BREAKING NEWS Missing British boy Alex Batty who has not been seen since his mother and grandfather ‘abducted him’ in Spain six years ago aged 11 is found alive and well in France after fleeing ‘spiritual community’, officials reveal

• Alex Batty, from Oldham, was just 11 when he did not return from holiday in 2017 

A British boy who has not been seen since his mother and father allegedly abducted him in Spain six years ago has been found alive and well in France, prosecutors said today.

Alex Batty, from Oldham, Lancashire, was just 11 when he did not return from a holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie, then 37, and grandfather David, then 58, in 2017.

Alex’s grandmother and official guardian, Susan Caruana, said in 2018 she believed her daughter and ex-husband had taken him abroad to live an ‘alternative lifestyle’.

And now, six years after his disappearance, prosecutors say that Alex has been found alive and well near Toulouse, France, after fleeing a ‘spiritual community’. 

Investigators believe Alex escaped a rural community living in the foothills of the Pyrenees. 

Alex Batty, from Oldham, Lancashire, was just 11 when he did not return from a holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie, then 37, and grandfather David, then 58, in 2017

Alex Batty, from Oldham, Lancashire, was just 11 when he did not return from a holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie (left), then 37, and grandfather David (right), then 58, in 2017

Alex flew into Malaga airport in Spain on a pre-agreed trip with Melanie – who does not have legal parental guardianship – and David for a week-long stay in the Benahavis area, near Marbella in 2017. 

But Alex, his mother and grandfather did not come back home as expected on October 8 2017, sparking a massive police enquiry into the boy’s apparent abduction.

Alex’s grandmother Susan, who was 62 at the time of disappearance, said in 2018 that Melanie and David had previously lived on a commune in Morocco with Alex in 2014 as part of an ‘alternative lifestyle’.

Susan said she believed her daughter and ex-husband had abducted Alex so that he could live an ‘alternative lifestyle’. 

She said at the time: ‘They didn’t want [Alex] to go to school, they don’t believe in mainstream school.’

Now prosecutors in south west France are certain that Alex, who is now 17, has turned up alone in Revel, near Toulouse.

La Depeche, the newspaper that covers the area, reported on Thursday: ‘The Alex Batty mystery is about to be solved.

‘Although he did not show any official document to the gendarmes who took him in, this young 17-year-old boy provided his identity on his own.

‘His face and his story correspond in every way to that of the Briton kidnapped in 2017. ‘This Thursday the Toulouse public prosecutor confirmed that it is indeed Alex Batty.’

Investigators believe Alex escaped a rural community living in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

After days of hiking, he was picked up by a lorry driver who became suspicious and called police.

Alex Batty, from Oldham, Lancashire, was just 11 when he went missing while travelling with family members in Spain in October 2017

Alex’s grandmother Susan (pictured), who was 62 at the time of disappearance, said in 2018 that Melanie and David had previously lived on a commune in Morocco with Alex in 2014 as part of an ‘alternative lifestyle’

Alex was questioned by detectives, and – La Depeche reported – ‘recounted his incredible journey, serenely and calmly.

‘His story has been verified and appears to correspond to reality. Following this hearing, the teenager was entrusted to the department’s social services, while waiting for his relatives to come forward.’

Early enquiries by judicial police working with prosecutors suggest that Alex was living in a ‘spiritual community’ with his mother and grandmother, and mainly staying in caravans and tents.

MailOnline has contacted Greater Manchester Police for comment. 

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…  

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