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

[vagab0nd]

I suspect this was for more than just calling someone that, to be fair. (Sorry this was supposed to be a quote about calling someone a f*ckwit)

Not sure. It's all my husband knew about the guy and nobody else had anything bad to say about him except he liked calling people feckwits for some reason.

 

[vagab0nd]

This isn't true. Most of us take school buses. Some in cities go on public buses. Not that it's a big deal, but it's a point.

He could've taken a school coach, but I think someone said somewhere it was a public bus.

 

[vagab0nd]

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I'm in the UK and haven't heard about this case; can you tell me more please?

I don't think a child will have been expelled for minor bullying alone. There will have been more to it. I never saw any bullying going on at my school but that didn't mean it didn't happen. It happened to me.
Sorry for all the posts. I'm new to this and can't figure out how to put all my comments in one post.

I think about Andrew a lot, and his poor family. Two women disappeared from my village: one was found in the river years later, and the other was found murdered by a crazy man. It is frightening how common it is for people to disappear, but children in particular makes me feel sick.

There's a Channel 4 documentary about it called, Poisoned.

 

[vagab0nd]

This is a bit of an odd post because I think most children at 14 would have found it very easy to believe their family would be harmed if they were threatened. It's an easy way to get to break a child. You don't know what he was secretive about.

I don't know, maybe. Every child is different. I know at age 9 when people were asking me a/s/l I'd lie and say I was from Germany. If anyone said anything inappropriate I'd tell them to go off themselves. I was a very aware child but also very naive. Even now there's no way I'd believe a stranger if they said they were going to harm my family, but then again this is coming from a woman who loved 70s horror films when I was 7 and they inspired me to get a film degree rather than be afraid of chainsaws.

 

[vagab0nd]

Thank you Ellymoo. I also disagree with Vagabond that Andrew wouldn’t have believed that his family might be harmed. Not all children’s personalities are the same. I was a child who definitely would have believed that my family would be harmed if someone had threatened me that they would. I would have done whatever that person had told me to do in order to protect my family. So I think it’s very narrow-minded to dismiss the possibility based on one’s own belief that they wouldn’t have believed it. None of us know what Andrew thought or would have believed. At this point, all ideas and theories are possibilities.

But who is going to harm his family? And why did his family never receive threats themselves after he went missing or before? Look at other cases where ransom notes have been left or taunting messages have been received. We have had radio silence.

 

[Ellymoo]

But who is going to harm his family? And why did his family never receive threats themselves after he went missing or before? Look at other cases where ransom notes have been left or taunting messages have been received. We have had radio silence.

Nobody was, necessarily. I just know that would have been a very good way of getting me to do what you wanted: threatening to hurt someone I loved. It's all conjecture anyway.

 

[Ellymoo]

Not sure. It's all my husband knew about the guy and nobody else had anything bad to say about him except he liked calling people feckwits for some reason.

I thought a boy at my school had been expelled for telling a teacher to f*ck off... It turned out that this was one of many, many reasons that we weren't privy to at the time.. It would take a lot more than that to expel someone, even 30 odd years ago.

 

[beubeubeu]

Ive made a summary of info from an interview with Andrew's dad (link).

Andrew was comfortable around people of all ages, may be bit more into company of adults.
Quit scouting year before cause he didnt liked weekly meetings but enjoyed campings.
He was incredibly enthusiastic about the young gifted program he was in.
He had neutral attitude about school, didnt saw it as enough of a challenge.
He had small group of friends in school and occasionally was meeting with them after.
Teachers described him as shy and quiet but mature above his age.
He's deaf in one ear and needs strong prescription glasses.
He was given couple of mobile phones but barely used them and refused when family offered him another one.
Summer holidays 2007, few weeks before he disappeared - he refused to go to London and stay with his grandma for a bit.
Week before the disappearance he walked back home instead of taking a bus, it was nice afternoon according to his dad. Just once.
Nothing odd in his behavior in days prior.
Morning of September 14 was odd, he overslept about 20 mins and was irritable. He said that he didnt hear the alarm.
8:05 he left home, said "see ya later" to his dad and left home as usual, but instead of going on bus stop he went to withdraw money from his account.
Went back home, left his school clothes like usual after coming back from school.
Changed into normal clothes, didnt took a jacket or any other clothes, just a bag.
8:30 he left home the second time.
He didnt took charger or additional money he had in his room.
He took his house key.
He bought a ticket to London for 31.40, refused to pay another 0,50 for returning ticket.
9:35 he went into the train alone.
In the train he was focused on playing his PSP.
11:20 arrived at Kings Cross, 11:25 last "sighting" on surveillance.
His family's best guess was that he went to London cause of something what was happening there specifically on that Friday.
He had grandparents, aunt, uncle and multiple family friends in London and could show up at.
The fact that he travelled to London was discovered 3 days later as the ticket selling lady came to report her sighting.
His dad was not surprised that he refused returning ticket as it could be just assumption that parents will buy it for him (possibly other family members).
Another three weeks passed before Andrew was spotted at King's Cross surveillance, only after local investigator travelled to London and checked it by himself, cause London's police claimed that they couldnt spot him there.
His PSP wasnt at any point connected to the internet.
As far as Andrew's sister knew, he wasnt interested in social media or connecting with people over the internet.
He used her computer only couple of times.
His possible access to other computers was pretty limited.
He was very familiar with London's transport system and could easily navigate his way around the city.
One of his favorite tv shows was "The fall and rise of Reginald Perrin" but he liked a lot of classic British shows.
He was very close to his sister and could confide in her, his dad believes that he had all the reasons to feel safe to do so and believe that she wouldnt tell parents if he asked her not to.
Police failed Andrew and his family repeatedly and detrimentally to the investigation.
Woman reported seeing Andrew at the Pizza Hut at Oxford street (same street where majority of tech stores were and where launch of new PSP happened just the midnight before!) and cops failed to contact her for 6 weeks.
Mom and sister spoke to the waitress at Pizza Hut and in their opinion the description she delivered fitted Andrew perfectly.
Another lady reported seeing him in Covent Garden and have a short conversation with him, same story - sounded very plausible to the family, unfollowed by cops for long enough to have CCTV overwritten.
Another sighting came about a boy fitting Andrew's descriprion sleeping in a park in Southwark.

Thats how it looks on the map - so definitely within walking distance but neither of these sightings were check in time to verify their accuracy by CCTV.

There were reports of someone matching his description exiting a local train from Waterloo to Mortlake Station on September 19th but then that person was wearing some warmer clothes.

On the evening of November 2008 someone visited Leominster police station in Herefordshire and used telecom to talk to an officer, he claimed that he has info on wherabouts of Andrew.
The man "vanished" before officer actually came to him.
Someone claiming to be same man wrote anonymous letter to the BBC, listing possible sighting of Andrew in Shrewsbury in November.

Its not confirmed if it indeed was same man.
Andrew's dad saw the letter and feels skeptical about it, cause it was so vague it havent delivered any actual info to follow up.

People are contacting Andrew's family claiming to be him and trying to get some money from them.

Cops seemed to be notoriously NOT checking the alleged sighting of Andrew in time.
Andrew mentioned liking one girl in school and not having the confidence to speak to her.
Possibility of him being gay and struggling with his sexuality came as just a thing to consider, there was nothing to indicate that.
Dad feels that they havent gave him a reason to doubt that he would be nothing but loved and accepted as homosexual.
Gay community was helpful and supportive but they werent able to deliver any info.

In 2011 family payed a private company to search the river and the body was found but it wasnt Andrew.
Only in 2017 investigation was, in Andrew's dad opinion taken seriously and things really started to get done.
Then some attention got brought to Alex Slolely's disappearance: Alex was 16, going on 17, close to his family, bright and talented, on his way back home from friend's house. Quickly reported missing but in his case CCTV also wasnt checked in time and the investigation was taken even less seriously.

June 2017 - someone reported having an online conversation with someone complaining about being left by their partner and missing 200 pounds to pay rent. The person was willing to send that money and asked for a bank account, after which they got informed that there is none cause they left home at 14 and dont have an account. That individual was never found, but he used a nick "AndrewRoo" (Rue? Roon?) - the nickname that family gave to Andrew. As far as they could remember they never shared that info publicly and was known only to family and friends.
There was an attempt to locate the user, but due to technical issues from the platform it was unsuccessful.
It sounded as the most plausible lead in 10 years for the family so they went to look and ask in the user's then-listed location but again, nothing came of it.

Person claimed to be working in a shop. Andrew's dad doesnt express any doubts in the possibility of someone without bank account, insurance and so on having a job, they just figured it must be one of the smaller stores so thats where they focused on.

Family put additional 100 pounds on his account but it was never accessed.

Andrew was a very tidy person, kept his room very tidy.

Andrew's grandparents gave him a stamp album and lots of stamps - he never mentioned it at home, never showed it to anyone, but he kept it well organized. Dad found it during the pandemic cleaning and brought that up on facebook, only then learning that Andrew took it to school and showed to his friends.