'Abducted' teen's call to granny

Emotional video reunion six years after he was taken to spiritual retreat’

- John Dunne

BRITISH teenager Alex Batty, who was believed to have been abducted by his mother six years ago, has been reunited with his grandmother on an "emotional" video call.

The 17-year-old, from Oldham, Lancashire, was 11 when he did not return from a holiday in Spain with his mother Melanie and grandfather David in 2017. He claims he was taken to a spiritual retreat by the pair and had been living off grid.

Alex was spotted by a driver walking in torrential rain near the French city of Toulouse at about 2am on Wednesday and taken to a police station. He is expected to return to the UK "as soon as possible" with Greater Manchester Police liaising with French officers.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police said that Alex and his grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana, had been reunited in the video call.