A missing British teenager who has been discovered in France is expected to return to the UK “in the next few days”, police have said.
Alex Batty, who is now 17, went missing six years ago in 2017 after going on a family holiday to Spain.
On the early hours of Wednesday morning, he was spotted walking alone on an isolated country road in Toulouse by a student delivery driver. The teenager said he was “kidnapped” by his mother when he was 12-years-old.
Detectives believe he was abducted by his mother Melanie Batty to live an “alternative” lifestyle abroad. The teenager said he had been hiking in nearby mountains for more than four days in an attempt to return to England to his grandmother.
Greater Manchester Police told a press conference this morning: “This is a huge moment for Alex and his family and the whole community in Oldham.”
The police added that Alex and his grandmother “briefly” spoke on the phone on Thursday evening, and while his grandmother is content that Alex has been correctly identified, the police said they “have further checks to do when he returns to the UK”.
