Greater Manchester Police have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged child abduction of Alex Batty after the teenager was formally interviewed by officers.
The 17-year-old made headlines across the world when he was discovered walking on an isolated road in Toulouse, six years after being reported missing while on holiday with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty.
He initially said he had been hiking for four days before being found.
It comes after he told The Sun that he lied over his escape from France to protect his mother and grandfather. He said: “I didn’t get lost. I knew exactly where I was going.”
The teenager also said he’d wanted to return home ot his grandmother, Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, to go to college. He said that the reunion with Ms Caruana had other family members had been emotional.
