Police close criminal investigation into disappearance of Alex Batty
22 January 2025, 13:08 | Updated: 22 January 2025, 14:12
The mother and grandfather of the British boy who went missing for six years will not face any criminal charges, police have said, after the family withdrew support for a prosecution.
Alex Batty was 11 when he disappeared in 2017 after travelling to Spain with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty, for a holiday.
They did not return, and Alex was reported missing a week later by his grandmother, Susan Caruana, who was his legal guardian while he was under the age of 18.
It began a police investigation that would span six years.
Alex was found when a medical student offered him a lift in the early hours of Wednesday after seeing him walking alone in heavy rain near southern France, about an hour from Toulouse.
Alex initially gave a fake name, saying he was called Zac, but quickly started opening up and told him he had been kidnapped by his mother when he was 11. The teenager revealed he had been hiking in the mountains for four days in an attempt to return home to England.
He now lives in Greater Manchester, "surrounded by those who love him", the police have said.
A criminal investigation was launched into his disappearance, but this has now been closed after Alex's family withdrew support. After consulting various partners, Greater Manchester Police also concluded there would be no realistic chance of a prosecution.
What have the police said?
Detective Superintendent Matt Walker, who led the investigation said this was the outcome the family had wished for.
"Alex and his safety has been at the forefront of our minds and actions since he was found in Toulouse, France in 2023," he said in a statement.
"In our commitment to protecting children, we felt it was important that the circumstances of Alex's disappearance be properly and thoroughly investigated. I led a dedicated team to do exactly that when Alex was first found, and this has continued since.
"We have consulted with various partners, such as a complex case CPS lawyer and the National Crime Agency throughout, and concluded there would be no realistic chance of criminal prosecution.
"Given this, the right thing to do is bring closure to this chapter of Alex and his family's lives, particularly as this is the outcome they wished for.
"Alex is now an adult, safe, and reintegrated with life back in Greater Manchester surrounded by those who love him, which ultimately is the priority."
Where did Alex Batty go for six years?
Alex told the man who found him he had lived in a luxury house in Spain with a group of 10 people as part of a "spiritual community" before moving to France in 2021.
Read more: What happened to Alex Batty?
The student said Alex did not seem angry - he said he had not been chained up - but wasn't sure if he was allowed to leave at any time.
"He didn't have regrets [about leaving the community]... he just wanted to live a normal life, to see his grandmother again and to have a normal future, that's the word that he used," the student, Fabien Accidini said.
Mr Accidini agreed to let Alex borrow his phone - which he used to send a Facebook message to his grandmother in the UK, saying "I love you, I want to come home"
(c) Sky News 2025: Police close criminal investigation into disappearance of Alex Batty
