22 December 2023 , 13:20
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A criminal investigation has been launched into the alleged abduction of teenager Alex Batty, who returned to the UK last week after six years missing abroad, police have today confirmed.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have now interviewed Alex following his return from France. He went missing while on holiday in Spain at the age of 11 in 2017.
The force had said previously they would not be able to identify the investigation's nature until Alex provided a statement. Now, a criminal probe will be launched, it has been confirmed, after officers interviewed the teenager in the UK.
The spokesperson said: "Greater Manchester Police has launched a criminal investigation into child abduction to understand the circumstances surrounding Alex Batty going missing from 30 September 2017 to Wednesday 13 December 2023."
Alex, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was found walking in the French Pyrenees. He was picked up by delivery driver and chiropody student, Fabien Accidini, who spotted him on a road near Toulouse in the early hours of a rainy morning six years after going missing.
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Alex wrote his mother a heartbreaking note - in which he said he loved her but was capable of living on his own - before he left the commune in France. The youngster penned the letter minutes before he fled the home in the Pyrenees with the intention to study computing at university. The 17-year-old boy also urged Melanie not be angry with him for walking out of their home for a new life. He had become fed up with his nomadic lifestyle, with "no friends" and "no social life".
Alex is pictured mum Melanie and grandfather David (Enterprise News and Pictures)And the teen landed in the UK on Saturday evening. His gran, legal guardian Susan Caruana, said: "I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well. The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child." Speaking after arriving at his grandmother's property in Nelson, Lancashire, Alex said: "I’m glad to be home for Christmas."
Alex spoke to members of the media yesterday, explaining future ambitions to study at college spurred on his decision to abandon his family's way of life in the French Pyrenees. He told The Sun he has interests in eventually reading computer science or cyber security at university.
Speaking previously, when the force anticipated to talk to Alex, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "GMP are yet to obtain any formal statements from Alex and therefore we cannot comment on this at this time. Speaking with him, 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.
"Our continued focus is supporting Alex and his family in partnership with other local agencies to ensure they are safe, their wellbeing is looked after, and his reintegration with society is as easy as possible. We are yet to establish the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance, but no matter what, understand that this may be an overwhelming process. He may now be six years older than when he went missing, but he is still a young person. I would continue to ask for the community and media’s support in granting Alex and his family privacy as they look to move forward."