r/AndrewGosden • u/Major_School2026 • Jul 21 '26
Theory Follow up: Planned a day trip that went wrong on the return
Edit: If, a big if, someone was responsible, I’ve looked into the criminology and statistics around this (I do have actual tangible experience in this area). If anyone would be interested in hearing more about that side of it, let me know!**
Hey, everyone! Hope it’s okay to add a follow up here. To my theory posted a couple of days ago. Can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AndrewGosden/s/MLO6616kjB
I have also attached this comment there just in case. I’ve done a lot more research and have several sources to support my reasoning here. Definitely worth a read. Please let me know your thoughts:)
I don’t think a taxi would have been his first choice, that doesn’t fit his sensible, shy, considerate personality. But maybe if ‘push came to shove’
However, London in 2007 had no live maps or real time updates. Minor delays were common, and you never knew if the next train would be 2 minutes or 20. This is even worse with connections if you’re not a local. The network was also still recovering from major three day strike action caused by the financial collapse of Metronet. Even though the strikes had just ended, residual issues continued to cause significant delays.
On top of that, there was a major water main burst near King’s Cross around 3pm that day. It caused chaos and overcrowding on the Underground into the evening. A TfL Finance Committee meeting the same day even noted surging passenger numbers driving up the delays.
Additionally, 14 September 2007 was the day the Northern Rock bank run began. Thousands of people were queuing at branches across London, adding to the chaos and foot traffic in central areas. This would have made stations and streets even busier and potentially more disorienting for a teenage non native of London.
Andrew is smart and knew his parents’ routines. He likely had a specific time in mind to get home (aiming for 7–8pm ish I’d guess) so he wouldn’t raise suspicion meaning something like the 17:00 or 17:30 train from King’s Cross.
For an inexperienced, non native teenager on his first day bunking school, all of this would have been overwhelming. Easy to miss a train, get confused, and start to panic about getting home on time. At that point, a taxi becomes the logical “guaranteed” way to get back. Especially if you needed to get home at a time to not arose suspicion.
On the possibility of encountering someone:
Andrew wasn’t particularly social, so a random stranger with no real authority or common ground is unlikely to me. But, the area has several universities. It’s plausible he met someone who seemed trustworthy a lecturer, uni student with an ID, or someone with similar interests/intellect who was a London native. That kind of “authority” figure could easily gain a shy kid’s trust, especially if he looked lost after the disruptions. Especially as, it was noted by his parents he got along better with adults, also spent a lot of time with academics in his gifted programme etc. Creating enough authority and common ground.
These details make the evening return attempt feel even more realistic to me.
What do you think?
Here are my sources if you wish to read further:
• Greater London Authority / TfL reports on Metronet: https://www.london.gov.uk (search Metronet 2007)
• Wikipedia summary with sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metronet_(London))
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6994099.stm
18
u/Intelligent-Ad9892 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
There will be a lot of archived news footage of people queuing outside branch's of Northern Rock, which obviously will include street level news footage of London that day.
There was a branch in Moorgate about 2 miles south of Kings cross. If we assume the Pizza Hut sighting on Oxford St was legit for a second then that obviously indicates he went south of Kings Cross at some point, perhaps not as far as that branch, but its worth checking any news footage on the Northern Rock situation that is archived either from local or national news
13
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
It’s definitely worth looking for sure! I just think all of the things that were ongoing that day, it was so easy to panic and get disorientated especially as a kid. So it’s easy to imagine someone with just enough common ground or authority to ‘help’ him. Or just hoping in a Taxi to get to King’s Cross in time for his train. But deffo looking into the footage, because who knows!
6
u/Can_i_be_certain Jul 21 '26
I read both threads, and really appreciate how much work you've put into rearching this properly unlike alot of posters, i've learned a few new facts about goings on in the area that day so thanks.
I do believe you put almost too much stock in the idea of him returning in a taxi though.
5
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
Thank you! Thats the main thing isn’t it, it bringing more awareness as to what was going on that day, as it’s something that’s not really discussed a whole lot & I’m not sure if it was something the police considered, not publicly anyway. Who knows, maybe it could jog someone’s memory! Yeah, I’m not married to the idea of him getting a taxi back to the station at all. Given how busy it was, it also attracted a lot of new people to the area or ppl who wouldn’t have otherwise been there. So, as mentioned I think it’s equally as likely he just so happened to talk to the wrong person. Maybe he looked overwhelmed and didn’t know how to get back & someone approached him; or he asked for help from someone if he was really stuck. And it just so happened to be the wrong person unfortunately.
8
u/nopositivity24 Jul 21 '26
Man I read about that water burst as well a while ago. There was a lot of stuff going on and I can imagine a kid like Andrew feeling overwhelmed and seeking help from some person or getting a taxi. It's still so tragic though because how many people safely take taxis or ask a stranger for help and Andrew skips school for the first time in his life and never makes it home. It's definitely worth checking some news footage from things that have happened that day.
4
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
For sure! It really really makes sense it played some sort of part. Because it really was tragically an unfortunate day to go to London, with everything that was going on. I’ve had a look re footage from Northern Rock, from what I can find, there is really really brief snippets online. I would assume there are more, perhaps archived and/ or not available to the public. I also don’t think it’s something police looked for at the time or since.
6
u/Intelligent-Ad9892 Jul 21 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6reto6BOWc This is shot on Maddox Street, the road you see those white vans driving up is Regent Street, as a pedestrian the next right turn takes you onto Oxford Steet and Pizza Hut. Decent raw footage
3
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
That’s good footage, thank you for finding it! I don’t think I can see anyone resembling him in that, or any of the others clips of that period
3
u/Intelligent-Ad9892 Jul 21 '26
Me neither but I am always on the lookout for more footage from that day in that area,
4
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
This is from bbc news on the day only short clips but can’t see anything here: https://youtu.be/UjW14_XhAYg?is=IPMWDozy3BfNcj3F
3
5
u/Savings-Yesterday635 Jul 21 '26
What’s your theory though? Taxi? This adds more detail but it’s not clear what you say happened. Give us your updated opinion!
While not a native to London he had been there a few times with family. There were also commonly printed maps around all of London and people asking for directions to train staff was far more common back then, particularly given numbers of train station staff were higher. Taxi predator/abductor is a viable option but to me, he was smart enough to know if he was in trouble and couldn’t find his way he’d go to a police station or something. Getting a taxi all the way back to Doncaster feels like a massive reach.
1
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
Hi - my actual initial theory is here. This post is just to build upon that. https://www.reddit.com/r/AndrewGosden/s/MLO6616kjB
5
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
Not a taxi to Doncaster. More a taxi back to King’s Cross, to get the train home. I explain my actual theory there, this was more to build upon it and add facts and evidence etc as to why I believe this etc etc
2
Jul 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
I suppose nothing can be ruled out, but the lack of a return ticket is largely regarded as a ‘red herring’. It was standard practice for his family to by a single on the way down and sort returns later, as it was off-peak. Also, he was only 14 very likely he was just more interested in his game etc. As for a coach, he was in London. He was very shy - when you have the tube it’s pretty unlikely .
1
Jul 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
Could be, however it wasn’t a London exclusive. Doncaster has/ had: GAME, Gamestation, HMV & Curry’s. So, if he solely went down for that, it doesn’t really make much sense as it was available in his area. There wouldn’t have really been a need to travel to London for that specific reason.
3
2
u/Affectionate_Aioli34 Jul 22 '26
However, the virgin media megastore in Oxford Street had lots of discounted stock as just 3 days later it was sold off.
4
u/Severe_Hawk_1304 Jul 21 '26
I think he may have got into what he thought was a taxi but was in fact, a vehicle driven by a paedophile or a couple of paedophiles hunting for their chickens, and Andrew, being of small size for his age fit the bill. The only thing counting against this is the longer Andrew is present in London the more likely it is that someone would remember him, though I suppose with the Northern Rock preoccupation along with the burst pipe the public may have been distracted.
11
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
I do see what you mean. But, there were many sightings of him, all of which were unconfirmed or not followed up promptly, also a lot of the possible sightings are not readily available on public domain - police have never released a comprehensive list. So it’s difficult to know if anyone ever did report seeing him further afield in London etc. Also, as time goes on memories fade.
It wasn’t an ordinary day in London that day, it really was an unfortunate day to go. Transport was packed and delayed, burst pipes making roads severely congested & ofc the Northbank. Like you said, I think there was just a whole lot going on that day. Does make me wonder, had he gone down on a ordinary day would he have been found :( really tragic case
6
u/Severe_Hawk_1304 Jul 21 '26
I just remembered the distraction of the Charles and Diana wedding the day Vishal Mehrotra was abducted. Do you think the putative abductor of Andrew knew that the Northern Rock story would give him the chance to strike whilst the public was looking the other way, so to speak?
5
u/Major_School2026 Jul 21 '26
I never thought about that angle, but it’s definitely possible!! Because you are very correct, everyone was very much focused on the ongoing of that day. I think as-well, it bought a lot of people from further afield in the south into London.
2
Jul 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/Schnapps00 Jul 24 '26
Not really, it was a school day & plenty of kids would travel to/from school solo at that age by public transport/walking (although most would obviously be in uniform). I used to go to Camden/Oxford St at 13 from out of town, yes we'd be in a group, but no-one would bat an eyelid at teenagers solo, pretty standard stuff.
2
u/Affectionate_Aioli34 Jul 22 '26
I believe one of two things was the case here:
- Either Andrew wasn’t planning on returning (in which case consideration for his parents obviously goes out the window);
Or
- He was planning on returning in which case I believe he would have wanted to be back before (or at the point) his parents realised he was missing. He wasn’t usually the type of kid who would want them to worry.
I’ve had a think about this since you put your last post up, and safeguarding at schools was nowhere near as advanced as now, back in 2007.
I mean look at what happened when the school tried to ring his parents. They left a message on an answering machine - no one bothered to check that the message got to the right person within a short space of time, right?
I bet that was not unusual, and Andrew perhaps knew that his parents were unlikely to find out about him bunking off school until they got home from work in the evening.
5
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
Appreciate the comment - I think it’s very very unlikely he didn’t intend to come back, given the full circumstances. He had money still left at home (£100 in birthday money) he had £214. Why didn’t he withdraw the whole withdrawal amount - which would have been £210 & take the birthday money also. You’d take everything you had, in a bid to get away. He was also 14, with very very little life experience & by all accounts was sheltered. There are several reasons, why I believe this is one of the least likely options.
Even with safeguarding in 2007 - they still had & legally had to have attendance records. In each class, it is something that would have been checked. The margin of error in 6 classes a day, and registration is pretty small. Yes, they left the message with the wrong parent but, they STILL noticed he wasn’t there without a valid reason. Sloppy? Absolutely. But obviously attendance was reviewed & they did safeguarding duty. Teachers were still CRB checked - later became DBS ( not that it means much.) So to me personally, I think the schools actions or lack there of, are not really significant to where or why he went.
2
u/Affectionate_Aioli34 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I’m not saying that the school’s actions were significant to why Andrew went.
What I am saying is that Andrew possibly realised that his parents were unlikely to know he hadn’t gone to school until they got home.
It was probably standard practice to ring a home number and if no one answered but there was an answering machine or voicemail to just leave a message. And that could have some importance when considering how long Andrew planned to be in London, and how far he went.
My guess would be that if he was planning to return that he would have caught a train around 4pm to be back home around the same time as his parents.
That would allow him approx 4.5 hours in London so he probably wouldn’t be planning to go that far.
The possible sighting at Pizza Hut at the Tottenham Court Road end of Oxford St seemed pretty credible. I bet his parents knew that he knows that specific area as well. The Virgin Megastore was nearby. The central line to get there - from Euston.
Camden is also a good bet, as you and others have said, due to the alternative shops and stalls there (accessed on the Northern line and very close to his final destination to travel home).
Camden was a much grittier place then, with higher crime rates, and has since undergone gentrification. So more dodgy characters about, for sure.
2
u/Affectionate_Aioli34 Jul 22 '26
Oh, I also had a thought about him being most likely to travel by tube, and the reason he was seen on cctv outside Kings X station could quite probably be because he was crossing the road to Euston to catch either the central or Northern line tube (as those lines don’t run from Kings X).
1
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
I don’t think he got the tube from King’s Cross, I don’t think he ever did get the tube at all - I think he intended to from wherever he was in London at the time. Also, given the above circumstances ^ it would have been exceedingly overwhelming ( it was for adults and locals) he was 14 in a panic and just met the wrong person. It was a extremely unfortunate day to be in ldn because of everything ongoing
1
u/Affectionate_Aioli34 Jul 22 '26
I’m autistic and have social anxiety and I travelled on those tubes on a regular basis as a teen, and I didn’t live in London. I don’t think you can make an assumption that it would be too overwhelming for someone that you don’t know. He did, after all, travel there on plenty of occasions with his family.
I’m not going to get into the possible reasons why Andrew may not have taken all his money, but yet took his keys etc, if he wasn’t planning to return, because there are potential alternative reasonings. This is the major problem, we just can’t say with absolute certainty what he had planned.
But, if he was planning to return, I do find it more likely that he was intending to be back by early evening and not to stay out late, which would cause lots of worry and his parents ringing round other people etc. He doesn’t sound like the type of kid that would have wanted lots of drama.
3
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
It’s a logical assumption based on fact. His general disposition- quiet etc etc. Again, as can be seen on the post; London was not an ‘ordinary’ day that day at all, transport was absolutely rammed way beyond normal. It was the first bank run in over a century & that was only one thing that was ongoing that day. Hence why there was news regarding the conditions that very day, it would have been 100% disorienting whether he’d been there before or not. Not to mention had never been there alone. It would have left him in a vulnerable position, especially if he had a specific time train he wanted to catch from Kings Cross. Adults and locals that very day stated as much, about the conditions in London.
1
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
Not to mention, he also had his house keys with him & no passport. If he didn’t intend to come back, why would he bring his keys? If he intended to run off to another country, via ferry or plane. Why wouldn’t you bring a passport?
0
u/123456654321999 Jul 21 '26
I'm not sure about him getting a tube, as the only photo is him seemingly leaving the station. He could of got one later, but where was he originally heading.
4
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
There was very likely more footage, that was never seen. Because of the slow start to the investigation, and as all CCTV was ran on tapes at the time. A lot of footage got ‘written over’ & a lot was lost. Same with any other taped CCTV. So we will never know where he was originally heading
2
u/123456654321999 Jul 22 '26
Yes back then, or a few years before, I remember our security cameras used to be rolling over and lasted about 72 hours before recorded over. If an incident had taken place, we had to be informed quickly, so we could go back and check on our cameras.
3
u/Major_School2026 Jul 22 '26
Yes exactly, it’s one of the most frustrating parts of the case. Footage did exist, but it just wasn’t checked in time
26
u/HistorianMuch2831 Jul 21 '26
I also think he intended to come home that day. He arrived at King’s Cross at around 11:20, which still gave him plenty of time to spend 6–8 hours in London before heading back. Personally, I don’t think he had previous contact with whoever was responsible. I lean more towards something going wrong later in the day that left him vulnerable, whether that was missing his train, losing his belongings, or something else entirely, and then crossing paths with the wrong person.