A British teenager whovanished for six yearsbefore 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 documentaryKidnapped 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 than two years after he was discovered in southern France following a six-year disappearance that sparked aninternational search.
Alex Batty was 11 years old when he travelled from the United Kingdom to Spain in September 2017 with his mother and grandfather.
The trip had initially been presented as a family holiday to Marbella. However, Alex never returned to Oldham as planned. His grandmother, Susan Caruana, who had legal guardianship at the time, reported him missing after he failed to come home.
Greater Manchester Police later confirmed that Melanie did not have legal custody of Alex when he was taken abroad. Despite media appeals and a lengthy investigation, authorities were unable to trace the family for years.
In the documentary, Alex described living a transient lifestyle across Spain and France while staying away from authorities. He said he was encouraged to keep a low profile by wearing hats and glasses and often remaining indoors.
According to the BBC, Melanie Batty had become influenced by conspiracy theories and followed the 'sovereign citizen' movement, which argues that governments are illegitimate and laws can be ignored.
Alex also revealed he did not attend school during much of the time he was abroad. Instead, he lived in campsites and alternative communities, sometimes surviving on only one meal a day while carrying out manual labour.
Speaking about his upbringing during those years, Alex said he eventually began questioning whether the situation was normal.
Source: International Business Times UK
