Missing British boy 'found in France' after suspected abduction by mother in 2017

A British boy who has not been seen by his legal guardian since he went missing on a family holiday to Spain in 2017 has reportedly been found in France.

- Mark Brown Angelique Chrisafis

Alex Batty, from Oldham, was 11 and under the guardianship of his grandmother Susan Caruana when he was allegedly abducted by his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather David Batty.

After his disappearance, Caruana said she believed her ex-partner and her daughter had run away with the boy because they wanted him to have “an alternative lifestyle”.

Yesterday the French newspaper La Dépêche reported that officials had confirmed Batty, now 17, had turned up in the town of Revel, in south-west France.

Greater Manchester police said officers in Oldham were in contact with the French authorities to establish the authenticity of the report.

A spokesperson for GMP 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.”

The boy went missing after a prearranged holiday in Málaga with his mother and grandfather.

Fabien Accidini, a chiropractic student from Toulouse, told La Dépêche he was driving while delivering medicines in Aude when he spotted Batty walking in the rain while holding a skateboard at about 2 am on Wednesday.