in and he needs somewhere to stay so similar to the Big Issue seller who pried on the young boy as you mention above.

There was another article about John Worboys in the Sunday People today so wonder if the police ever looked seriously into his movements around 14th September 2007 as he was at large in that period and committing offences.