Was smartschoolboy9 ever arrested? ‘David London/Alter’ rumors explained

Smartschoolboy9 has become a 2024-defining internet rabbit hole, with a Youtube documentary raising questions about an individual believed to be named David London or David Alter and whether or not he was ever arrested. Warning: some may find this content distressing. 

For the uninitiated, the issue was first raised by a concerned Instagram user who noticed a series of accounts featuring disturbing edited images of minors and photos of real children. The owners of these pages posed as kids despite clearly not being the case, all the while obsessing about high-heeled mini-boots and school uniforms.

As spectators dug deeper, they found the content appeared to originate from the same user: smartschoolboy9. A subreddit was launched for users to share any information they can about the man at the center of the case, who they believe to be 59-year-old David Alter.

But over the past few months, millions of people have entered the smartschoolboy9 rabbit hole after YouTuber Nick Crowley created a documentary on the case. Despite the flood of attention, which led to the Reddit page being banned for harassment, questions remain about the accuracy of the claims surrounding his identity and arrest. 

The smartschoolboy9 arrest and David London claims haven’t been verified

At the time of writing, there are no verified documents or reports of any legal cases or arrests related to David Alter, or another of his alleged aliases, David London.

Many anecdotes and claims that have emerged suggest smartschoolboy9 used to live in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, before moving to Streatham, London, where he is believed to now reside. But there is no solid evidence to suggest he was arrested in either of these areas. 

Dexerto reached out to South Yorkshire Police for comment, with a spokesperson stating, “​​We can neither confirm nor deny the name of a person who may or may not be or have been the subject of a South Yorkshire Police investigation.”

Doncaster rumors claim “David Alter” was arrested

The first biggest rumor is that smartschoolboy9 was either driven out of Doncaster for his behavior or was arrested in the South Yorkshire city in the 1990s. 

Initially, Redditors on the subreddit for Doncaster shared what they claim to have happened to Alter, but questions about him are now being monitored and deleted since the case went viral. 

User mildmanneredcannibal shared a screenshot of one of the threads on the smartschoolboy9 page, stating, “Some more information about the supposed arrest of David.”

“I posted this a few days ago, but deleted it after being told that he hadn’t been arrested,” they continued.

“Initially, I found a Facebook post from a Doncaster local claiming that David Alter had been arrested. I assumed it was recent at first, before I was told he’d posted recently. But today I found a comment thread on r/doncaster saying that the arrest happened in/around the 90s. 

“I’m still not sure if this is just a local rumor, so take it with a grain of salt.” 

Screenshots show the post from August 13, asking the residents of Doncaster if they remember the man nicknamed by locals as “David Walter Alter.” It says that “he got jailed for stalking a teenage pupil” attending the local Hall Cross Academy school.

“My wife says he went to jail for stalking a girl from Hall Cross school. Said he was researching for a book he was writing called ‘the spirituality of girls’,” said one in response. “This was the late nineties or early noughties.”

Instagram

Over the past day, u/Hot_Supermarket_9970 has shared what they claim to be “proof” that smartschoolboy9 has been dressing as a schoolboy since the 90s and “that he’s had cops called on him.” Be warned that the screenshot of the post contains racial slurs.

The post purports to be an archive of a Usenet post from 1999. In it, the writer describes smartschoolboy9 going to the local Tesco supermarket wearing a “schoolboy’s uniform” and “ridiculously high, girl’s platform shoes.”

According to their account, when the cashier asked if they had a Tesco Clubcard, he replied, “Of course not, I’m only 13.” They added, “The guy is about 30 years old and over six feet tall.” 

Again, this is unverified information, but it’s yet another allegation to have emerged since the case went viral, only adding to speculation that smartschoolboy9 was arrested. 

Redditors warn of an “active investigation”

The second rumor is that smartschoolboy9, aka David Alter, is currently the subject of a police investigation in his alleged current place of residence, London.

This has particularly heated up as more and more spectators get involved following the release of Crowley’s mini-documentary, which has amassed more than 3.6 million views. 

It’s gone so viral, some TikTokers have even started making smartschoolboy9 fan art and edits, a concerning trend given the seriousness of the case.

Others have contacted Alter via his alleged accounts, another action that has been condemned by experts due to the safety risks. 

In response to a Redditor who posted screenshots of their conversation with him, which has since been deleted, one person said, “Do not message or interact with any of his accounts. You may think you’re helping, but you’re only interfering with the investigation.”

Over on Facebook, a user described the alarming nature of smartschoolboy9’s content, writing, “This man has many accounts such as the one I previously mentioned, truth_sticks_11, stefaniestansfield, ok_jo14, and many more. 

“If you see such accounts, please report them to law enforcement, as he is currently being investigated. He has attempted to throw many innocent people under the bus, saying that they are pedophiles, which he is.”

Instagram

They went on to claim his name is David London, another of his alleged aliases, adding, “From now until this man is gone, please do not post your kids / let them have accounts without knowing about these accounts or blocking them.”

In another recent post, a Redditor highlighted how confusing the case has become due to the increased number of rumors and speculation, and again they claim there’s an active investigation. 

“Unfortunately everything here is a mess, your best bet is reporting it to local authorities which please do, this man is very sick, if you’re not comfortable putting it here,” they said. “They have an active investigation going on.”

Over in the Doncaster subreddit, there’s a post warning netizens to stop asking about smartschoolboy9, alleging that the local authorities are involved. 

“We have all seen the posts and it’s getting out of hand, any user that posts about it or tries to be sly about it will get an instant ban,” they warned.

Stop it!
byu/oiDave indoncaster

“Yes we are aware about the nature of the posts but as far as we are aware it’s being dealt with by local authorities.”

Another wrote, “This question is being asked repeatedly, and the answer is always the same. This whole matter has been reported to the police already, and they say they are investigating, further speculation and gossip will not help, and may jeopardize the case.”

Once again, there is no information to confirm whether an active investigation is taking place, either in Doncaster or London, but this doesn’t mean it’s not happening. 

This could be due to the police wanting to maintain discretion, or because the man behind the Instagram accounts has a completely different name. 

Residents recall encounters with smartschoolboy9 

Alongside claims of police involvement, there have been numerous anecdotes from Doncaster residents recalling their experiences seeing smartschoolboy9. 

That includes David Firth, the creator of the cult Salad Fingers web series, who responded to a Redditor’s query. Firth’s reply corroborates the allegation relating to Hall Cross school, as he wrote, “I think I remember him walking around town in the late 90s or early 2000s when I was at Hall Cross school.”

Another post reported to be from Discord user samwilzrchp claims that “his real full name is David Stanley Alter,” and that his last known location was the Bennetthorpe area of Doncaster.

“My colleague and her mum used to see him on a regular basis mainly in the post office where she worked, he would collect his benefits,” they continued.  

“She said he has the ‘most beautiful handwriting’ and he always spoke very posh. He had a habit of getting into arguments with local councils, online mainly and wouldn’t be afraid to argue with anybody who used to push in line, or stare at him etc.”

Over on Facebook, a man named Dominic shared a post for his “fellow Doncastrian family and friends” after the saga went viral, saying he and his friends would occasionally see smartschoolboy9 around town when he was younger. 

He went on to share a number of details he recalls, including his name apparently being “David Walter/Alter,” and that he would “walk around the city centre dressed like in the images.”

Other details include that he was: always with a satchel/briefcase; wearing a suit; caked in makeup with glasses and big fake teeth; wore black high-heeled mini boots; and hung around Hall cross and the museum. 

“If he saw you looking at him he would blow raspberries and other weird noises,” Dominic continued. “He was allegedly driven out of Doncaster for being a paedo… apparently moved to London.”

Fake interviews with David London

With interest in the case mounting, a YouTuber named Eterna claimed they were not only able get in touch with ‘David’, but interview him too, and they posted a clip online… which has since been made private.

In it, the person that’s supposed to be Alter/London said: “Even the harsh topics, we should not disregard them… any topic that offends people.

“Evil is a subjective topic. Society has chosen what evil is, and we have accepted it… nobody is allowed take my individuality, I will not be told what is right or wrong.”

The next day, another YouTuber, ezekielthe1sttv, claimed to have interviewed smartschoolboy9 however, a disclaimer noted that the people in the video were “purely fictional based”, and it’s clearly fake.

David London’s Facebook bio was updated soon after, reading: “I trimmed the display of less relevant posts to public & I’ve not granted interviews to anyone!”

The “head spinning” case is causing confusion

Given this is just a drop in the ocean of information that’s come to light in recent months, it’s no surprise there’s a lot of confusion, making it impossible to separate fact from fiction. 

For those who have been following the smartschoolboy9 case for a while, it’s proving to be a struggle. As one said on Reddit, “I’ve recently helped out the Discord with info and I’ve been a part of this investigation for a while and I’m just about ready to give up…

“This is all going on a full circle and it’s hurting my brain. I have to go around this full circle of a case for 100s if not 1000s of times to find something out, and when I do it spins my head around even more. 

Instagram

“It’s like this guy is a f**king ghost, some people say this and some people say that, but it’s like we can’t get anything 100% about this guy and he knows it.”

Another agreed, “It’s really hard to research him. I think he’s intentionally being really inconsistent to mislead people and it’s causing a lot of people to fight in the sub and on Discord because they can’t really agree. 

“He’s been haunting me and a lot of other people too, so I hope this will be solved and we can all get some peace of mind.”

“Again, all this information is just hearsay from some randomer in a server,” added a third. “Can we get some actual substantial evidence of who he is for once? Proof, anyone?”

With so much information swirling around, it’s safe to assume there will be no definitive answers anytime soon. 

But one key takeaway worth noting is one mentioned in Crowley’s YouTube documentary – avoid making contact with the man discussed in the video for the safety of those involved. And if you are concerned, go through the appropriate channel, whether that be local authorities or reporting the content. 

For more true crime updates, check out the creepy YouTube documentaries to watch now, how to watch Mormon Mom Gone Wrong for free, and the Zodiac killer suspects.