Alex Batty’s Mum Abducted Him as a Boy. Now He's Ready to Talk to Her Again
Alex says he was cut off from normal life for six years after being taken by his mother and grandfather, and now has a baby daughter.
- On Wednesday, Alex Batty recounts his 2017 abduction and six years missing in a new BBC documentary, *Kidnapped By My Mum*, which retraces his journey across Spain and France.
- In September 2017, Melanie Batty and David Batty took Alex from Oldham on a pre-arranged holiday; neither adult was his legal guardian, triggering an international missing person investigation.
- During his six years missing, Alex lived in tents during winter and ate "just one meal a day" while his mother prioritized spiritual work over his education and basic amenities.
- After escaping in December 2023, Alex returned to Oldham to live with his legal guardian, Susan Caruana, passing his Maths and English GCSEs and becoming a father in January.
- Despite his frustration that authorities "did nothing," Alex expressed hope to "build that bridge again" with his family, though Greater Manchester Police discontinued their investigation in January 2025 citing "no realistic chance of prosecution.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Who Is Alex Batty? Abducted Teen Shares the Moment He Realised Life With Mum Was 'Not Normal'
A British teenager who vanished for six years before being found in rural France has opened up about the moment he began questioning the life he was living with his mother while on the run across Europe. Now aged 20, Alex has shared new details in the BBC documentary Kidnapped by Mum, describing how years spent living off-grid with his mother and grandfather eventually led him to realise their lifestyle was 'not normal'. His comments come more t…
‘My relationship with my mum is such a complicated thing. I’m annoyed at what she did’ – man ‘abducted’ by mother at 11
A man who was allegedly abducted by his mother and taken abroad at the age of 11 has told a documentary his relationship with her is a “complicated thing”.
Boy, 11, who vanished for six years in different country, contacts mum for first time since being found by French delivery driver
An 11-year-old boy who vanished for six years in a different country has contacted his mother for the first time since being found by a French delivery driver
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