Missing Brit Alex Batty's return date confirmed after disappearing for six years
Alex Batty's is expected to make an emotional return home to England today, police revealed.
Officers spoke today after French authorities confirmed the shocking news that the now 17-year-old had been discovered walking along a road in rural south France by a lorry driver. It was believed he would return to the UK next week but now it has been confirmed he'll back home within hours.
A police source said: "She is his legal guardian, and the case is now in the hands of Manchester police. The young man is staying at a youth hostel in Toulouse, but should be back in Britain soon."
The British teen, originally from Oldham, Greater Manchester, hasn't been seen since October 2017 when he was taken for a holiday in Marbella, Spain, with his mother, Melanie, and grandfather, David. The teen's aunt Maureen Batty, from Nelson, Lancashire, had told The Mirror of her overwhelming relief and joy.
Alex disappeared six years ago when he went on holiday with his mum to Spain (PA)Speaking last night before the plans were amended, Maureen, 43, added: “I am glad he has been found because we had no idea about where he has been for the last six or seven years. I am relieved that he is safe. He is coming home next week.
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"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. I’ve been told that Alex said that he had escaped and he didn’t want to lead that lifestyle. So he is thinking straight on those lines. I just want to know the truth about what’s gone on. He is safe now."
Alex's grandmother Susan Caruana said the news came as a 'shock' but that she was 'so happy' (PA)Alex's grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana, 68, from Oldham, said on Thursday night: “I am so happy. I have spoken to him and he is well. He is currently with the authorities in France. It is great news. I am just waiting for him to come home - I am thrilled."
Alex will now live with his gran in Oldham, it is understood. Ms Caruana, though, is said to be too frail to travel to Toulouse, so a team of British police officers is expected to pick Alex up today. Consular officials are also liaising with the French authorities, after Alex produced a long statement to gendarmes.
Alex had been on a prearranged week long trip to Benahavis, near Marbella, with Melanie Batty, 43, who had been living in Spain at the time and did not have legal parental guardianship, as well as his grandfather David Batty, 64. But on Wednesday he was spotted walking down an isolated road with his skateboard. It's believed he had recently been living in a rural community in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Alex had been on holiday with mum Melanie, pictured, when he vanished (PA)Driver Fabien Accidini, who stopped and picked him up, told local press: “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.”
Countryside sects are relatively common in south west France, and indeed across the border in Spain, and there are always complications when minors are involved. Alex is said to have been living in a remote Pyrenean valley, without any formal teaching or healthcare.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place."
And a UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British national in France and are in contact with local authorities."
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