Andrew Gosden: Men arrested over South Yorkshire boy's disappearance still under investigation, say police

Andrew Gosden was just 14 when he left his house in Doncaster, withdrew £200 and bought a one-way ticket to London on September 14, 2007. The straight A* student was last seen on CCTV at Kings Cross Station, but there have been no confirmed sightings since and his reasons for heading to the capital and his whereabouts since remain a mystery.

Two men, aged 39 and 46, were last year arrested by detectives investigating Andrew’s disappearance, on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking. The 46-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. They were held in London on December 8 2021 by officers from South Yorkshire Police, assisted by colleagues from the Met. It is believed the arrests were the first in the long-running case.

South Yorkshire Police have confirmed that the men are still being investigated by police and their devices are still being examined. At the time of the arrests, police said electronics taken from the pair could take six to 12 months to analyse.

Over the years since his disappearance, Andrew’s family has campaigned hard to try to find what had happened to him. A search was made of the River Thames at one stage. Experts even drew up artists’ impressions of what he would look like as an adult to try to update the search. His face has featured in campaigns all across the country as missing peoples charities have publicised his case on everything from milk cartons to buses.

His tormented Dad Kevin said last year in a blog to mark Andrew's birthday: “As we reach his 29th birthday, we realise that he has been gone for longer than he was here. The intensity of his not being here with us continues every day, a huge hole in our lives and our family. For me, I think the one thing we cannot lose is hope. Hope of re-union, hope of news, hope of an answer of any kind.” Kevin told ahead of Christmas how the family would light a candle for Andrew and share memories of him over the festive period.