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| Alex Batty: Teen from Oldham missing for six years found in France | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A 17-year-old English boy from Oldham who went missing in Spain in 2017 has been found in France, authorities say. | A 17-year-old English boy from Oldham who went missing in Spain in 2017 has been found in France, authorities say. |
| Alex Batty was found in the town of Revel, east of Toulouse, early on Wednesday morning. | |
| The prosecutor's office in Toulouse told the BBC the family had confirmed the teenager's identity. | |
| Alex had been missing for six years after going on holiday with his mother and grandfather. | |
| The mother and grandfather, who do not have parental guardianship of Alex, have not been located but remain wanted in connection with his disappearance. | |
| Alex is currently being looked after by social services, awaiting the arrival of British police and consular staff who are on their way to bring him back to England. | |
| A police source told BBC News that the boy had been taken to a police station by a concerned motorist who had spotted him walking along a road in the foothills of the Pyrenees. | |
| The boy said he had been in France for two years, the police source said, adding that he bore a resemblance to the last known picture of Alex. | The boy said he had been in France for two years, the police source said, adding that he bore a resemblance to the last known picture of Alex. |
| He was in good health and did not say he had been mistreated in any way. | He was in good health and did not say he had been mistreated in any way. |
| His grandmother - and legal guardian - Susan Caruana told the BBC in 2018 that she believed Alex's mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty had taken him to live with a spiritual community in Morocco. | His grandmother - and legal guardian - Susan Caruana told the BBC in 2018 that she believed Alex's mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty had taken him to live with a spiritual community in Morocco. |
| She said at the time they were seeking an alternative lifestyle and did not want Alex to go to school. | She said at the time they were seeking an alternative lifestyle and did not want Alex to go to school. |
| Melanie and David Batty left Greater Manchester with Alex for Marbella in Spain on 30 September 2017. | |
| He was last seen at the Port of Malaga on 8 October, the day they were expected to return. | |
| Alex Batty, centre, disappeared with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty | Alex Batty, centre, disappeared with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty |
| A local journalist told the BBC a delivery driver had spotted the boy walking along the road carrying a backpack and skateboard and, feeling sorry for him, picked him up. | |
| "They spent three hours together in the car, and the boy told his story," Remi Buhagiar of La Depeche newspaper said. | "They spent three hours together in the car, and the boy told his story," Remi Buhagiar of La Depeche newspaper said. |
| "He said he'd been living in a kind of itinerant commune. He wasn't under any compulsion but he said he found his mother a bit weird and decided he didn't want this kind of life, and that he wanted to set his own path - that's why he decided to leave," he added. | "He said he'd been living in a kind of itinerant commune. He wasn't under any compulsion but he said he found his mother a bit weird and decided he didn't want this kind of life, and that he wanted to set his own path - that's why he decided to leave," he added. |
| Alex had been walking through the hills for days, Mr Buhagiar explained. | Alex had been walking through the hills for days, Mr Buhagiar explained. |
| "He asked the driver if he could borrow his phone and sent a message via Facebook to his grandmother, saying he was fine and wanted to see her. He was not sure if she got the message," he said. | "He asked the driver if he could borrow his phone and sent a message via Facebook to his grandmother, saying he was fine and wanted to see her. He was not sure if she got the message," he said. |
| The area in the foothills of the Pyrenees is known for attracting people in search of alternative lifestyles. | |
| British police have been contacted via the UK embassy in Paris. | |
| Greater Manchester Police confirmed it is in touch with French authorities to put "safeguarding measures in place". | Greater Manchester Police confirmed it is in touch with French authorities to put "safeguarding measures in place". |
| "This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place," a spokesperson said. | "This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place," a spokesperson said. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Oldham | Oldham |
| France | France |