Alex Batty toasted first Christmas back with grandmother with cans of Irn-Bru
Alex Batty toasted his first Christmas back with his grandmother with cans of Irn-Bru.
Alex, 17, returned to the UK earlier this month after spending six years living a “nomadic lifestyle” with his mother in Europe.
His grandmother and legal guardian Susan Cuarana, 68, told The Sun she had surprised the teenager with a gift of 24 cans of his favourite fizzy drink and bags of crisps which he missed while being abroad.
Ms Cuarana also told the newspaper how she had fallen into a deep depression and was not able to celebrate Christmas Day after her grandson had failed to return from a Spanish holiday with his mother and grandfather in 2017.
However, this year, she said it was the “best Christmas ever”, adding: “I still can’t quite believe Alex is home. I have to pinch myself.
“When he disappeared I thought I’d never see him again and it’s taking some getting used to waking up in the morning and having him in the house.”
Among the gifts Alex received on his first Christmas in the UK in six years, were tickets to see his favourite football team Manchester United play Aston Villa.
He was also given a new phone, headphones, an Alexa device, a water bottle and a sketch pad and colouring pencils.
Alex told The Sun: “I loved Irn-Bru when I was little and used to get some from the corner shop whenever I could. The same for Worcestershire sauce-flavoured crisps.
“So my gran surprised me by tracking down a massive pack of cans and a couple of family-sized bags of crisps.
“I could have just tucked into them for Christmas dinner.”
Alex also said he and his mother never celebrated Christmas while they were in Europe because they were “always on the move”.
He said it was “so nice” to go to sleep and wake up in the same place and that he was also enjoying the wet and cold weather now that he was back in the UK.
The teenager is now preparing to start college next month – after being desperate to resume his education during his time abroad.
It is not known where Alex’s mother Melanie, 43, and grandfather David, 64, are.
Last week it was reported that Ms Batty left a rented house in the village of Villefort when news broke that her son had been found.
It is believed she is travelling in France in a small white car which belongs to a close male friend known as Fabrizio.
Her former landlord told of how she had sent him an email explaining that she had gone but would return.
Last week, French teachers claimed that they alerted authorities when the missing teenager tried to enrol in a school in Perpignan, south France, six months ago.
Earlier this month, Greater Manchester Police said it had launched a criminal investigation into child abduction to understand the circumstances surrounding Alex going missing.
