For free, real-time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our breaking news emails
Sign up for our free breaking news emails
Alex Batty's grandmother has revealed details of the last phone call she had with her grandson before he disappeared for six years.
Susan Caruana, her grandson's guardian at the time, feared she would never see Alex, then 11, again after speaking to him on the phone in September 2017.
The British teenager, now 17, was in Spain with his mother Melanie Batty, 43, and grandfather David Batty, 64, where they said they were vacationing for a week.
British teenager Alex Batty is now 17 years old
(The sun)
However, Ms Caruana told The Sun that shortly after she finished speaking to the boy, she heard his mother Melanie telling her son: “We're getting rid of the phones.”
Ms Caruana did not hear from Alex for another six years.
He was finally found last week by a delivery driver who saw Alex walking on a country road near Chalabre in southern France at 3am on December 13th.
Now Greater Manchester Police have launched a criminal investigation into the teenager's suspected abduction.
(PA Media)
Ms Caruana said she felt “completely betrayed” by her daughter and ex-husband after allowing the duo to take her grandson on what was supposed to be a holiday to Malaga.
The retired social worker said she had been Alex's legal guardian for 18 months, angering Melanie, who viewed her son as her “property” and demanded a payment of £500,000.
Ms Caruana recalled: “Melanie asked Alex to go on holiday and David said he would go too. Alex wanted to leave like any child would. I was nervous about saying yes, but I felt like I had no choice but to give them a chance and trust them. How wrong could I have been?”
The trio reportedly flew to a villa in Marbella owned by a friend of Melanie's – but never returned home to Oldham as promised. Instead, Alex was allowed to call his grandmother from the beach to tell her he wasn't coming back, and that's when Ms Caruana heard Melanie say they were throwing away their phones. Their phones and passports were later found discarded in a McDonald's trash can.
Susan Caruana was her grandson's legal guardian when he disappeared
(Included)
The 68-year-old said: “They have completely betrayed me and broken my heart.” I knew it straight away when I heard them say: “We're getting rid of the phones now.” I thought: 'I'll never see him again. '“
She said she immediately contacted Greater Manchester Police, who later launched an investigation into a suspected kidnap – but Alex wouldn't be found for another six years.
When Alex returned home recently, he told police that he had lived a nomadic lifestyle in Spain, Morocco and France with his mother and grandfather as part of a “spiritual community” and had decided to leave the country as his mother talked about going to Finland.
He told The Sun that he spent most of his years on the run without friends, working for food and shelter instead of going to school – and so Harry Potter books were his salvation.
The French driver who found British teenager Alex and took him to a police station
(Sky News)
He said: “I had a Harry Potter box. I am obsessed with it and must have read each of the books at least 20 times. I took it with me everywhere even though it was huge and took up so much space. They are amazing books. My main activity was reading since we didn't have WiFi in most places we went. I tried to get as many as I could, but it was damn difficult.”
Alex, who also tried to teach himself math and computer science, said his desire for education was one of the main reasons he left his mother and grandfather's rented house a few weeks ago.
He said: “I didn’t go to school a single day while I was away. The only qualifications I have are the results of my Sats test from primary school when I lived in Oldham. This is one of the worst things that has happened to me in all my time – not having a proper education.”
Now that he is back in the UK, Alex plans to gain as many qualifications as possible and then study computer science at university.
French prosecutor Antoine Leroy said Alex told police he left his mother after she decided to move to Finland
(Portal)
Authorities in France said last week that they thought Melanie might be in Finland and that David had apparently died, but none of those details seemed clear after the teenager gave his first interview.
Alex said he feared the couple would be arrested on suspicion of child abduction, so he lied about his escape.
Ms Caruana said she was overjoyed to be reunited with her grandson at their home in Oldham last Saturday evening after years of not knowing whether Alex was even still alive. She said she learned he had been found when she received a call from her family liaison officer for the first time in a “long, long time.”
She said: “I didn’t hear from them again until Alex was found in France. During the whole six years I never knew whether they were alive or dead. Every time there was a disaster, I was afraid that he would be the 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 68-year-old said she will never be able to forgive her daughter and ex-husband for tricking her into allowing Alex to travel, adding that it was not her fault if the couple end up in prison.
She said: “I don't want to be the one to help them go to prison, but if they do, it's not my fault.” Alex returned home of her own free will. He said to his mother, 'You chose this life, but I don't want it.'”