Explained | Curious case of Alex Batty: British teen returns to UK six years after he went missing

British teenager Alex Batty who was found in France after disappearing while on holiday in Spain with his mother and grandfather has returned to the United Kingdom, said the police, on Saturday (Dec 16).

Alex, who is now 17 years old, went missing at the age of 11, in 2017 during a holiday in Spain and was recently found by a delivery driver along a mountainous area of southern France. The British police had launched a case after Alex and his family members did not return from the Spanish city of Marbella after two weeks.

His mother, whose current whereabouts are unknown, does not have parental guardianship.

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Here’s what we know about the years-long case:

Alex returns to UK

“It gives me great pleasure to say Alex has now made his safe return back to the UK after six years,” said Matt Boyle, assistant chief of the Greater Manchester police (GMP), on Saturday night. He also said that Alex met his step-grandfather at Toulouse airport before flying back to the UK.

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“This moment was undoubtedly huge for him and his loved ones and we’re glad that they have been able to see each other again after all this time,” said the British police.

The GMP has yet to take a formal statement from Alex and did not comment on the details disclosed by the French authorities about what he may have been doing when he went missing.

“Speaking with him (Alex) at a pace that feels comfortable to him will ultimately determine how this case is progressed, and whether there is a criminal investigation to ensue,” said GMP.

Why did Alex leave the UK?

Alex hails from Oldham, Greater Manchester and has been returned to his maternal grandmother Susan Caruana, whom the British justice system had entrusted with his custody before his alleged abduction.

According to reports, Alex was allegedly abducted by his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty. Due to domestic issues, both adults were banned from being with the youngster at the time.

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Alex’s mother, Melanie is yet to be found but could be in Finland, according to Toulouse assistant prosecutor Antoine Leroy. Alex reportedly told the police that his grandfather, David may have died six months ago but it is unclear where he might have been buried.

Susan Caruana, who was Alex’s grandmother and official guardian, believed that her ex-partner and her daughter had run away with Alex and had settled into “an alternative lifestyle” somewhere.

She believed, at the time of Alex’s disappearance, that Melanie and David had taken him abroad and “got involved with a cult”.

“I can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited,” said Caruana. “The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.”

What happened in France?

The 17-year-old was found by a delivery driver after he had walked for four days and nights, said a deputy prosecutor. A doctor who examined him said that he is in good health and does not appear to have been abused in the years since his abduction, reported AFP.

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According to French media reports, Alex told investigators he had not suffered any physical violence during the past six years.

Alex had been in France for two years before he was found, he told the investigators, and had lived a “nomadic” life in a “spiritual community” but would not stay in the same place for more than several months at a time.

According to the French prosecutor, the teenager had decided to escape when his mother announced she was going to Finland. Alex told French investigators they had spent time in Morocco before moving to the French Pyrenees, near the border with Spain.

Alex also reportedly told investigators that he had spent time in a spiritual community centre focused on “work on the ego, meditation and reincarnation” when his mother said she was moving to Finland and he decided to leave.

Alex had been walking along the road by night to avoid detection and foraging food from gardens and fields along the way, when a student working as a delivery driver, Fabien Accidini, picked Alex up between two villages in the pouring rain.

“He clearly needed help,” Fabien told AFP, and since Alex did not speak French very well, he spoke to him in English. Alex who was also suspicious of Fabien initially gave him a fake name but as the boy helped him with his deliveries he opened up.

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“During the first few minutes, he seemed a little shy…When I asked him his name, he pretended his name was Zach, and then we continued chatting. We talked for over three hours! Very quickly, he gave me his real identity – Alex Batty – before telling me his story,” said Fabien.

He told the news agency that he was also shocked to learn that Alex had been abducted, “When he told me he’d been abducted, I made him say it again – it was crazy!”

Fabien lent his mobile phone so the 17-year-old could contact his grandmother in England via Facebook to tell her he wanted to come home. They later went to the police.

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Alex told him he hoped to go back to school and study to become an engineer, Accidini told AFP. “He knew that where he was was not real life – and that he didn’t want that life in the future,” he added.

Alex, who will turn 18 on February 13 is set to face adulthood with no qualifications or recent schooling and his immediate future will involve attempting to restart his life in Greater Manchester.

(With inputs from agencies)