19 December 2023 , 12:18
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A teenage boy grins widely at his laptop screen - it's not a forum, or social media, or even a game. It's his gran and it's the first time he's seen her in six years.
It's the first time Susan Caruana, 68, has set eyes on Alex Batty since he was 11. He's now 17. The last six years haven't been a game. Far from it.
It is understood Alex escaped the "spiritual" commune in southern France he had been living for at least two of these years. French police said the commune has "no connection to the real world" and Alex had left, and walked for four days, moving at night and sleeping during the day, to avoid detection.
The boy was eventually discovered wandering through heavy rain on a country road at the foot of the Pyrenees at 2am on Wednesday. Fabien Accidini - the delivery driver who found Alex, exhausted and struggling with the elements - searched Alex's name on the internet and realised the severity of the chance encounter.
After police involvement, Alex's family was made aware of the discovery and that video call - believed to have been the first interaction Alex and Ms Caruana had had in six years - was a magical moment. Joy, relief and bewilderment dawned, all in the space of minutes.
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Fabien, a chiropractic student, had said: "He lived with his mother in a spiritual community, far away from normal life. Alex told me his mother was a little crazy, but she never imprisoned him. He could leave if he wanted. He had no animosity towards her, but really wanted to find his grandmother. He missed his loved ones."
Alex Batty is pictured with mum Melanie and dad David (Manchester Evening News)And he had found her. A beaming teenager reunited - in some sense - with a loved one, whom was just overwhelmed he was safe. Speaking last week from her home in Nelson, Lancashire, Ms Caruana said: "It’s amazing. It’s an incredible story. It’s unbelievable after all these years. I’m in shock. I can’t believe it. I have spoken to him and he’s well, that’s all I can say for now.
"I’m desperate to see him over the weekend but I don’t know what’s happening. I’m waiting for the authorities to let me know. It’s breath-taking, and I’m over the moon. I just can’t believe it. It was absolutely like a dream when I heard his voice. It was unbelievable."
Yet for all the jubilation and solace, there's sorrow and uncertainty. Many mysteries surround Alex's disappearance and what exactly happened to him in those years. Where has a significant part of his childhood gone?
Alex, pictured in around 2017, went on holiday and never returned home (PA)What about Alex's mum and grandfather?
Alex left the UK on September 30, 2017, on holiday with mum Melanie and grandfather David. The trio went on holiday to Spain, leaving Ms Caruana, Alex's legal guardian, at home in Nelson. They never returned as scheduled and Ms Caruana understood they had found communes to adopt an "alternative lifestyle".
It's said Melanie had told Alex she was leaving the latest commune in southwest France to travel to Finland and, following this, Alex fled on foot. It had been alleged by Alex's family back in Nelson and nearby Oldham, Greater Manchester, that Melanie had abducted her son.
Since he was found, Alex has maintained to the authorities David died six months ago. However, French locals, who lived next to Alex, have claimed the teenager's grandad is still alive and was spotted mowing the lawn just over a week ago. Speaking yesterday, French police said: "There is every possibility that Alex’s grandfather, David Batty, is still alive. There does not seem to be a death certificate, or any other kind of official confirmation of his death."
This stone property in a remote French hamlet is Alex's last-known address, prior to moving back to Oldham (The Daily Mirror)Where exactly had Alex been living?
Alex had initially refused to tell French police the exact location of the commune, it is understood. The Mirror believes, on strong authority, the trio had lived in a stone-built property in the tiny southern French hamlet of La Bastide, just over two hours drive south of the city of Toulouse.
Neighbour Rolande Alibert said she saw the teenager leave the property last weekend while carrying a bag and showing no sign of anything unusual. The 76-year-old, who is mayor of the hamlet, said: "I saw him leave carrying a bag at the weekend. He looked OK. But I didn’t know why he left. It was only after I read about them in the newspaper that I learnt the truth."
She added: "He was there and always seemed like a very nice and polite young boy. He didn’t speak French, but would always smile and say 'Bonjour' and 'Au Revoir'."
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Prior to this, Alex and the other family members lived in Spain and in Morocco, it is reported. Fabien said Alex told him that he had lived in a luxury house in Spain for three years with ten other people, before leaving for France in 2021. In 2018, prior to his time in Spain, Ms Caruana told the BBC she believed Alex's mother and grandfather had taken him to live in a spiritual community in Morocco. Speaking back then, Ms Caruana said Alex’s mother "didn’t believe in school".