Alex Batty disappeared from the UK as a young person in 2017 and spent six years dwelling within the French Pyrenees together with his mum and grandad earlier than escaping in 2023
Alex Batty vanished together with his mum and grandad on what was meant to be a household vacation (Picture: BBC)
Alex Batty made headlines worldwide again in 2017 after disappearing together with his mum and grandad on what was meant to be a quick household vacation.
Neither grownup held authorized guardianship and a global lacking individual inquiry was initiated. For the following six years, Alex skilled a way of life remoted from the skin world they usually ceased utilizing financial institution accounts, passports and something that will render them traceable.
In 2023, Alex, from Oldham, determined to flee, trekking for hours alongside darkish mountain roads within the French Pyrenees earlier than stopping a passing motorist, informing him “I have been kidnapped”.
Three years on, Alex, now aged 20, has chosen to disclose the entire account of his abduction and his existence through the six years he was lacking. As a part of a brand new one-off BBC documentary titled Kidnapped By My Mum, he revisits the places he inhabited throughout these years, discovering not simply how he was hid however the perception system that detained him there. Every disclosure constructs a disturbing portrait of how easy it was for a kid to fade in plain sight.
In September 2017, Alex was taken out of the UK by his mom and grandfather, who had no authorized custody over him. On the time, Alex had been residing together with his grandmother for 2 years. Talking to the BBC, Alex’s grandmother Susan Caruna defined: “Alex had been dwelling with me two years. Melanie got here right here and requested if they may go on vacation. Alex was leaping up and down ‘please grandma, please grandma, please let me go’ and I ended up saying yeah.”
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Alex revisits the places he inhabited throughout these years in BBC’s Kidnapped By My Mum (Picture: BBC)
“Are you aware, it is humorous, it was like they put a spell on me. It was like they made me say ‘sure you may go’. I can not clarify why I stated sure.” But on the day Alex was as a result of return house, Susan obtained a video from Alex’s mom.
Within the footage, Alex learn from a script: “It upsets me to let you know the reality as a result of I do not like hurting your emotions. I need to stay with my mummy and grandad. It’s a million occasions higher. Stealing me out of your daughter is soulless, it’s not good.
“In case you are not egocentric and wish the perfect for me then please don’t get anyone to search for us. Look into your coronary heart and suppose what I need. Once more, suppose what I need, not you need. Goodbye.” All contact then ceased completely.
Within the documentary, Alex mirrored on his interval spent at campsites throughout France, the place he lived together with his mom and grandfather for almost a yr in 2022, 5 years into his disappearance. He defined: “We had been at all times attempting to be tight with cash. I used to eat one meal a day. Simply pasta and sauce by itself for lord is aware of how lengthy. That is simply how I used to eat.
“My mum would inform me always, ‘you’ll want to do religious work’, ‘you’ll want to do internal work’, however once I was 15, I began actually considering for myself. So, I would try to discover my very own solutions and once I did, in the event that they differed in any manner it will begin a row. It was fixed battles, fixed arguments, fixed yelling. So, she kicked me out of her campervan.
“I used to be dwelling in a tent for a couple of months while my mum had this very nice heat campervan subsequent to me. It was wintertime, raining, it was moist, it was chilly on a regular basis, and my mum was dwelling on this campervan with heating, water and electrical, and would somewhat me sleep exterior in a tent.”
Alex had been residing together with his grandmother Susan Caruna when he disappeared (Picture: BBC)
The documentary uncovers a number of events the place Alex may have been rescued. Whereas talking to campsite proprietors Angelique and Serena, Alex questioned why they’d been permitted to stay with out presenting legitimate identification.
Angelique defined: “His mum stated they’d misplaced them. And there have been issues. They needed to conceal as a result of they had been at risk. I’ve a coronary heart, so I accepted.
“Did you guys ever know who I used to be? My actual title, my actual id?” Alex requested. “No, by no means, sorry. We might have known as the police. In addition to, I remorse not doing it”, Angelique responded. It’s throughout this alternate that Alex discovers a name was made to French social companies — a name that would have resulted in his rescue. The documentary reveals how Serena had witnessed Alex sleeping in a small tent all through the bitter winter months.
“She determined to make you sleep exterior in winter. It was very chilly, in a small tent… from September to March roughly”, Serena stated. “After which she left you want that to punish you. And so, then I assumed it was a little bit of abuse.
“I assumed she was actually not a accountable mum. And so, I known as social companies, besides they instructed me that you simply had been a foreigner and as I didn’t have your true id, they could not do something.” Alex later shared this bombshell together with his grandmother throughout a telephone name. The French social companies bureau, France Enfance Protégée, knowledgeable the BBC they had been unable to touch upon Alex’s explicit case as a result of causes of confidentiality.
Following a gruelling winter on the campsite, Alex, his mom and grandfather returned to staying with Ingrid and Fred, a pair who ran a B&B and had provided Alex and his grandfather free lodgings in alternate for work across the property.
Ingrid spoke to the BBC in regards to the second she realised Alex craved an training, saying: “I feel there was a turning level. One time I used to be going to the store with out him, and he stated ‘oh please can you purchase me a pocket book with traces or squares…’ And I stated ‘oh you desire a pocket book?’. He stated ‘yeah, I desire a faculty pocket book such as you use in school.’ He stated: “I need to examine on-line. I need to attempt to catch up. I need to have the ability to return to highschool”I feel there was a turning level. One time I used to be going to the store with out him, and he stated ‘oh please can you purchase me a pocket book with traces or squares…’ And I stated ;oh you desire a pocket book?’. He stated ‘yeah, I desire a faculty pocket book such as you use in school.’
‘He stated: I need to examine on-line. I need to attempt to catch up. I need to have the ability to return to highschool’. That is how I obtained conscious that truly he was not so pleased about being on this distant life.” Ingrid subsequently introduced Alex to Ecole 42, a coding faculty in Perpignan.
Marie, a member of workers at Ecole 42, who was with Alex on the time, featured within the documentary and revealed that he supplied them with a false title of Zach Edwards however he finally disclosed his actual title.
Alex is now a dad himself and hopes to have a greater relationship together with his mum (Picture: BBC)
“As quickly as they left, I instructed my colleague, how bizarre was it that he gave us a false title. So, we first search for Zach Edwards. There was nothing.,” Marie stated, including: “After which he typed Alex Batty, after which we noticed all of the articles with a photograph of him from 10 years in the past and for us it was the identical individual. We now have to do one thing, as a result of doubtlessly he’s at risk.”
The director of the school alerted the police, who visited Ingrid and Fred’s home, posing as officers looking for a lacking automotive and spoke to Alex. Reflecting on this encounter, Alex stated: “I used to be doing a little cleansing, I used to be sweeping up and these two policemen got here strolling down and my coronary heart’s pounding due to that and it began speeding in my head, like no manner that is taking place.” Following a brief alternate with Alex, the police departed. He defined: “I assumed they’d come to take me away and truthfully, I used to be nervous. I used to be relieved once they instructed me a couple of stolen automotive, but in addition, I used to be devastated. I may have stated one thing there after which, however I did not as a result of defending my mum and grandad, them not going to jail, was on the forefront of my thoughts.”
The Police Nationale, Perpignan, had been approached relating to the statements made within the programme and didn’t reply to the BBC’s requests for a reply.
Casting his thoughts again to the place issues at present stand together with his mom, Alex stated: “My relationship with my mum is such an advanced factor. I am aggravated at what she did…. the experiences I missed out on, my lack of training however talking to all these individuals about my mum opened up my eyes to why she did what she did. This complete journey has reconnected me to my mum and grandad and made me need to construct that bridge once more.
“Hopefully in the future I will be capable to get to the purpose the place I can go and see them and have an pleasant time somewhat than have my mum push issues down my throat like she used to do.”
Better Manchester Police launched a legal investigation into alleged baby abduction following Alex’s return to the UK however dropped this in 2025 saying that the household didn’t help it and that there was “no lifelike likelihood of prosecution”. Alex’s mom Melanie Batty was given the chance to answer the allegations featured within the programme however selected to not, whereas his grandfather David Batty was additionally approached for remark however didn’t reply.
Since his return house in 2023, Alex has efficiently obtained his Maths and English GCSEs and is at present searching for employment. In January 2026, Alex welcomed a child lady into the world.
Kidnapped By My Mum is on BBC Three at 9pm and BBC One at 10.40pm on Wednesday, Might 13. It can even be accessible to stream on BBC iPlayer
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