THE mum and grandad of British teen Alex Batty, who abducted him in 2017, will not face criminal proceedings over his disappearance.
Alex fled a commune in France in December 2023, leaving his mum and their “off-the-grid life” to return to the UK after six years.
FACEBOOK/UNPIXSAlex Batty with his mother Melanie and grandfather David[/caption]
British teen Alex Batty, pictured after his return to the UK
Alex’s mum Melanie
British detectives said they “explored all possible lines of enquiry” before deciding there are “insufficient grounds” to try for a prosecution.
The decision applies to both Alex’s mum Melanie and grandad David, who kidnapped him during a trip to Spain at the age of 11.
Cops said today that it was “the outcome Alex and his family wished for” after the case was “properly and thoroughly investigated.”
Melanie and David took young Alex to Morocco, Spain and then southwest France where he lived for several years after he vanished on their holiday in 2017.
He told French cops that he escaped in the middle of the night on foot before a delivery driver spotted him walking alone and gave him a lift to Toulouse.
After he returned to his grandmother Susan in Manchester, police confirmed they had launched a criminal probe into his abduction.
Detective Superintendent Matt Walker – leading the probe – said today: “Alex and his safety has been at the forefront of our minds and actions since he was found in Toulouse, France in 2023.
“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.”
Alex previously said he disagreed with his mum’s decision to drag him around Europe but believes she thought she was acting in his best interests.
He said he was happy to cooperate with cops but said of his mum and grandad: “I don’t think they should get in touch with the police because I don’t want them to go to jail.”
Child abduction carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence.
The Sun spoke to Alex and his grandmother Susan Caruana after he was returned to her care following his escape.
She told how she felt “utterly betrayed” by her daughter and her ex-husband when they kidnapped him on the trip to Spain.
Melanie reportedly told Alex “We’re getting rid of the phones” moments after Susan finished speaking to Alex on a call — and that was the last she heard for six years.
Susan had allowed Melanie, now in her mid 40s, and her ex-husband David, in his 60s, to take Alex on what they said was a week-long break in September 2017.
The retired mental health support worker had been Alex’s legal guardian for 18 months — to the anger of “chaotic” single mother Melanie.
Susan said Melanie had gone “off the rails”, and regarded her son as her “property”, demanding a £500,000 payment.
Susan recalled: “Melanie asked to take Alex on holiday and David said he would be going too. Alex wanted to go like any child would.
“I was nervous about saying ‘Yes’ but I felt I had no choice but to give them a chance and trust them. How wrong could I have been?”
The trio flew to Malaga and stayed at a luxury villa in Marbella owned by a friend of Melanie.
But they reneged on their promise to bring Alex back home to Oldham as the holiday came to an end.
They allowed Alex to call his nan from the beach to say he was not coming back, before Susan overheard his mum saying they were ditching their phones.
She said: “They completely and utterly betrayed me and left me heartbroken.
“I knew as soon as I heard her say, ‘We’re getting rid of the phones now’ I thought ‘I’ll never see him again’.”
Their mobiles and passports were dumped in a McDonald’s bin.
Susan immediately contacted Gtr Manchester Police but was told nothing could be done until Alex failed to board his flight home.
Cops eventually launched an alleged abduction investigation as Melanie and David dragged Alex around Spain and France.
However Alex would not be found for more than six years until a delivery driver saw him walking along a rural road near Chalabre in France at 3am on December 13.
Six years later Susan was overjoyed to be reunited with Alex at her home in Oldham after he flew home.
She said the hardest thing about being apart from Alex was not knowing if he was alive or dead.
She told The Sun: “I didn’t hear anything from them again until Alex was found in France.
“During the whole six years I never knew if if they were alive or dead.
“Every time there was some sort of disaster I feared that he could be a victim.
“And during Covid I had no idea where he was so I didn’t know if he was in a built-up area or not.”
The Sun spoke to Alex and his grandmother Susan Caruana after they were reunited
The pair pictured together when Alex was little Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
