‘Kidnapped’ Alex Batty ‘had enough when his mother tried to take him to Finland’ say French police

15 December 2023, 15:34 | Updated: 15 December 2023, 17:04

‘Kidnapped’ Alex Batty ‘had enough when his mother tried to take him to Finland’ say French police
‘Kidnapped’ Alex Batty ‘had enough when his mother tried to take him to Finland’ say French police. Picture: Alamy

By Christian Oliver

Alex Batty, who went missing in 2017, left his mother and their 'spiritual community' in France's Pyrenees mountains after she told him they had to go to Finland, prosecutors have said.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The now 17-year-old from Oldham, Greater Manchester, went missing in 2017 after going on a family holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie, then 37, and grandfather David, then 58.

Addressing media this afternoon, Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy said Alex had been on the move with his mother Melanie for the past six years after the alleged kidnap.

The three spent time in Morocco before pursuing a nomadic lifestyle in France's Pyrenees mountains with a 'spiritual community'.

Mr Leroy told reporters Alex knew the life he was having with his mother "had to stop" after she announced intentions to move to Finland.

Addressing the whereabouts of Alex's mother and grandfather, Mr Leroy said: "It is possible that the mother at this time has in fact gone to Finland as she planned.

After leaving his mother, Alex then spent four days walking before being found by a delivery driver. Police said Alex walked at night and slept during the day before he was found walking along in the rain in the foothills of the Pyrenees early on Wednesday morning.

Alex will now return home to his grandmother - and legal guardian - Susan Caruana, who has spent the past six years not knowing where her grandson was and if he was alive after her daughter Melanie and ex-husband David allegedly took him from his home in pursuit of an "alternative lifestyle".

Alex Batty, who is now 17, went missing in 2017 after going on a family holiday to Spain.
Alex Batty, who is now 17, went missing in 2017 after going on a family holiday to Spain. Picture: Greater Manchester Police
A road sign at the end of the village of Camon, south-western France, after Alex Batty, a British boy who disappeared in Spain six years ago when he was 11, has been found near, in a mountainous area, in France on December 14, 2023
A road sign at the end of the village of Camon, south-western France, after Alex Batty, a British boy who disappeared in Spain six years ago when he was 11, has been found near, in a mountainous area, in France on December 14, 2023. Picture: Getty

Read More: ‘Kidnapped’ Alex Batty coming home in days to ‘relieved’ family - as he shares emotional first video call with gran

Read More: Driver who rescued 'kidnapped' Alex Batty gives astonishing account of trek to safety as boy's first texts emerge

Mr Leroy said Alex's grandfather, who had been with him and his mother since 2017, likely died some six months ago.

He said Alex told French police that he did not attend a funeral - but there was instead a ceremony within the 'spiritual community' in which the three were a part.

Alex will now return to the UK, police said following discussions with the British Ambassador. He will be reunited with his grandmother, who has not seen him since 2017, "probably tomorrow", Mr Leroy confirmed.

Mr Leroy also described how Alex had been living for the past six years. He said his community have "no connection with the real world" and added that the group "believed in reincarnation."

"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," Mr Leroy continued.

"He's said to be intelligent even though he's never been to school in this entire period."

Alex was taken to a 'spiritual commune' by his mother and grandfather six years ago
Alex was taken to a 'spiritual commune' by his mother and grandfather six years ago. Picture: PA

Read More: Gaynor Lord detectives have 'some indications' why missing mum left work early as friend says she received 'pocket dial'

Read More: Gaynor Lord's husband 'in bits' as family perplexed at why missing mother visited Norwich Cathedral

Mr Leroy, still addressing the press conference this afternoon, addressed Alex's condition further, stating that he "doesn't describe any kind of physical violence, without talking about emotional violence."

The French prosecutor said Alex did not describe the group in the mountains as a "sect" but was instead "talking of a spiritual community".

He continued: "The mother experienced a sort of fear of solar panels, so they were travelling from house to house with solar panels.

"They only used car-sharing, they didn't have their own vehicle."

Mr Leroy added: "What I'm describing is what happened in Morocco, in Spain and in France - it was always the same way of living."

Prosecutors also have also given further insight into the four-day ordeal that saw Alex leave his mother and their community in the French Pyrenees.

Mr Leroy told reporters Alex Batty got food from "whatever he found in the fields and the gardens".

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."

It comes after Alex last night spoke on a video call with his grandmother - who has not seen him for six years after his alleged kidnapping.

"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," police old reporters.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

People thought to be migrants board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Starmer 'loses control' on immigration as 1,200 migrants cross Channel in a day

US prosecutors allege Miller was working with a Chinese national to illegally acquire weapons systems and other classified equipment for the Chinese government.

British businessman 'caught spying for China' faces 40 years in US prison after FBI sting

Dani captioned the post of the newly weds 'The Bowens'

Love Island's Dani Dyer and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen tie knot in 'Bridgerton-inspired' ceremony

Paris St Germain sweep aside Inter Milan to win Champions League

Paris St-Germain thrash Inter Milan with record 5-0 win - becoming Champions of Europe for the first time

A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Coastguard resources 'stretched thin' by migrant rescues as fishing boats urged to help yacht in trouble

Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike

Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar 'eliminated' in airstrike on tunnel under south Gaza hospital, IDF confirms

Brandon Moore is a rugby league player.

Rugby league star missing as wife issues desperate plea to find father of three

Thicke and his long-term partner tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

'Through Thicke and thin': Robin Thicke gets hitched to model April Love Geary in Mexico after seven-year engagement

Police officers look at the remains of a crashed plane on the terrace of a residential building in Korschenbroich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (David Young/dpa via AP)

Two people die after small plane crashes into house in Germany

Aziz Ziriat had been hiking in the Dolomites with his friend.

Body of British hiker missing in Italy since January found at foot of mountain as family praise rescuers' 'commitment'

Emergency services were called to Frith Road, Croydon, just after 9am on Saturday and treated two injured people at the scene.

Woman in her 20s stabbed to death in 'tragic' incident in Croydon as man arrested on suspicion of murder

WFP distribute flour to Palestinians struggling with hunger in Gaza.

Dozens of UN food lorries 'blocked and emptied' by desperate Palestinians

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in response to the US' Gaza ceasefire proposals.

Hamas demands changes to US Gaza ceasefire plan - as US envoy Steve Witkoff slams 'totally unacceptable' proposal

Emergency services responded on Friday to a report of two children, a boy and a girl, who were facing difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent.

Body found in search for missing girl who vanished in the River Thames as rescued boy remains in stable condition

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, at NATO headquarters

Pete Hegseth warns Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be 'imminent'

Michael Mosley died while on holiday with his wife on the Greek island of Symi last year

Michael Mosley's family set up research project in his memory after TV doctor's tragic death on Greek island