Found Alive France - Alex Batty, 11 from Oldham Uk, parental abduction, 2017 *found alive in France after walking in Mountains*

[seasideForest]

It is looking as if Alex's story has been fabricated by mom, granddad and Alex just about a week ago. My guess is that he is now quite worried about mom and granddad, and is regretting having been so chummy with the truck driver who picked him up.

Maybe the truck driver shouldn't have been so free with his words to reporters about a live 17yo? Maybe he should have allowed AB to speak to reporters later or not as the case may be?

Edited to add: MOO

 

[AneutherSleuther]

It was just a thought that came to my head while catching up.
JMO. Maybe AB's identification genuinely was lost, and he had decided he wanted to go to school, so they cooked up a plan to do that without having to turn in his grandfather and mother.
From what has been revealed so far, I don't think he was hurt or abused in any way, so maybe he is spreading his wings. He is 17, nearly an official adult.
I am not suggesting that it was ok, for the grandfather and mother to have kidnapped him, I'm suggesting he was not harmed and has no reason to want to get them in trouble.
MOO.
ETA: spelling and punctuation

in the early reports there was a suggestion that he had been harmed (SA). I was surprised how free and easy the French official (the one at the press conference in Toulouse) was with his words, given that AB’s identity is known and he’s very much still alive.

 

[19thcenturynovel]

Having grown up with a feckless mother who was mentally ill (as I suspect his mother might be), I can empathise with Alex's situation. I don't think he concocted a story with his grandfather and mother but has created a cover story to protect them. In fact, I think he took off without telling them, or maybe left a note, hiding in daylight hours. Alex is 100% the victim here so I don't believe there will be any negative outcomes with the authorities as a result. He seems to be a bright lad who will have gained an insight into a different way of living when staying with the French couple in the gite. That turned out to be a positive experience for him but could equally have turned out to be an abusive or exploitative one. With the right specialist support, Alex could quickly turn his life around and create a positive future. Without the right support, the process can take a great deal longer - believe me, I know.

 

[Howl]

From what has been revealed so far, I don't think he was hurt or abused in any way, so maybe he is spreading his wings. He is 17, nearly an official adult.

I agree in general with your statement, but I do consider educational neglect to be a form of abuse.
Wishing him well in the future!
I hope the British press will find another story to pursue and leave this kid in peace.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Having grown up with a feckless mother who was mentally ill (as I suspect his mother might be), I can empathise with Alex's situation. I don't think he concocted a story with his grandfather and mother but has created a cover story to protect them. In fact, I think he took off without telling them, or maybe left a note, hiding in daylight hours. Alex is 100% the victim here so I don't believe there will be any negative outcomes with the authorities as a result. He seems to be a bright lad who will have gained an insight into a different way of living when staying with the French couple in the gite. That turned out to be a positive experience for him but could equally have turned out to be an abusive or exploitative one. With the right specialist support, Alex could quickly turn his life around and create a positive future. Without the right support, the process can take a great deal longer - believe me, I know.

I do think they worked it out together... but the underlying motive was out of mutual protection. I think they had to discuss how Alex was to try to keep his grandmother calm when he returned.

But why, oh why, did he discuss the 'kidnapping' with the lorrey driver? This is the main spark. He could have discussed almost everything that had been going on for the past 6 years without that one detail. But I still think that was because of his true naivete, youth and trust of others.

 

[cottonweaver]

I've read the couple's statement about Alex, being with them a lot and at lengths of time. He worked their gardens and cooked for his stay. He was well cared about by this lovely couple.. They offered to help him in any way they could to obtain his English passport, papers he needed as he wanted to go to school again, college.
He told them he'd find his own way. I think that was because he just wanted and thought he could do this on his own without drawing attention to his mother and grandfather.
He seems to have self educated himself as much as he could on the internet and absorbing all from others he knew. He's obviously a lovely and intelligent young man. I wish him all the best and I do believe as well, that he does not want any harm of any kind to come to his mother and grandfather. I can understand that.
He knows it was wrong of them to take him from his home with his grandmother as they did.
He wants a 'future' as he tells and the ability to do that was to obtain certain paperwork on himself to reach that goal. He may want to do that in France as I read or stay in England. He is def not fluent at all in French per others but enough that he could communicate somewhat. SO, probably stay in England but also to not cause legal problems for mother and grandfather.
SO glad for him and his grandmother. Wonderful that the right man picked him up walking as well. Helped him a lot and able to talk as 'mates' too.

Poor kid

Now that our press here in the UK have hold of this story there's bound to be unforeseen consequences

 

[cottonweaver]

Oh dear, it's all unravelling now. It seems Alex just wanted to see his Grandmother and get some ID to study. I don't think they could imagine the media storm that has happened. The group shot of the audience at the Green gathering - they are all sat on plastic chairs - seems a bit ironic. JMO MOO

Maybe they were recycled plastic?

 

[19thcenturynovel]

I do think they worked it out together... but the underlying motive was out of mutual protection. I think they had to discuss how Alex was to try to keep his grandmother calm when he returned.

But why, oh why, did he discuss the 'kidnapping' with the lorrey driver? This is the main spark. He could have discussed almost everything that had been going on for the past 6 years without that one detail. But I still think that was because of his true naivete, youth and trust of others.

It's possible they worked it out together but what makes me question that is him walking alone at night, concealing himself by day. Despite their ramshackle lifestyle, I would have thought they'd have helped him with tickets for some kind of transport. The pharma student/driver seemed intelligent, rational and empathetic so finally Alex could say it out loud. He couldn't have anticipated the media storm but I think he's being well protected at the moment until the media turns its attention to something else.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It's possible they worked it out together but what makes me question that is him walking alone at night, concealing himself by day. Despite their ramshackle lifestyle, I would have thought they'd have helped him with tickets for some kind of transport. The pharma student/driver seemed intelligent, rational and empathetic so finally Alex could say it out loud. He couldn't have anticipated the media storm but I think he's being well protected at the moment until the media turns its attention to something else.

Good points--the travelling in night hours, and sleeping in day hours. But do we have real clarity on his actual trekking, and how long he actually did trek alone??
I know that part still confuses me.

 

[19thcenturynovel]

Good points--the travelling in night hours, and sleeping in day hours. But do we have real clarity on his actual trekking, and how long he actually did trek alone??
I know that part still confuses me.

Yes. That's still unclear but I felt by making himself invisible during the day he didn't want anyone coming after him. The driver/rescuer seemed to believe he'd been walking for four days, foraging for food which would be a familiar practice to him. I don't think there's any great mystery at the bottom of this; I think he's a bright lad who found this muddled, unstructured way of living highly unsatisfactory.

 

[keek]

Yes. That's still unclear but I felt by making himself invisible during the day he didn't want anyone coming after him. The driver/rescuer seemed to believe he'd been walking for four days, foraging for food which would be a familiar practice to him. I don't think there's any great mystery at the bottom of this; I think he's a bright lad who found this muddled, unstructured way of living highly unsatisfactory.

Telling his grandfather had passed away, even had a ceremony, and mother moved to Finland. You're right, and he didn't want to cause anyone going after his grandfather and mother, he just knew he needed to get away from all of that and back to a stable and safe feeling life, starting with his grandmother. He believed he had it 'covered' when he said he was kidnapped, which he was, by giving the stories about his grand and mother, gone.
Nothing is his fault whatever legal /criminal things happen, he'll so need to be assured of that. Sad situation for him and so happy for his long grieving grandmother and hopes for him.

 

[Officer Dibble]

It's possible they worked it out together but what makes me question that is him walking alone at night, concealing himself by day. Despite their ramshackle lifestyle, I would have thought they'd have helped him with tickets for some kind of transport. The pharma student/driver seemed intelligent, rational and empathetic so finally Alex could say it out loud. He couldn't have anticipated the media storm but I think he's being well protected at the moment until the media turns its attention to something else.

How do we know he did walk for 4 days? Just putting that out there. JMO MOO

 

[19thcenturynovel]

How do we know he did walk for 4 days? Just putting that out there.

That's what he told Fabien Accidini who gave him a lift. Unverified obvs.

 

[Lucy6226]

How do we know he did walk for 4 days? Just putting that out there. JMO MOO

I suspect the 4 days was to put distance from where he had come from and potentially where his mother and grandfather were still located imo

 

[19thcenturynovel]

Alex Batty's mother Melanie 'has gone to Spain to escape attention' after son reappears six years on from vanishing @lbc www.lbc.co.uk/news/alex-batty-mother-spain/

 

[StillDiggin]

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-12-21/alex-batty-to-stay-under-special-legal-protection

 

[Officer Dibble]

How do we know he did walk for 4 days? Just putting that out there. JMO MOO

Oh look. I was correct. He only walked for 2 days. Alex Batty breaks silence in first interview since return from France

 

[StillDiggin]

Alex Batty says he lied about escape from commune to protect mum

The teenager, who is now living with his grandmother, says the decision was spurred on by ambitions to study at college.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mirabel091]

"I've been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad but I realise that they're probably gonna get caught anyway," he told The Sun.

Exactly what several people here were thinking, once discrepancies started coming out. He probably didn't realise so many people would take an interest in him turning up alive and well.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“I realised it wasn’t a great way to live for my future,” he said in an interview

“Moving around. No friends, no social life. Working, working, work and not studying. That’s the life I imagined I would be leading if I were to stay with my mum.

While he was missing, it is thought that Alex - who used the name Zack Edwards - had been living with his mother and grandfather, across Spain, Morocco and France

Missing brit Alex Batty who was found after 6 years left heartbreaking note to mum before making his escape

Alex Batty is back in the UK after he disappeared for six years while on holiday in Spain.

www.ladbible.com