Alex Batty now centre of investigation as police interview boy who went missing in Spain - live
Greater Manchester Police have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged child abduction of Alex Batty after the teenager was formally interviewed by officers.
The 17-year-old made headlines across the world when he was discovered walking on an isolated road in Toulouse, six years after being reported missing while on holiday with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty.
He initially said he had been hiking for four days before being found.
It comes after he told The Sun that he lied over his escape from France to protect his mother and grandfather. He said: “I didn’t get lost. I knew exactly where I was going.”
The teenager also said he’d wanted to return home ot his grandmother, Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, to go to college. He said that the reunion with Ms Caruana had other family members had been emotional.
Key Points
I was lying - Alex Batty admits making up escape story
Teenager first started thinking of going home aged 14
Alex Batty describes nomadic life with mother ‘obsessed with solar panels’
Criminal investigation launched
13:22 , Athena Stavrou
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that they have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged child abduction of Alex Batty.
They added that officers had now formally interviewed the 17-year-old after he returned to the UK on Saturday.
Missing British boy Alex Batty found in France six years after he was ‘abducted’
Friday 15 December 2023 08:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A British boy who has not been seen since his apparent abduction six years ago has been found alive and well near Toulouse in France.
Alex Batty, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was just 11 when he went missing while travelling with family members in southern Spain in October 2017.
He was with his mother Melanie Batty, 38, and grandfather David Batty, 59, who do not have parental guardianship of Alex.
Missing British boy Alex Batty found in France six years after he was ‘abducted’
Teenager appeared alone in east of Toulouse after missing for six years
Friday 15 December 2023 08:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Prosecutors in southwest France say Alex, 17, has turned up alone in Revel, east of Toulouse.
Fabien Accidini, a chiropractic student from Toulouse who has a part-time job delivering medicines by lorry, said he spotted the teenager in the early hours of Wednesday.
Mr Accidini told La Depeche:”‘He was walking while the rain fell in heavy drops. The second time I passed him, I decided to offer to drop him off somewhere.
“He was quite tall and blond, and dressed in black jeans, a white sweater and a backpack. He also carried a skateboard under his arm and a flashlight for lighting. His attitude gave me confidence. He ended up getting into my van.
“We talked for over three hours! Very quickly, he gave me his real identity – Alex Batty – before telling me his story.”
Missing boy found after six years told driver who found him ‘my mother kidnapped me when I was 12’
Friday 15 December 2023 08:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A British boy who has been missing for six years told the French lorry driver who found him walking alone on an isolated country road: ‘My mother kidnapped me when I was 12 years old’.
Startling details of now 17-year-old Alex Batty’s ordeal began to emerge on Thursday evening, after it was confirmed he had been found safe and well.
Read the full story here:
Missing boy found after six years told driver who found him ‘my mother kidnapped me’
Alex Batty ‘hiked for four days in France mountains’ in bid to come home
Friday 15 December 2023 08:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
It is understood that Alex Batty, who is now 17, had been hiking for four days in mountains near the southern French city of Toulouse in an effort to get back to England.
He was seen walking alone at night by pharmacy delivery driver and student Fabien Accidini who then offered him a lift.
Mr Accidini was delivering medicines to pharmacies on the night he picked up Alex, and said the teenager had helped him with his job along the way.
Watch: Grandmother of missing schoolboy Alex Batty, Susan Caruana, makes emotional plea
Friday 15 December 2023 08:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
When did Alex Batty go missing?
Friday 15 December 2023 08:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty, from Fitton Hill in Oldham, went abroad with his mother Melanie Batty who does not have legal parental guardianship, and his grandfather David Batty on a pre-agreed trip in 2017. He was 12-years-old at the time.
They did not return to England as expected on October 8 2017 and he had not been seen since.
Despite international public appeals, Alex’s legal guardian and grandmother Susan Caruana had not seen him since he left the UK.
She previously said her daughter and ex-husband lived in a commune in Morocco with Alex in 2014 as part of an “alternative lifestyle”, which she thought lay behind the youngster’s disappearance.
Ms Caruana pleaded for the youngster to get in contact with her in 2018, saying: “I just want to say to my grandson Alex, I love you so much and please, please just get in contact.”
‘He’s coming home’: Alex and grandmother share long-awaited phone call
Friday 15 December 2023 08:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty has reportedly spoken to his grandmother, Susan Caruana, after he was found in France.
Ms Caruana’s husband, Emanuel, told Manchester Evening News that his wife has “briefly” spoken to Alex over the phone.
He said: “She’s happy he’s well and safe and he’s coming home.”
Alex Batty expected to make emotional return home to England today
Friday 15 December 2023 09:26 , Peter Allen
The British teenager found in France after a six-year disappearance following an alleged kidnap by his own mother was today expected to make an emotional return home to England.
Alex Batty, 17, was on Friday morning still in the care of social services in the south-west City of Toulouse.
But a French police spokesman said he was likely to fly to Manchester, before returning to the home of his grandmother, Susan Caruana, 68, in Oldham.
“She is his legal guardian, and the case is now in the hands of Manchester police,” said the source.
“The young man is staying at a youth hostel in Toulouse, but should be back in Britain soon.”
Ms Caruana is said to be too frail to travel to Toulouse, but a team of British police officers is expected to pick Alex up.
Friday 15 December 2023 09:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Greater Manchester Police are now giving an update on the case. Stay tuned.
Police to do ‘further checks’ on Alex when he returns to the UK
Friday 15 December 2023 09:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Greater Manchester Police told a press conference this morning: “This is a huge moment for Alex and his family and the whole community in Oldham.”
The police added that Alex and his grandmother “briefly” spoke on the phone on Thursday evening, and while his grandmother is content that Alex has been correctly identified, the police said they “have further checks to do when he returns to the UK”.
‘Still work to do’ in establishing ‘full circumstances’ around disappearance- police
Friday 15 December 2023 09:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Continuing to give an update on the Alex Batty case, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police said: “Our main priority now is to see Alex returned home to his family in the UK and our investigation team are working around the clock with partner agencies and the French authorities to ensure they are all fully supported.
“Alex and his family remain our focus and we still have some work to do in establishing the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance and where he has been in all those years.
“I can only imagine the emotions they have experienced as a family throughout this ordeal.”
Alex Batty to return to the UK ‘in next few days’, police say
Friday 15 December 2023 09:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Greater Manchester Police said they hope Alex will return to the UK “in the next few days”.
In a press conference on Friday, Mr Sykes told reporters: “The young man and Alex’s grandmother spoke on a video call last night and whilst she is content that this is indeed Alex, we obviously have further checks to do when he returns to the United Kingdom.
“Our main priority now is to see Alex returned home to his family in the UK and our investigation team are working around the clock with partner agencies and the French authorities to ensure they are all fully supported.
“Alex and his family remain our focus and we still have some work to do in establishing the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance and where he has been in all those years.”
Watch: ‘Abducted’ Alex Batty has video called grandmother since being found, police say
Friday 15 December 2023 10:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty mapped: Missing teen’s key known movements from Spanish holiday to discovery in France
Friday 15 December 2023 11:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Almost 1,000 miles away from his home, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a delivery driver spotted 17-year-old Alex Batty walking along a road in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The driver offered him a lift and the missing British teenager, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, reportedly soon told him that he had been living in France for the past two years after moving there from a luxury house in Spain — where he went on holiday six years ago and never returned.
The driver, a chiropody student called Fabien Accidini who alerted local police, discovered Alex near the town of Revel near Toulouse, 990 miles from the teenager’s home in Fitton Hill, Oldham. The boy, whose had last been seen at the Port of Malaga in October 2017, had hiked for more than four days in an apparent attempt to return home.
Alex Batty’s key known movements mapped from Spanish holiday to discovery in France
Friday 15 December 2023 11:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
‘Abducted’ Alex Batty has video called grandmother since being found, police say
Alex’s grandmother feeling ‘whole host of emotions’ on shock return of grandson
Friday 15 December 2023 11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Questioned on how Alex and his grandmother Susan Caruana are feeling, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police, said: “From what I have seen from the officers that have spoken to the grandmother, she has a whole host of emotions and feelings as you could imagine.
“The French authorities have been looking after Alex really, really well.
“Our real concern is how we bring Alex back to the UK in a safe way and make sure we look after his wellbeing.”
Map shows last known movements of teen found after six years
Friday 15 December 2023 12:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Here are the last known movements of Alex Batty before he was found this week in Toulouse.
Alex Batty’s family fear teenager was ‘brainwashed’ in commune while missing for six years
Friday 15 December 2023 12:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A teenager allegedly kidnapped by his mother and grandfather six years ago and taken to a “spiritual community” in France has been “brainwashed” by the ordeal, his family have claimed.
Asking to message his grandmother Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, he wrote to her on Facebook: “I love you, I want to come home.” The teenager was taken to police and is now expected back home in Oldham in the next few days.
But while the overjoyed family prepare to be reunited, questions remain over where the boy had been living over the past six years, the whereabouts of his mother and grandfather and the impact the period has had on him.
Alex Batty’s family fear teenager was ‘brainwashed’ while missing for six years
Teen’s aunt voices concern for ‘what Alex will be like when he comes home'
Friday 15 December 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty’s aunt, Maureen Batty, said the situation is a “mess” and she does not know what the teenager “will be like” when he comes home.
Speaking to the Mirror on Thursday evening, Ms Batty said she was “relieved” because she had “no idea about where he has been for the last six or seven years”.
She said: “I don’t know where his mother or grandad are and they are not pressing Alex about it yet. Alex hasn’t had any education while out there, so we don’t know what he’ll be like when he comes home. It has affected me. Alex has had it rough. It is a mess.”
Alex Batty’s mother ‘belong to spirutalist group’, French TV reports
Friday 15 December 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
France’s BFM TV reported Alex’s mother belonged to a spiritualist group without a fixed residence, moving around the region known as a destination for people in pursuit of an alternative way of life in caravans and tents.
A search operation to find her has been started, the television station added.
“We still have some work to do in establishing the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance and where he has been in all those years,” Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police said.
“At the moment the priority is speaking to Alex ... but obviously his mother is part of that conversation and investigation.”
Alex Batty: Timeline of British boy’s disappearance as he’s found after six years
Friday 15 December 2023 14:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Alex Batty was spotted walking alone on an isolated country road in Toulouse by a student delivery driver.
But when and why did Alex originally go missing? The Independent has put together a timeline below:
The now 17-year-old from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was 11 years old when he went missing in 2017. He went on holiday to Marbella, Spain, on a pre-agreed trip with his mother Melanie 37, and grandfather David, 58, when he was apparently “abducted” by his mother.
His grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana stayed at home in the UK. Inquiries at the time suggested he may have travelled from Malaga to Melilla on the Moroccan border. Police then launched an investigation.
Speaking to reporters after his disappearance, Ms Caruana said: “On the Sunday, they were due back in the afternoon and my husband was going to pick them up. I got this message on Facebook and it was a YouTube video of the three of them.
Alex Batty: Timeline of British boy’s disappearance as he’s found after six years
Missing Oldham teen Alex Batty told French driver who found him ‘my mother kidnapped me’
Friday 15 December 2023 14:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A British boy who has been missing for six years told the French lorry driver who found him walking alone on an isolated country road: ‘My mother kidnapped me when I was 12 years old’.
Startling details of now 17-year-old Alex Batty’s ordeal began to emerge on Thursday evening, after it was confirmed he had been found safe and well.
The youngster, from Fitton Hill in Oldham, went abroad with his mother Melanie Batty who does not have legal parental guardianship, and his grandfather David Batty on a pre-agreed trip in 2017. However, they did not return to England as expected on October 8 2017 and he had not been seen since.
Fabien Accidini, a chiropractic student from Toulouse who has a part-time job delivering medicines by lorry, said he spotted the English teenager on Wednesday.
Missing Oldham teen Alex Batty told driver who found him ‘my mother kidnapped me’
Friday 15 December 2023 15:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The French police are giving an update now. Stay tuned while we keep you with the latest.
Alex Batty ‘does not describe any kind of physical violence’ in past six years
Friday 15 December 2023 15:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Speaking to a press conference today, Antoine Leroy, the assistant public prosecutor in Toulouse, said: “[Alex Batty] was living with his mother and his maternal grandfather.
“He doesn’t describe any kind of physical violence. We can’t use the term ‘sect’ as such but he talked about some kind of spiritual community.”
He added: “It was always the same way of living. They got food based on allotments. There was work on the ego, meditation work.”
Friday 15 December 2023 15:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Mr Leroy confirmed that Alex Batty will be returning to the UK, but his grandmother will not go to France to collect him because she is “too frail”.
Friday 15 December 2023 15:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty “talked a lot” about how his mother and grandfather were “obsessed” with solar energy and solar panels which they “travelled with”.
Mr Leroy described their lifestyle as a “nomadic life”.
Friday 15 December 2023 15:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Antoine Leroy, the assistant public prosecutor in Toulouse said it is “difficult” to understand the education level of Alex Batty since he does not speak French.
However, he said Alex appears to be a “normal, young teen”.
Friday 15 December 2023 15:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty’s mother and grandfather were living in a community with different families of different nationalities, the assistant public prosecutor confirmed.
Alex Batty left his mother after she said she was leaving for Finland
Friday 15 December 2023 15:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
French prosecutors have said Alex Batty knew the life he was having with his mother “had to stop” after she announced intentions to move to Finland.
Toulouse Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy told reporters: “When his mother indicated that she was going to leave with him to Finland, this young man understood that this had to stop.
“So he then decided to leave the place where he was with his mother and he went walking for four days and four nights.
“He was exclusively walking at night and sleeping in the day.”
Friday 15 December 2023 15:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The assistant public prosecutor said Alex Batty had €100 on him when they found him.
Antoine Leroy added that he is not sure if the teenager informed his mother he was leaving.
Alex Batty ate from ‘whatever he found in the fields’ as he hiked through mountains in bid to return to UK
Friday 15 December 2023 15:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Toulouse Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy told reporters Alex Batty got food from “whatever he found in the fields” as he walked for four days in the Pyrenees.
“He walked and he got food from whatever he found in the fields and the gardens and he was then found at about 3am on Wednesday by a young man,” Mr Leroy said.
Addressing what the teenager said to the student who found him, Mr Leroy added: “He explained that he was being searched for and that he wanted protection.”
French authorities give more details on Alex Batty’s life while away
Friday 15 December 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Continuing to describe how Alex Batty had been living over the past six years, Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy said: “They would work on the ego, there was meditation work - there was no connection with the real world.
“They believed in reincarnation.”
Speaking about Alex‘s condition when he was checked over by officials, Mr Leroy said: “This young man was described by the police who have seen him and by the doctors who examined him as ‘tired’ but overall in good health.
“He’s said to be intelligent even though he’s never been to school in this entire period.”
Teen’s grandfather thought to have died six months ago
Friday 15 December 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Alex Batty‘s grandfather is thought to have died six months ago, French prosecutors have said.
Addressing the whereabouts of Alex‘s mother and grandfather, Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy said: “It is possible that the mother at this time has in fact gone to Finland as she planned.
“The grandfather, who has always been with his daughter and grandson, is said to have died approximately six months ago.”
Mr Leroy said Alex took part in a “meditation ceremony” when his grandfather died.
Grandmother of ‘abducted’ teenager can’t wait to see him
Friday 15 December 2023 18:20 , Sam Rkaina
The grandmother of a British teenager who was believed to have been abducted six years ago has said she “can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited”.
Alex Batty disappeared with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty in September 2017, but is expected to return to the UK over the weekend.
In a statement issued on Friday, Alex’s grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana said: “I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well.
“I spoke with him last night and it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again. I can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited.
“The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.
“I would ask that our family are given privacy as we welcome Alex back, so we can make this process as comforting as possible.”
Friday 15 December 2023 20:13 , Sam Rkaina
We’re pausing our live coverage of Alex Batty but keep checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates.
‘I’ve been lying'
09:32 , Alex Ross
“I’ve been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad, but I realise that they’re probably gonna get caught anyway,” Alex Batty told The Sun in a new interview after he was discovered after vanishing six years ago.
Contrary to the initial reports, Alex said that his actual journey was a two-day hike. He first travelled to Quillan to feign seeking directions before heading towards Toulouse.
See our story on his interview here:
Alex Batty reveals he lied about escape to protect his mother
Why did he escape?
10:09 , Alex Ross
Alex told The Sun he had a desire for a more stable future and the chance to fulfil his dreams of becoming a software engineer prompted him to abandon their nomadic existence in the French Pyrenees.
Referring to the nomadic lifestyle he had been living with his mother and grandfather, he added: “I realised it wasn’t a great way to live for my future.”
He told the outlet if he stayed with his mum his life would involve “moving around, no friends, no social life. Working, working, work and not studying”.
‘I first started thinking about leaving when I was 14 or 15'
11:25 , Alex Ross
Alex Batty told The Sun he first started thinking of leaving his mother and grandfather about a year after he went missing while on a holiday in Spain with them, aged 11.
He said: “I realised it wasn’t a great way to live for my future. The cloud had lifted because I started weighing everything up again — the pros and cons of England.
“I wouldn’t know what was going to happen in my future if I were to stay with my mum, but from the past few years I could get a picture of what life would have been like.
“Moving around. No friends, no social life. Working, working, work and not studying. That’s the life I imagined I would be leading if I were to stay with my mum. It would always be the same whether it was France or Spain.
“In the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. No people my age. So when I was about 16 I spoke to grandad about going back to England.”
Mother ‘against the idea’ of going back home - Alex says
12:46 , Alex Ross
Alex Batty had spoken to his mother, Melanie Batty, about going home - but she resisted the idea, the teenager has said in his interview to The Sun.
He also said he believed she was either in Finland, or on her way. He doesn’t know the whereabouts of his grandfather, David Batty, who is alive, the 17-year-old claims.
In his interview with the outlet, he said: “My mum was against the idea [of returning to England]. She was very anti-government, anti-vax. She was worried that if I were to go back to a country and get my ID I would be put into care. Her catchphrase was becoming a ‘slave to the system’.
“She wasn’t really open to any other opinions whereas grandad is more of a listener. He was always like, ‘I want you to do what’s best for you’.
“He kept on saying every time, the reason I came with you, is so that I could make sure that you were happy and healthy with a roof over your head.”
Alex told driver ‘my mother kidnapped me'
13:54 , Athena Stavrou
Alex went missing six years ago while on holiday with his mother and grandad and was found just last week in France.
The lorry driver who found him described how he picked up the now 17-year-old and told La Depeche that the Oldham teen that he originally said his name was Zach.
Fabien Accidini, a chiropractic student from Toulouse who has a part-time job delivering medicines by lorry, said: “He said his mother kidnapped him when he was 12 years old. Since then, he had lived in Spain in a luxury house with around ten people.”
‘I’ve been lying’, Alex says
14:41 , Athena Stavrou
“I’ve been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad, but I realise that they’re probably gonna get caught anyway,” Alex Batty told The Sun in a new interview after he was discovered after vanishing six years ago.
Contrary to the initial reports, Alex said that his actual journey was a two-day hike. He first travelled to Quillan to feign seeking directions before heading towards Toulouse.
Alex was aged just 11 when he was first reported missing in 2017 after travelling to Europe on holiday. He says he was living with his mother and grandfather for at least two of the six years since he vanished in Malaga, Spain and that they spent time at a “spiritual” commune in southern France.
Speaking to The Sun, Alex admitted that he fabricated the now widely-circulated story of his four-day journey to escape the commune. The false narrative was crafted in the hope that it would deter police from tracking down his mother and grandfather, who could face arrest on suspicion of child abduction.
Why did Alex decide to come back to the UK after six years?
15:14 , Athena Stavrou
Police have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged abduction of teenager Alex Batty after formally interviewing him.
Alex went missing six years ago while on holiday in Spain with his mother, who was not his legal guardian, and his grandfather.
The teenager, who is now under the legal guardianship of his grandmother, Susan Caruana, in Oldham, Greater Manchester, said his mother was “anti-government, anti-vax”, whose catchphrase was “becoming a slave to the system”.
He had become fed up with his nomadic lifestyle, with “no friends” and “no social life”.
It is thought Alex had been living with his mother and grandfather, who had taken him to Spain in September 2017, across Spain, Morocco and France while he was missing.
Last week French prosecutors said the teenager’s mother, Melanie Batty may be in Finland.
Antoine Leroy told reporters Alex had said he knew his way of life with his mother “had to stop” after she said she intended to move there.
What did Alex lie about?
16:23 , Athena Stavrou
Alex Batty has admitted he lied when he was first picked up by French authorities in order to protect his mother and grandad.
Speaking to The Sun, Alex admitted that he fabricated the now widely-circulated story of his four-day journey to escape the commune.
“I’ve been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad, but I realise that they’re probably gonna get caught anyway,” Alex said.
Contrary to the initial reports, Alex said that his actual journey was a two-day hike and that he knew where he was going.
He also revealed that his grandad is in fact alive - despite telling authorities he had died six months ago - but he did not know where he was.
Pausing updates
17:43 , Athena Stavrou
We are pausing our live coverage on the return of missing teenager Alex Batty for now.
Here’s a roundup of what happened today:
- Alex Batty said he had initially lied to authorities in an effort to prevent his mother and grandfather from being arrested.
- He also said his grandfather was alive but he did not know where he was.
- The 17-year-old made his decision to return to the UK as he had become fed up with his nomadic lifestyle, with “no friends” and “no social life”.
- Greater Manchester Police have now launched a criminal investigation into the alleged abduction of Alex Batty having now formally interviewed him.
