‘Abducted’ teenager Alex Batty has video call with grandmother after being found

Greater Manchester Police said the 17-year-old is being ‘well cared for’ by French authorities.

British teenager Alex Batty, pictured before he went missing, had a video call with his grandmother on Thursday evening (Oldham Times/PA) (PA Media)

British teenager Alex Batty who was believed to have been abducted by his mother six years ago had a video call with his grandmother a day after being found.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police said Susan Caruana was “content” he was her grandson.

He had disappeared with his mother and grandfather in 2017 but is expected to return to the UK in the next few days, police said.

Alex, who is now 17, had gone on a family holiday to Spain on September 30 of that year and is believed to have been abducted by his 43-year-old mother Melanie Batty to live an “alternative” lifestyle abroad.

The force said Alex is being “well cared for” by French authorities.

The teenager was found near the French city of Toulouse on Wednesday and taken to a police station in the village of Revel by chiropody student Fabien Accidini.

In a press conference on Friday, Mr Sykes told reporters: “The young man and Alex’s grandmother spoke on a video call last night and whilst she is content that this is indeed Alex, we obviously have further checks to do when he returns to the United Kingdom.

“Our main priority now is to see Alex returned home to his family in the UK and our investigation team are working around the clock with partner agencies and the French authorities to ensure they are all fully supported.

“Alex and his family remain our focus and we still have some work to do in establishing the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance and where he has been in all those years.

“I can only imagine the emotions they have experienced as a family throughout this ordeal.”

Questioned on whether there was a timeline to bring Alex back to the UK, the officer said: “We’re working hard with the French authorities to bring Alex back as soon as possible.

“He is getting well cared for by the French authorities at the moment in Toulouse.

“We’re in close liaison with them and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and our priority is to get him back to the UK and get him back to his family in Oldham as soon as possible.”

Mr Sykes said he had “no idea” where the teenager had been and needed to speak to Alex to “establish the full facts”.

He told reporters the focus was on Alex’s safeguarding and wellbeing, but added: “Obviously his mother is part of that conversation and investigation.”

Questioned on how Alex and his grandmother Ms Caruana is feeling, Mr Sykes said: “From what I have seen from the officers that have spoken to the grandmother, she has a whole host of emotions and feelings as you could imagine.

“The French authorities have been looking after Alex really, really well.

“Our real concern is how we bring Alex back to the UK in a safe way and make sure we look after his wellbeing.”

Addressing how the teenager’s wider family were feeling, Mr Sykes continued: “The family here in Oldham… they are obviously massively relieved and a whole host of emotions are going through their minds at the moment as they come to terms with this good news.”

Mr Accidini told Sky News Alex revealed that since being kidnapped by his mother they had lived in a luxury house in Spain with around 10 people as part of a “spiritual community”, before moving to France in around 2021.

The teenager said he had been hiking in nearby mountains for more than four days in an attempt to return to England.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting a British national in France and are in contact with local authorities.”

Mr Sykes declined to answer whether the teenager’s mother and 64-year-old grandfather David Batty are suspects in his disappearance.