Alex Batty was 11 years old when he left the UK with his mother and grandfather for what was supposed to be a holiday to Marbella. He did not come home for six years. Now 20, he is speaking publicly about what that time was really like in a new BBC documentary titled Kidnapped By My Mum.
According to BBC, coverage of the documentary Alex described a nomadic life spent moving between communes and rural areas across Spain, Morocco and south-west France. He was kept out of school throughout those years. He said he gradually grew unhappy with the lifestyle and spoke about a moment that stayed with him: sitting at a cafe near a school and hearing the bell ring as children came out. "I cried my eyes out because you know, I'd had enough," he said.
Alex disappeared in October 2017 after travelling abroad with his mother Melanie Batty and his grandfather David Batty. His grandmother Susan Caruana, who was his legal guardian back in Greater Manchester, reported him missing when they did not return.
In December 2023 Alex walked away from a remote area in the French Pyrenees on his own. A delivery driver found him walking alone near Toulouse in the early hours and took him to the police. Alex identified himself and was subsequently reunited with his grandmother in the UK.Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of Greater Manchester Police said at the time: "I think I speak on behalf of the whole of Greater Manchester Police when I say we were relieved and overjoyed to receive news from the French Authorities that they believe Alex Batty had been located safe and well."
Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation into the disappearance after Alex returned. In January 2025 they confirmed the criminal investigation had been closed after concluding there was no realistic chance of prosecution and that the family did not support criminal charges.
Melanie Batty's current whereabouts are not publicly known. She declined to respond to allegations made in the documentary.
