Just reviewing this case again and trying to get a handle on Steven and the fact he didn't work or attend school. Steven became disabled after being involved in an accident with a truck when he was two years old. His injuries affected his leg resulting in a limp and a deformed arm. He also was in a coma for several months while healing. Whether this coma was from injuries sustained in the accident or whether it was a medically induced coma is not known. The fact he was in a coma suggests there may have been some brain damage although he seemed to excel at the school he attended in South Africa that catered to students who had disabilities.
If Steven had no mental disabilities; if he'd never been diagnosed with autism or any other mental disorder why did he have such a difficult time getting a job? I've worked with people who were deaf, were in a wheelchair and a women who had a deformed hand where three of her fingers were fused together and was missing her index finger and I was in awe how fast and accurately she could type. So having a pronounced limp and a deformed arm shouldn't really be a barrier to work in an environment that doesn't require walking or physical and strenuous work. It's puzzling to me, especially when he won an award as Apprentice of the Year.
Was Steven reluctant to work in an environment where he might have felt he stood out; where he worried he'd be treated badly or made fun of? Did his parents enable his reluctance to work by making no demands on him? Did he receive any kind of disability pension from the government? Did his parents receive an allowance for being the caregivers of a disabled adult?
Apparently, SC was a bit of a skinflint, not wanting to part with his own money when it came to buying tickets to football games. Where did he get his money and what did he do with it if he didn't spend it? Did he buy his own clothing, shoes and entertainment items?
It says on his his missing person police blotter that he came back to the UK from South Africa in the early 90s initially living in Surrey before moving to Marske in 1991. When he moved to Marske were his parents already living there or did he move with them from Surrey?
If he got a disability pension and his parents received one as his caregivers was that money used to pay for day to day living expenses not only for Steven but for mortgage payments and utilities? I read that England was deep into a recession in 1991 and 1992 with high interest rates, falling house prices and runaway inflation. Could that have been an issue for a family who had just moved to a new house in 1991?
Did Steven want to leave home because he had a girlfriend and his parents weren't on board with that. Could that have led to a blowout argument where Steven stormed off walking toward the Saltburn pier by himself? Maybe his mom followed much later to check on him rather than actually going for a walk with him. If that was the case, he could have met up with anyone, a friend, an acquaintance or a complete stranger. If he was a trusting soul he may have gone with someone who didn't have his best interests at heart. He could be anywhere. The Yorkshire Moors are very close by.