Martin Allen

'Thirty years on, we still don't know who abducted our son': Parents of Martin Allen make final plea for information

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:11 PM on 23rd December 2009

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The ageing parents of a teenage boy abducted 30 years ago today made a final appeal for information about his fate.

Martin Allen, 15, was last seen by a friend at King's Cross Tube station as he made his way home from school on November 5, 1979.

His case has baffled teams of Scotland Yard detectives who have been unable to find any trace of him.
Martin Allen

Desperate: Martin Allen's parents say they still cry on the anniversary of his disappearance in 1979 and have given up hope of ever seeing him again
Tom and Eileen Allen

Final plea: Tom and Eileen Allen are making one last appeal for information about their son, who was 15 when he vanished

Speaking today, Tom and Eileen Allen, of Bordon, Hampshire, admitted they have lost hope of ever seeing him again and fear they may die before his body is discovered.

Mrs Allen, 81, said: 'We just want to know what happened so we can have some final closure. But of course it will never go out of our minds.

'My biggest wish is to have a meeting of the family and a remembrance service, not a funeral, but a service so we can put our memories away.
Martin Allen and his mother Eileen

Happier times: Martin with his mother. He disappeared while on his way home from school

'We just want to know what happened. Somebody must know something. Please tell us so we can move on.'

Mr Allen, 85, revealed he still cries on the day his son disappeared, his birthdays and when he hears music his son loved.

He said: 'I just break down. I go out into the woods and I simply burst.

'After that I am all right. I cannot help it.

'I had hope until the beginning of this year. I still had lots of hope but suddenly it disappeared. I do not know why.'
Martin Allen who went missing in 1979

'Baffling': Martin disappeared as he made his way home from King's Cross Tube station 30 years ago

Metropolitan Police officers have continued to investigate the disappearance of Martin since a review took place in 2006, but admit they have no new leads.

The teenager went missing as he travelled home from school to pick up some money to take to his older brother Bob in Holloway.

His father worked as a chauffeur and the family lived in a cottage in the grounds of the Australian High Commission in Hyde Park Gate, Kensington.

Martin left a friend at a foot tunnel leading on to the southbound Piccadilly platform at King's Cross station at about 3.50pm.

He has not been seen since, but a passenger came forward after a television appeal and said he saw a man and a boy acting suspiciously at Earls Court.

The man was standing with his arm around a boy who looked like Martin and both appeared nervous.

He was heard to say: 'Don't try to run.'
Martin Allen
Martin Allen

Operation: Despite television appeals and this artist's impression of a man standing with boy who looked like Martin no trace of him has ever been found

Despite a huge operation, including a visit to every property in Earls Court and the publication of an artist's impression, police have not been able to trace the man.

Investigators have ruled out 200 possible suspects, spoken to 50,000 people and collected 600 statements to the inquiry.

They have not been able to find any of Martin's possessions, which included his school books, lunchbox and part of a model railway.

At one point detectives considered whether serial killer Dennis Nilsen could be responsible but found no evidence to substantiate this.

Mr Allen said his son would have contacted them if he was alive because he would not have wanted them to worry.

He said: 'There must be someone out there who knows a tiny little bit but has never said anything.
Martin Allen who disappeared in 1979

Missing: Detectives have spoken to 50,000 people and collected 600 statements in the investigation into Martin's disappearance

'They could be the answer we are looking for to help our family come to a bit of rest instead of always saying "I wonder what did happen?"'

Mrs Allen, who works with disabled children, said her heart goes out to the parents of other missing children.

And she said she cannot bring herself to read coverage about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

She said: 'It has been difficult because the other boys have grown up and they have got their own sons. It must be very hard for them.

'Because I am still working with children that does help. I have got to keep going for the sake of the children that are left and the grandchildren.

'Nobody wants you if you are miserable and crying all the time. I am strong and I have managed to keep my feelings to myself most of the time.'

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Nash, who is leading the inquiry, said the case is 'truly baffling'.

He said: 'Officers have worked tirelessly to trace Martin but despite floods of information coming in we have not been able to discover what happened to him.

'I am convinced someone knows what happened to Martin and I would urge them to do the right thing and tell us.

'I hope the passage of time will encourage them to come forward. Martin's family have had an agonising 30 years not knowing what became of him.'

Anyone with information should call the incident room at Hendon on 0208 358 0100 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237974/Parents-Martin-Allen-disappeared-30-years-ago-make-final-plea-information.html#ixzz0aWJjKrOV

:(

xx nanadebbie

cant think of any words that might bring any comfort for these harrowed parents.

I hope they have news about their son very soon

they deserve that!

There were new clues in 1998...but sadly nothing became of it!


New clues to missing boy's fate

Police investigating the disappearance of a 15-year-old boy in 1979 are reported to have found a secret shrine to him at the home of an alleged paedophile.

Martin Allen, 15, vanished on his way home from school on 5 November, 1979.

He was last seen waving goodbye to school friends as he boarded a tube train at King's Cross station in London.

One Sunday newspaper said police on Merseyside had received a tip-off about a shrine - which included a headstone - at the house of an alleged paedophile.

Detectives from the One Area Major Incident Investigation Pool in Kensington, Central London, refused to comment on the reports but confirmed that they were investigating new information which had been passed on to them.

The hunt goes on

A spokesman said no arrests had been made and inquiries were continuing.

Martin, whose father was a chauffeur for the Australian High Commissioner, has not been seen since Guy Fawkes' Night in 1979 despite a worldwide search.

The newspaper report said Merseyside detectives received an anonymous last month which suggested a 62-year-old Liverpool man had knowledge of the boy's fate.

Officers reportedly visited his house and found a makeshift shrine including newspaper cuttings, pictures and a headstone engraved "In Memory of Martin Allen".

At the time of his disappearance a man was seen holding a boy fitting his description against a wall outside Gloucester Road underground station.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/210438.stm

It is unbearable to think about what these poor parents have been through, never knowing what has happened to their son. I hope somebody will come forward to give them the information they need. I don't believe we can talk about 'closure' in such cases, as the loss of a child must be the worst thing any parent can face, but perhaps knowing the truth might bring them some small comfort.

I feel very sorry for this boy's parents, but it doesn't sound as though anyone has any real knowledge of what happened to him. He may have been taken away forcibly, but there's always the possibility he may have gone away voluntarily. His parents say he wouldn't have wanted them to worry, but parents can often be very wrong about their children. (Trust me on this one! As a children's tutor I can assure you many parents haven't the faintest clue what their children are thinking or doing.) I'd like to think it was voluntary rather than him being taken by a paedophile or murderer, though it would still be terrible for his family, of course.

I'm pretty sure we'll have someone jumping on the 'abducted and not seen for years' bandwagon one of these days - too good an opportunity to miss.

I feel so very sorry for you not knowing where your son is. I sincerely hope that the McCanns do not have the continuing heartache for much longer. I still feel that Madeleine is still alive and is 'findable' but it is so difficult for the McCanns as she was abducted in Portugal, and they do not seem to be getting as much help from the British Government as is necessary to find her.
- A McCann supporter, knutsford cheshire, 24/12/2009 2:07
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Typical Daily Mail reader comment!!!

This story is even older: 52 years on, the sister of an 11 year-old girl who disappeared in 1957, is still seeking to find her body.

Moira Anderson

Moira went out late one cold wintery afternoon to buy something from the local Co-op for her grandmother. I remember this case well, because Moira's grandmother lived round the corner from my grandmother and Moira became the cautionary tale for local children. It is thought that she accepted a free ride on a bus driven by a local man she was acquainted with. The latest news I can find is from February this year about Moira's family seeking permission to have a grave opened in a local cemetery.

"THE FAMILY of schoolgirl Moira Anderson want to open a grave where they believe her body was secretly buried.

The disappearance of the 11-year-old - exactly 52 years ago today - is one of Scotland's longest-running mysteries.

No trace of Moira was ever found - but it is widely accepted that she was abducted, probably by a paedophile, who murdered her then disposed of her body.

Moira disappeared on February 23, 1957, after being sent on an errand to the local Co-op in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, by her grandmother.

In recent years, evidence has emerged suggesting Moira's remains may have been hidden in a grave at a cemetery near her home.

Now her relatives have instructed lawyers to formally seek permission for an investigation of the site.

A sheriff will be asked to grant an exhumation order for a plot at Old Monkland Cemetery, close to where Moira disappeared.

Prime suspect for Moira's abduction and murder is paedophile Alexander Gartshore, who worked as a bus driver near the schoolgirl's home.

Gartshore, now dead, was named as Moira's killer in a deathbed confession by a fellow convicted child abuser."

Interestingly, the deathbed confession of the other child abuser contained a list of alleged paedophiles, amongst whom are thought to be high-ranking police officers and politicians. A FOA request was made for disclosure of the document, but as far as I know, it has not been made public as yet. Also of interest is that the main suspect, who died three years ago, was a known paedophile who lived opposite the police station, but he was never questioned when Moira disappeared, only many years later in 1992.

"The alleged deathbed statement by Gallogley claimed Gartshore sedated Moira before abusing her and leaving her in his bus, where she died "from the cold". Her body was then allegedly dumped in the Tarry Burn in Coatbridge."

The Famous Grouse wrote:I'm surprised that the McScum haven't been demanding that Peter Tobin be grilled on where he spent his holidays in 2007.

Oh, sh1t.... I really shouldn't give them any more ideas, now should I.

They've probably already considered that idea TFG, if not them McMitchell would have.