Martin Allen was a 15-year-old boy living in Kensington, London. He had grown up in a council flat before his father was employed as a chauffeur to the Australian High Commissioner. This new career meant that the young family could move to a cottage in the grounds of the Australian High Commission in the prosperous Kensington area.
It was the 5th of November, 1979, and Martin was travelling home from Central Foundation Grammar School on the London Underground. The last time anybody saw Martin was at King’s Cross station at around 3:50PM when he said goodbye to one of his school friends. Afterwards, he walked into the short tunnelled passageway that leads to the west-bound Piccadilly Line train that would take him towards his home. Some reports would later say Martin’s brother saw him at home at around 5PM before he headed straight back out. What’s known, however, is that Martin disappeared at some point on that date.
Within days of his disappearance, the police launched a major enquiry. A witness came forward to say that they had seen a suspicious man accompanying a boy that looked like Martin at the Gloucester Road underground station at around 4:15PM. The witness said that the man had his arm around the teenage boy who appeared to be distressed. Afterwards, he saw the two board a West-bound train at the tube station despite the fact this station was the one closest to Martin’s home. He described the strange man as around 6 feet tall, in his 30s, well built and wearing a denim jacket. The witness heard the man tell the boy: “Don’t try to run.” Following the witness coming forward, an investigation found five other witnesses who saw the blonde man and boy. Despite an exhaustive search, the man was never identified.
Early on in the investigation, Martin’s brother alleged that the detective told his family that there were “high-up people involved” in his disappearance and that they should stop looking for Martin and “not take it further because someone will get hurt.” Over the years, theories have abounded. In 1998, police found a shrine to Martin in the house of an alleged pedophile who had a headstone engraved “In Memory of Martin Allen.” No evidence could tie him to the disappearance, however. At one point, police questioned serial killer Dennis Nilsen but again, no evidence could link him to the disappearance. There was even some speculation that Martin was abducted and murdered by a local pedophile ring, operating out of a local hotel.
To this date, the whereabouts of Martin Allen remains a mystery. Both his parents have passed away without knowing what happened to their son.
