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

[vagab0nd]

Roundhouse music venue is pretty much directly opposite it and plenty of other iconic music venues within 5-10 minutes walk so certainly could've been an area of London that Andrew ventured to at some point that day.

According to another Reddit comment the B&W photo may have been debunked. It was shot on film and most likely uploaded on the 14th and not taken on that day. It was likely taken around the 1st of Sept when a Sonic Youth concert was going on. One hour photo still existed at that time, but wasn't very popular.

 

[vagab0nd]

Ha! Good point about Death Note. It all sounds very melodramatic. Too melodramatic. Andrew doesn't seem like the sinister or cruel type. It just sounds like maybe he struggled to connect with people, or didn't even care to (I don't blame him; school can be rough). But it does sound a bit like he was - if not bulled, then - othered.

I had a classmate in high school who killed himself who was a bit like that. So, maybe I'm just projecting with all this suicide talk.

Sometimes, people who commit suicide do seemingly strange things. If he wanted to disappear before doing it, he definitely didn't stay in London. The chances of being seen jumping in the Thames would be too great. Plus, I think that means he would've had to stay around all day and into the night waiting for a chance.

I think Andrew would have been spotted at least once during that time by someone with superlative observational skills. Yes, most of us our rubbish at spotting and remembering people (I know I am), but there's always that one person who seems to remember details keenly. In a city of millions, everyone blends in, but there are also millions of small interactions that occasionally get remembered.

I haven't heard one credible sighting of Andrew in London outside, possibly, the Pizza Hut one. And even that is by no means solid. For all we know, he walked straight from King's Cross to ThamesLink or Victoria Station and headed out of London within the hour. Then, the radius gets very large.

There's someone on Reddit claiming to have spotted him in the Shadwell area. Maybe. Who knows. The comments are absolutely ripping them because they claimed to have seen him with his original messenger bag. What is so weird about that? My husband has the same leather messenger bag from that time. God forbid I try to replace it. He doesn't like change. He only just got a new wallet after 20 years. It looks like a solid nylon polyester bag that Andrew had. Those things last a good while. Look at the Swedish people with their Fjallravens. They swear by them lasting. I think it's a possibility he might still have the bag or maybe the strap wore off and he disposed of it. It's weird that it's never been recovered.

 

[warp3dwing]

There's someone on Reddit claiming to have spotted him in the Shadwell area. Maybe. Who knows. The comments are absolutely ripping them because they claimed to have seen him with his original messenger bag. What is so weird about that? My husband has the same leather messenger bag from that time. God forbid I try to replace it. He doesn't like change. He only just got a new wallet after 20 years. It looks like a solid nylon polyester bag that Andrew had. Those things last a good while. Look at the Swedish people with their Fjallravens. They swear by them lasting. I think it's a possibility he might still have the bag or maybe the strap wore off and he disposed of it. It's weird that it's never been recovered.

Oh boy, I had to look that one up. TBH, it sounds like he and his GF were just very high. Lol

How do they even know what the original bag looked like, exactly? I’ve only ever seen grainy CCTV photos of it. Is there a proper photo somewhere? I assumed it to be similar to what I owned in the “messenger bag fixed-gear bike” era: a black nylon bag with band patches or buttons on it. Not exactly a unique sight.

As to whether someone who has been able to stay under the radar for almost 20 years, I’d imagine all identifying items would’ve been discarded long ago.

I’ve often wondered where his bag, PSP, etc. went. Is it still out there somewhere for the finding? Or has it been long buried in a landfill? Or was it left out in plain sight, only to be snatched up by some desperate person who never knew what they grabbed?

 

[vagab0nd]

Oh boy, I had to look that one up. TBH, it sounds like he and his GF were just very high. Lol

How do they even know what the original bag looked like, exactly? I’ve only ever seen grainy CCTV photos of it. Is there a proper photo somewhere? I assumed it to be similar to what I owned in the “messenger bag fixed-gear bike” era: a black nylon bag with band patches or buttons on it. Not exactly a unique sight.

As to whether someone who has been able to stay under the radar for almost 20 years, I’d imagine all identifying items would’ve been discarded long ago.

I’ve often wondered where his bag, PSP, etc. went. Is it still out there somewhere for the finding? Or has it been long buried in a landfill? Or was it left out in plain sight, only to be snatched up by some desperate person who never knew what they grabbed?

Can't see a proper photo anywhere and no one has talked about it in detail. It could be any brand that was popular at the time like Dickies, Jansport, Eastpak, etc. it could even be non-name brand like ASDA's own or Primark. We have no idea other than it was black.

The police know the serial of the PSP so I assume they are tracking it, but if it shut off and got water logged or something then who knows. Everything is just speculation.

 

[vagab0nd]

Can't see a proper photo anywhere and no one has talked about it in detail. It could be any brand that was popular at the time like Dickies, Jansport, Eastpak, etc. it could even be non-name brand like ASDA's own or Primark. We have no idea other than it was black.

The police know the serial of the PSP so I assume they are tracking it, but if it shut off and got water logged or something then who knows. Everything is just speculation.

His bank card was the kind where you could only withdraw money. You couldn't use it at shops so that's why he had a large sum of money with him. This is very significant, and I can't believe I missed this. It suggests that if something happened to Andrew, it was probably not a robbery or mugging. If a person took his ATM card, along with the rest of his possessions and money, they likely would have demanded his ATM pin number. I mean, yes, it could have been a low-level punk who just saw him flash his wad of cash and decided they wanted it and didn't care about the ATM card, but still, I think it suggests that he wasn't mugged.

 

[warp3dwing]

His bank card was the kind where you could only withdraw money. You couldn't use it at shops so that's why he had a large sum of money with him. This is very significant, and I can't believe I missed this. It suggests that if something happened to Andrew, it was probably not a robbery or mugging. If a person took his ATM card, along with the rest of his possessions and money, they likely would have demanded his ATM pin number. I mean, yes, it could have been a low-level punk who just saw him flash his wad of cash and decided they wanted it and didn't care about the ATM card, but still, I think it suggests that he wasn't mugged.

Interesting, I hadn’t heard that before.

It still begs the question: if it was just a single day “out on the town”, why withdraw the money in Doncaster if he didn’t need it until he arrived in London? Plenty of ATMs there. Hey certainly didn’t need all that money to buy a train ticket. That could point to an intentional disappearance and obfuscation of any paper trail.

Mugging a kid for some cash is certainly possible. But abduction and murder seems a stretch, considering he only had £13 left in the account!

 

[vagab0nd]

Interesting, I hadn’t heard that before.

It still begs the question: if it was just a single day “out on the town”, why withdraw the money in Doncaster if he didn’t need it until he arrived in London? Plenty of ATMs there. Hey certainly didn’t need all that money to buy a train ticket. That could point to an intentional disappearance and obfuscation of any paper trail.

Mugging a kid for some cash is certainly possible. But abduction and murder seems a stretch, considering he only had £13 left in the account!

Mark Speight killed himself a year later after Andrew went missing. He was a famous TV presenter for some children's show. He was able to hang himself from a building across from Paddington Station and rail workers found him. So I guess my theory of killing yourself publicly isn't so much of a stretch after all. Who knows. 54,000 people go missing in London every year and 28,000 men have committed suicide this year alone already.

 

[warp3dwing]

Mark Speight killed himself a year later after Andrew went missing. He was a famous TV presenter for some children's show. He was able to hang himself from a building across from Paddington Station and rail workers found him. So I guess my theory of killing yourself publicly isn't so much of a stretch after all. Who knows. 54,000 people go missing in London every year and 28,000 men have committed suicide this year alone already.

It's certainly not a stretch. And that's so sad about Speight. Poor guy.

I have no idea if there are even public statistics on such things, but I'd be curious to know how many suspected suicide cases are also no-body cases (e.g., the person left a suicide note - and homicide wasn't suspected - but they were never found).

Andrew would've had the limitation of only being able to access places on foot or via train or bus (or taxi, I suppose). This makes it even more incredible that nothing of his has been found. He'd have to travel quite far, I'd imagine, to find a location so remote that no one's come across it since 2007. The only place that comes to mind is the ocean, and even then, there's a good chance something would wash up eventually.

 

[vagab0nd]

It's certainly not a stretch. And that's so sad about Speight. Poor guy.

I have no idea if there are even public statistics on such things, but I'd be curious to know how many suspected suicide cases are also no-body cases (e.g., the person left a suicide note - and homicide wasn't suspected - but they were never found).

Andrew would've had the limitation of only being able to access places on foot or via train or bus (or taxi, I suppose). This makes it even more incredible that nothing of his has been found. He'd have to travel quite far, I'd imagine, to find a location so remote that no one's come across it since 2007. The only place that comes to mind is the ocean, and even then, there's a good chance something would wash up eventually.

Yeah, it's wild. I don't think his favourite TV show has anything to do with it either. My brother's favourite movie growing up was Natural Born Killers. He had the movie poster on his wall. He had a VHS copy. He loved that violent film yet had no mental health issues and was a completely normal person. He had no desire to buy a gun or shoot up his school. It's probably just a coincidence to Andrew's case.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

54,000 people go missing in London every year and 28,000 men have committed suicide this year alone already.

Where are you finding your statistics for how many people take their own lives? I'm finding about 6,190 people in England and Wales were recorded in 2024. The highest rate was for males 50-54 years old.

"If you are struggling to cope, please call Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland)."

Source: Suicides in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

As far as how many people go missing in London, I think we have to look at how many teenagers went missing from London in maybe 2005 - 2009 never to be seen again. Most are located relatively quickly. Andrew and Alex Sloley are the most well known cases who were never seen again, but aren't the only teens who went permanently missing from London around that time. I can't remember if we ever compiled a list in this thread, though I don't think the chance is high that another case had the same cause as Andrew's. IMO.

 

[Same Old Stella]

I know Jimmy Savile was discussed earlier as possibly having something to do with Andrew's disappearance. Has he been ruled out or can we only speculate since he's now dead?

 

[vagab0nd]

I know Jimmy Savile was discussed earlier as possibly having something to do with Andrew's disappearance. Has he been ruled out or can we only speculate since he's now dead?

There was a documentary (no idea the name as I've never seen it or heard of it) where it was about Jimmy Savile, and it mentioned how men used to procure young boys from Kings Cross and victimize them. People have said that historically Kings Cross is dodgy. I'd say that's relatively true. I once stayed at a youth hostel one building away from Kings Cross. It was my first time ever going to a youth hostel. It was the most scariest and dodgiest place I ever stayed at. I don't know what I was expecting when it was £8 a night. I wore my bloody doc martens to bed I was so afraid and ran the hell out of there as soon as it was like 6am. Every time I've gone to Kings Cross there's usually a drunkard blocking the stairs or something. I doubt Jimmy was involved in Andrew's disappearing. Savile often came into contact with his victims through his creative projects for the BBC and his charitable work for the NHS.

 

[vagab0nd]

There was a documentary (no idea the name as I've never seen it or heard of it) where it was about Jimmy Savile, and it mentioned how men used to procure young boys from Kings Cross and victimize them. People have said that historically Kings Cross is dodgy. I'd say that's relatively true. I once stayed at a youth hostel one building away from Kings Cross. It was my first time ever going to a youth hostel. It was the most scariest and dodgiest place I ever stayed at. I don't know what I was expecting when it was £8 a night. I wore my bloody doc martens to bed I was so afraid and ran the hell out of there as soon as it was like 6am. Every time I've gone to Kings Cross there's usually a drunkard blocking the stairs or something. I doubt Jimmy was involved in Andrew's disappearing. Savile often came into contact with his victims through his creative projects for the BBC and his charitable work for the NHS.

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (Netflix, 2022) is apparently the name of the documentary

 

[vagab0nd]

I know Jimmy Savile was discussed earlier as possibly having something to do with Andrew's disappearance. Has he been ruled out or can we only speculate since he's now dead?

Google says: The King’s Cross Connection: While Savile is most often linked to hospitals and TV studios, the broader investigation into his era revealed a "network" of abusers. Evidence emerged that predatory men targeted transport hubs like King’s Cross and Euston because they were primary arrival points for runaways and vulnerable "drifters" from the north of England. These children were often picked up, offered food or shelter, and then trafficked or abused.

 

[vagab0nd]

I know Jimmy Savile was discussed earlier as possibly having something to do with Andrew's disappearance. Has he been ruled out or can we only speculate since he's now dead?

It's known that he was leaving the station, but this is interesting: The Nightlife Shutdown: This was the final summer for the legendary (and often dangerous) warehouse club scene. Most of the iconic clubs in the "Railway Lands" behind the station were closing or being demolished that very month to make way for the new development.

While the public still saw Savile as a harmless, eccentric old man in 2007, the "truth" was starting to move through the legal system in secret:
September 2007: In a coincidence with the timeline of the Andrew Gosden disappearance, police in Surrey were actively investigating Savile during this period.
The Police Interview: Savile was actually interviewed under caution in 2007 regarding allegations of indecent assault at a children's home. However, because he was so well-connected and the "National Treasure" shield was so strong, the investigation was dropped due to "insufficient evidence."

September 2007 was the exact moment the "dodgy" King's Cross of the 20th century was being physically paved over by the modern, corporate version we see today.

 

[vagab0nd]

 

[beubeubeu]

Where Andrew was losing his cellphones as he was such a homebody?
If seriously losing more than one phone in school that had no serious issues going on, then somebody should return it, right? Or not?
Was he losing things often? Or just stuff that would interest bullies?
How many hours of playing could his game get without charging?
Would returning ticket "work" after midnight or just during same day?
What exacly was the reasoning behind him not having an email at the time almost all people his type had?
What would cost about 100-150£ that Andrew could be interested in but available only in London?

Were these questions answered?

 

[Inspector Evans]

There's someone on Reddit claiming to have spotted him in the Shadwell area. Maybe. Who knows. The comments are absolutely ripping them because they claimed to have seen him with his original messenger bag. What is so weird about that? My husband has the same leather messenger bag from that time. God forbid I try to replace it. He doesn't like change. He only just got a new wallet after 20 years. It looks like a solid nylon polyester bag that Andrew had. Those things last a good while. Look at the Swedish people with their Fjallravens. They swear by them lasting. I think it's a possibility he might still have the bag or maybe the strap wore off and he disposed of it. It's weird that it's never been recovered.

Seems from looking at that thread this was a recent sighting given person was described as in their 30s. Andrew in the unlikely event he's still alive I'm sure would've radically altered his appearance so could be blonde, skinhead, anything. And if you're walking past someone it is too brief a glimpse to see if ear formation is similar to when the appeals went out.

Double ridge in the ear is actually mentioned in the comments below then the OP replies he looked exactly like Andrew....but much taller.

That's another thing there can't be no idea about. If he lived and stayed similar height or had a massive growth spurt?

 

[vagab0nd]

Where Andrew was losing his cellphones as he was such a homebody?
If seriously losing more than one phone in school that had no serious issues going on, then somebody should return it, right? Or not?
Was he losing things often? Or just stuff that would interest bullies?
How many hours of playing could his game get without charging?
Would returning ticket "work" after midnight or just during same day?
What exacly was the reasoning behind him not having an email at the time almost all people his type had?
What would cost about 100-150£ that Andrew could be interested in but available only in London?

Were these questions answered?

Someone stole my phone during my senior year of high school. It was some boy in my culinary arts class. I wasn't friends with him. I never spoke to him. All I knew about him was he was adopted and his adopted mom was a teacher at the elementary school and he seemed to mind his own business most of the time. I had no idea he had taken my Motorola Razr from my bag until my mom contacted the school admin and he fessed up and the admin gave it back. Though upon receiving my phone back it was missing the case and he claimed not to have touched that. He never told me why he took my phone or anything. I was so worried when my phone went missing too because I had never lost anything physical in my life. I thought I was losing my mind because I knew where I last had it. Kids will do stupid things. Maybe a bully took it and he couldn't be arsed to fight back or tell anyone. Who knows.

We don't know if he was known to lose other items. There are no widespread reports from his family or investigators suggesting he was generally "forgetful" or prone to losing other personal belongings (like keys, wallets, or school equipment).

A original Sony PSP on a full charge typically lasts between 3 to 6 hours of continuous gameplay.

There's no trains at midnight. Maybe tubes around London, but definitely no trains to Yorkshire. I think my last train home I can catch from London Liverpool St Station is like 11:35pm.

He probably didn't have an email address because he didn't have people to email. He probably didn't see a point or saw it as a tool for bullies to contact him so he avoided it. Someone on Reddit said when he first went missing the local paper reported it and a bunch of his classmates commented about him being bullied so that's why he walked home before he went missing. No idea if that's true and the article is long gone and they didn't take any screenshots.

 

[vagab0nd]

Seems from looking at that thread this was a recent sighting given person was described as in their 30s. Andrew in the unlikely event he's still alive I'm sure would've radically altered his appearance so could be blonde, skinhead, anything. And if you're walking past someone it is too brief a glimpse to see if ear formation is similar to when the appeals went out.

Double ridge in the ear is actually mentioned in the comments below then the OP replies he looked exactly like Andrew....but much taller.

That's another thing there can't be no idea about. If he lived and stayed similar height or had a massive growth spurt?

No idea. Everyone is different. My husband has had the same hairstyle since he was 11 and he has no desire to change it because he hates change. He also stopped growing when he was Andrew's age. I stopped growing when I was 9. Maybe Andrew has the same hair or doesn't. Maybe he grew in height or maybe he stopped. We have no idea and can only speculate.