Andrew Gosden was just 14 when he bought a one-way ticket to Kings Cross station in London and never came home. Despite numerous reported sightings over the years, his whereabouts remain a mystery
Andrew Gosden hasn’t been seen since September 2007(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
It’s a mystery that has haunted Andrew Gosden’s family for more than 18 years. On 14 September 2007, the then-14-year-old disappeared from his home in Doncaster. He was last spotted on CCTV leaving Kings Cross Station – and has never been seen since.
It’s something his loved ones are still trying to come to terms with. His father Kevin Gosden says that not knowing what happened to Andrew after travelling into London is almost impossible to deal with.
“He walked out of the station, but someone, somewhere, must have seen him, noticed him, spoken to him, surely?” he said. “Every year that goes by feels like a year further away from getting any possible answer to what on earth happened – and we still miss Andrew.”
Kevin Gosden continues to search for his son Andrew went missing in 2007 aged 14(Image: Paul David Drabble)
At the time of his disappearance, Andrew was eight days into the new school year after returning from the summer holidays. In the days leading up to the disappearance, his parents reported that he twice chose to break his normal routine; he told them he walked home from school rather than taking the school bus.
On the day he vanished, Andrew left his home at 8:05am, and was seen walking across local Westfield Park to his usual bus stop by a family friend. But rather than getting on the bus, the lad walked to a cash machine and withdrew £200 – the maximum he could take out. He was then recorded on a neighbour’s CCTV system returning back home.
Once inside, Andrew put his school uniform in the washing machine and his blazer on the back of his chair before changing into home clothes – a black Slipknot T-shirt and black jeans. He took with him a bag embellished with various patches of rock and metal bands, along with his wallet, keys, and a PlayStation Portable (PSP) console.
Police handout of 14-year-old Andrew Gosden, who vanished from his home in Doncaster(Image: PA Images )
He left his passport behind, and according to dad Kevin, he did not appear to have taken a sweatshirt or coat with him, and had also not taken the charger for his PSP. Despite withdrawing £200 in cash from his account, Andrew also left behind around £100 in cash that he had saved from birthdays.
At 8:30am, the teen left the family home for the final time and walked to Doncaster railway station, where he purchased a one-way ticket to London, which cost £31.40. The ticket seller remembered him because while she told the teen that a return ticket cost just 50p more, he insisted on a single ticket.
Then at 9:35am, Andrew was seen boarding the train to Kings Cross station alone. A woman reported sitting next to the boy, whom she described as being quiet and engrossed in playing his video game.
The last sighting of 14-year-old Andrew Gosden(Image: ITV NEWS)
He arrived in London station at 11:20am, and was captured on CCTV leaving the main entrance of the station at 11:25am. It was the last confirmed sighting of him.
Over the years, dad Kevin has worked with the charity Missing People to raise awareness of his son’s case, and the police have produced a number of images showing how Andrew may have looked in his late teens and twenties. He would now be 32. There have been many reports of people who look like Andrew, but no positive sighting has ever been confirmed.
Police shared a number of digitally-aged images to show what Andrew could have looked like in his mid-20s
Andrew would now be 32
Speaking to ITV in September this year, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Knowles, who is leading the investigation, said: “Any new information which we receive is carefully considered, reviewed and investigated by us where appropriate. We have regular contact with Andrew’s family, and they will be the first to be informed if there is any progress or updates in our investigation.
“It’s never too late to share information with police. If you think you know something that could help officers find Andrew, please contact us online or via 101. We are aware of recent disinformation which has been circulating online about this case. Such disinformation is distressing for Andrew’s family and unhelpful to the investigation.”
The charity Missing People has a range of support services available to those who are missing or whose loved ones are missing: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
