UK boy, missing since 2017, reportedly found in France

Alex Batty, a British boy who hadnot been seen since he was allegedly kidnapped six years ago, was found alive and well in France. Batty hails from Oldham, Greater Manchester. He was just 11 years old and was under the guardianship of his grandmother Susan Caruana.

It was claimed in the reports that he was 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. When they did not return from Marbella after two weeks, police launched an investigation.

He was travelling with family members in Spain in October 2017 when he went missing.

Now, the French prosecutors believe to have tracked him down, who is now 17 years old. Local reports mentioned that he was picked up by a lorry driver, who told him: "My mother kidnapped me when I was 12 years old."

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.

Caruana, who was aged 62 at the time in 2017, said: "They didn't want [Alex] to go to school, they don't believe in mainstream school."

Meanwhile, the French newspaper La Depeche reported on Thursday that officials had confirmed that Batty had turned up in the town of Revel, in southern France.

Greater Manchester police said officers in Oldham were in contact with the French authorities to establish the authenticity of the report.

UK-based media reports mentioned that as per the Greater Manchester police, the officers in Oldham were in contact with the French authorities and were trying to verify the report.

Who spotted Alex?

As quoted by The Guardian, a spokesperson for GMP said: "This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further inquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place."

Fabien Accidini, who is a chiropractic student from Toulouse, told La Depeche that he was driving while delivering medicines in Aude when he noticed Alex strolling in the rain with a skateboard around 2:00 am (local time) on Wednesday.

As quoted, Accidini said: "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," Accidini.

"During the first few minutes, he seemed a little shy. We tried to speak in French but I noticed that he had not mastered the language. I decided to communicate in English. 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," Accidini said.

Accidini claimed that Alex told him he had "lived in Spain in a luxury house with around 10 people for three years".

He added: "He had no animosity towards his mother but he really wanted to find his grandmother. He really missed his loved ones."

(With inputs from agencies)