ALEX Batty’s roadside rescuer has revealed the 17-year-old’s wishes for a “normal life” six years after he was allegedly kidnapped by his mum and grandad.
French student Fabien Accidini found Alex wandering the roads in heavy rain after he trekked through the Pyrenees mountains for days to escape a “spiritual” commune.
Alex Batty escaped a commune this week after his alleged kidnap in 2017Focus Features
SkyFabien Accidini, pictured, picked Alex up on the road and contacted police[/caption]
Pixel8000Alex disappeared on holiday with his mum and grandad in 2017 – pictured: Mum Melanie’s video message telling Alex’s grandmother he wouldn’t be coming home[/caption]
The pair then drove together in the middle of the night, Alex helping Fabien to deliver the medicines he was taking to pharmacies in the area.
As they talked, Alex confided in Fabien about what happened to him over the past six years and his hopes for what could follow the ordeal.
Fabien, 26, told Sky News: “He just wanted to live a normal life, to see his grandmother again.
“And to have a normal future, that’s the word he used.”
Alex Batty, was 11 years old when he went missing during a family holiday in Spain in 2017
His mum Melanie and grandad allegedly kidnapped him, leaving his grandmother and legal guardian Susan devastated
On December 14 Alex was found alive and well six years after his kidnapping
He hiked for four days to escape a commune in the Pyrenees mountains
His family in the UK think he was “brainwashed” by his mum and grandad’s beliefs
The now 17-year-old is set to return to the UK within the next few days
Alex is set to return to the UK in the next few days, as cops begin their search for his mum and grandad
Alex told his roadside rescuer “my mum kidnapped me when I was 12”, and said that she “is a little crazy”, but would not reveal her location.
Fabien said Alex told him his mum and grandad had taken him to Morocco, possibly referring to police inquiries at the time that Melanie and David had taken him to Melilla, on the Moroccan border.
He said Alex went to Spain and lived there for two years, before going to France for two more years to live in a “spiritual community”.
Fabien added that Alex appeared “tired” and “confused” when he found him trudging down the road in poor weather.
Although he wasn’t hungry, he apparently seemed in fine physical health and had money and water with him.
He also revealed that the Brit teen told him he has hopes of becoming an engineer.
Apparently Alex had been living in a luxury house in Spain with about 10 people before he moved to France around 2021.
The British teen revealed he had hiked for over four days in his efforts to get home to the UK.
Eventually Fabien agreed to contact the police – after hearing Alex’s story – in an effort to help him get back home.
He said: “After I called the police to explain the situation, when the cops arrived, that’s when I realised the whole story [was real].”
Fabien explained that Alex didn’t seem angry about what had happened to him and said he wasn’t chained up against his will.
Although he did not explain whether or not he was allowed to leave at any point.
He is now expected to return to the UK in the next few days, as cops begin their search for his mum and grandad in the mountains.
The youngster, now 17, was travelling with his mum, Melanie, then 37, and grandfather David, then 58, when they failed to return home in 2017 – sparking an abduction probe.
Alex’s grandmother and official guardian, Susan Caruana, said she believed her daughter and ex-husband had taken him abroad to live an “alternative lifestyle”.
Susan previously revealed in 2018 that her daughter Melanie was a rebellious teenager, partying hard and drinking.
She thought Melanie, who had become obsessed with the same cult-like ideas as her ex-partner David, might have fled with him to a Moroccan commune where she had previously lived.
Darren Robinson PhotographyAlex’s grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana[/caption]