Alex Batty: Missing boy 'wanted to see grandmother and have a normal future'

A boy from Oldham who has been found in France after going missing six years ago 'wanted to see his grandmother and have a normal future', according to the delivery driver who found him.

Alex Batty was just 11-years-old when he disappeared with his mother Melanie and grandad David in 2017 after going on a family holiday to Spain. Detectives believe he was abducted by his mother Melanie Batty to live an 'alternative' lifestyle abroad.

Now 17, Alex is believed to have been found near Toulouse in France. French police said the teenager is 'well and providing information', according to reports.

READ MORE: 'He's coming home': Grandmother's joy as missing Alex Batty is found in France

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Alex's grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana said she has spoken to him for the first time in six years. Her husband Emanuel told the M.E.N from their home in Fitton Hill that 'she's happy he's well and safe and he's coming home'.

According to reports, chiropody student Fabien Accidini had offered the teenager a lift in the early hours of Wednesday after spotting him walking alone near the city of Toulouse. The 26-year-old told Sky News that Alex revealed that since being kidnapped by his mother they had lived in a luxury house in Spain with around 10 people as part of a 'spiritual community', before moving to France in around 2021.

The teenager said he had been hiking in nearby mountains for more than four days in an attempt to return to England. Mr Accidini said he did not initially believe the story but later agreed to call the police.

He said: "After I called the police to explain the situation, when the cops arrived, that’s