17 December 2023 , 09:52
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French locals who lived next to Alex Batty have claimed the teenager's grandad is still alive and was spotted mowing the lawn just over a week ago, despite him being presumed dead by the police.
Neighbours living in La Bastide, in the Pyrenees, have hit back at reports that David Batty passed away six months ago. It comes after authorities in France said his grandson Alex visited a "meditation" ceremony to honour his memory. Alex, who was reported missing at the age of 11 in 2017, left his hometown in Manchester to go on a pre-arranged holiday to Marbella, Spain, with his mother Melanie Batty and his grandfather, but they never returned.
Neighbours say David Batty went by the name of Peter in France (PA)In a news conference on Friday, French prosecutors said Alex was taken to reside in a "spiritual community" and lived in Morocco before moving to the Pyrenees. He was found by delivery driver Fabien Accidini on a rural road close to Quillan, France, on Wednesday. The part-time driver offered Alex a lift before he realised who he actually was. The teen has since returned to the UK to be reunited with grandmother Susan Caruana in Oldham, Greater Manchester on Saturday evening.
David Batty was believed by police to have died this year, however locals in La Bastide called him by the name Peter and said he's alive and well in the hamlet La Bastide, south of Carcassonne. One of his neighbours, identified as Sebastian, told Mail Online: “Peter is not dead. I saw him a week ago, maybe ten days ago. He was mowing the grass in front of the Gite. Peter was a nice person. He was very shy.
Grandmother Susan Caruana was pictured at her doorstep a day before she was reunited with Alex (CHRIS NEILL)"He would speak with me. I tried to speak to him in English but he was evasive. The owner of the Gite, Fred, would host drinks in the garden in the summer. But Peter would never join us."
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The neighbour said Fred told him that Peter used to be an "alcoholic" which is why he never joined them for drinks. Sebastian further said Alex seemed "happy and healthy" and said he was "not being held against his will". He added: “I don’t know why the boy told the police that his grandad had died six months ago. I think he was telling a story to the police to cover for his grandad."
Melanie could be living in Finland (PA)David Batty is said to have worked as a handyman and would disappear for weeks to visit Melanie who lived close by in Ariege. Alex was known to locals as Zak and would also visit his mum. It is believed that Melanie could now be in Finland. Alex is said to be spending Christmas with his grandmother, who is his legal guardian.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), told reporters: "We are aware the French authorities disclosed detailed information yesterday during their press conference relating to what Alex may have been doing and where he has been over his years missing. Greater Manchester Police are yet to obtain any formal statement from Alex and therefore we cannot comment at this time."