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A British boy who went missing six years ago was taken to live in a \u201cspiritual commune\u201d by his mother and grandfather who had \u201cshunned modern life\u201d.<\/p>\n
Alex Batty, who was 11 when he vanished while on holiday in Spain, said he had been living a nomadic lifestyle in a remote area of the Pyrenees.<\/p>\n
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Alex Batty went missing in 2017 during a pre-arranged family holiday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Greater Manchester Police<\/cite><\/p>\n He finally decided to leave the commune after his grandfather died six months ago, and his mother, whom he described as \u201ca little crazy\u201d, announced she planned to move to Finland.<\/p>\n Alex\u2019s grandmother, Susan Caruana, who has appealed repeatedly over the years for her grandson\u2019s return, and is his legal guardian, said she was \u201cover the moon\u201d he had finally been found.<\/p>\n He is expected to return to the UK in the next few days.<\/p>\n Alex, now 17, disappeared in September 2017 after going on holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie Batty and his grandfather David Batty.<\/p>\n He was last seen at the Port of Malaga on October 8 that year, the day the trio were expected to return to the UK.<\/p>\n Antoine Leroy, the Toulouse assistant public prosecutor, said that since then, the group had been living a \u201cnomadic life\u201d in a constantly changing community of about 10 people.<\/p>\n \u201cAlex didn\u2019t have a mobile phone. That seems to reflect the philosophy of people like his mother who, it seems, was rather inclined not to be in favour of anything very modern,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The teenager was discovered near Toulouse on Wednesday after spending four days, with little food or water, hiking across the Pyrenees at night.<\/p>\n Fabien Acidini, the delivery driver who discovered Alex Batty.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Sky News<\/cite><\/p>\n Leroy said the group, which was constantly on the move, survived by carrying solar panels from camp to camp and setting up a vegetable garden wherever they went.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cAlex mentioned the fact that they did \u2018work on the ego\u2019 and meditation, the non-existence of the real world, reincarnation.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the group was not a sect and that Alex was never locked up or confined.<\/p>\n Leroy said although Alex had not attended school during his time abroad, he was an \u201cintelligent young man\u201d.<\/p>\n It is understood that Alex had asked in November whether he could go to school in Quillan, near to where he was living, but as he had no identity card French police contacted their British counterparts.<\/p>\n However, no link was made with the fact that he had allegedly been abducted, according to French newspaper Le D\u00e9p\u00eache<\/em>.<\/p>\n Citing police sources, it said that the entire nomadic community had decided to travel to Finland to watch the Northern Lights, but Alex said he didn\u2019t want to go. He left on foot alone in the direction of Toulouse, hoping to reach the UK.<\/p>\n He was discovered on Wednesday and taken to a police station in the village of Revel by Fabien Accidini, a chiropody student.<\/p>\n Accidini said: \u201cHe didn\u2019t have regrets [about leaving the community] … he just wanted to live a normal life, to see his grandmother again and to have a normal future, that\u2019s the word he used.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex used Accidini\u2019s Facebook account to contact his grandmother back in the UK.<\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cHello Grandma, it\u2019s me Alex. I\u2019m in France, Toulouse. I really hope that you receive this message. I love you, I want to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking from the doorstep of her semi-detached home in Oldham, Susan Caruana said she could not wait to be reunited with him.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing. It\u2019s an incredible story. It\u2019s unbelievable after all these years. I\u2019m in shock. It\u2019s breathtaking, and I\u2019m over the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cI cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is that he\u2019s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.\u201d<\/p>\n Caruana said she did not feel able to say if Alex\u2019s mum had \u201cbrainwashed\u201d the boy, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t want to comment about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, of Greater Manchester Police, said: \u201cThe French authorities have been looking after Alex really, really well.<\/p>\n \u201cOur real concern is how we bring Alex back to the UK in a safe way and make sure we look after his wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n Sykes said that for the time being the focus was on Alex\u2019s wellbeing, but added that his mother was \u201cpart of the investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: \u201cWe are supporting a British national in France and are in contact with local authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n