A British boy who went missing for six years before resurfacing in France last week has accused his mother and grandfather of abducting him.
Alex Batty, now 17, went missing when he was just 11 years old during a two-week vacation in Spain with his mom, Melanie Batty, and grandad, David Batty. Last week, however, while walking down a rainy roadway in Toulouse, France, at night, a chiropody student stopped the isolated teenager and brought him to a nearby police station.
The French authorities searched Batty’s records and found that he had been listed as missing for approximately six years.
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Alex Batty’s Shocking Revelation
On Friday (December 22), the teenager gave his first interview with The Sun. It was the first time he publicly spoke out after being found and returned to his grandmother’s home in the UK.
While Batty initially told cops he had hatched a plan to run away after his mother made plans for them to relocate to Finland, he has since retracted his statement and said it was a lie.
“I know that their decision to take me was what they thought was best for me and for my future. I know it came from love; I know it came from a place of protection,” the teenager told The Sun. “But they thought about the presence; they didn’t think about the future.”
In his interview, Batty claimed he would spend much time with his mother as a child, though she didn’t have guardianship over him — only his grandmother, Susan Caruana, did. What he initially thought would be a short-lived trip to Spain turned into a new life away from friends, school, and his other relatives for over half a decade.
Batty claims that his mother was “anti-government” and “anti-vax” and that they spent years traveling through Europe and visiting countries such as Morocco, Spain, and France, living a hippy lifestyle.
The teenager also remembered how his mom had instilled fear in him when he would question her on whether they’d ever return home. But she’d convince him they would place him in childcare if he returned to the UK, so Batty chose to stay with her, per Global News.
On December 11, however, everything changed when he decided to leave his mother and walk for two days before crossing paths with the student who would take him to the police station.
Alex Hated Not Being Able To Attend School
As time passed and the “two-week vacation” in Spain had turned into an indefinite stay, Batty began falling behind on his studies. He tells The Sun that the worst thing that came out of the ordeal was “not having a proper education.”
“During all my time away, I never attended school for a single day,” he said. “The only qualifications I have are my Sats test results from primary school when I lived back in Oldham. That’s one of the worst things that’s happened to me throughout all this – not having a proper education.”
According to The Sun, a judge has ruled that Batty will now remain under his grandmother’s care as a court ward. The woman will take care of Batty until he is 18 years old.
During his interview with the outlet, the 17-year-old shared a special message to his mother and grandfather, assuring them that he is okay and “very happy.” At this time, it remains unclear if UK authorities have launched an investigation into Batty’s alleged underage abduction.
