No charges in case of British boy found in France after six years missing

Greater Manchester police have closed their inquiry into the disappearance of Alex Batty, the British teen declared missing in 2017 and found in south-west France in 2023. 

Alex Batty was reported missing by his grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana when aged 11 in 2017 having failed to return from a holiday in Spain with his mother and grandfather.

He was next seen walking along a roadside in Ariège in December 2023.

Read more: 'Abducted' British boy Alex Batty found in south-west France

‘A nomadic lifestyle’

Following Alex’s disappearance, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched an international appeal for information with the help of the Spanish authorities.

In February 2018, GMP said Alex’s mother and grandfather were “wanted” for suspected abduction.

Following his rediscovery in 2023 Alex told investigators that their suspicions he was in Morocco were correct. 

He described the period as a “nomadic” life in a spiritual community of around ten people, outside of formal education and never staying more than several months in the same place.

Unbeknown to investigators he moved to the south–west of France in 2021 with his mother and grandfather, again living in isolated spiritual communities in and around the Pyrenees.

"We stayed in a lot of caravans. We stayed in a lot of houses, always up mountains hours away from any kind of village. One day I just thought ok I can't take this any more," Alex told ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2024.

However, he added that he did not leave due to concerns that his mother would face prosecution. 

"I knew everything was in place for them to leave where we were, so if I were to leave everything would be gone by the time the police arrived."

On December 13, 2023, Alex left the ‘spiritual community’, walking many kilometers along a road in Ariège before being offered a lift by a delivery driver. 

Despite initially saying his name was Zac, the then 17-year-old related the story of his disappearance to the driver, who lent him a mobile phone to contact his grandmother and took the young man to the police. 

Criminal investigation dropped

Following his return to Oldham from France, officers from GMP opened a criminal investigation into child abduction, confirming to UK media that Alex’s mother, Melanie Batty, would form part of the police investigation.

Alex cooperated with the GMP detectives, but said that he did not want charges brought against his mother or grandfather. 

His grandmother agreed, telling the BBC in 2024 that “prison is the last thing I would want (for the couple)."

GMP confirmed on January 22, 2025 that they would close the investigation and not bring any charges for Alex Batty’s disappearance and alleged abduction.

"The right thing to do is bring closure to this chapter of Alex and his family's lives, particularly as this is the outcome they wished for,” said Detective Superintendent Matt Walker from GMP. 

"Alex is now an adult, safe, and reintegrated with life back in Greater Manchester surrounded by those who love him, which ultimately is the priority."

"Alex and his safety has been at the forefront of our minds and actions since he was found in Toulouse, France in 2023,"

"In our commitment to protecting children, we felt it was important that the circumstances of Alex's disappearance be properly and thoroughly investigated. I led a dedicated team to do exactly that when Alex was first found and this has continued since.

"We have consulted with various partners, such as a complex case CPS lawyer and the National Crime Agency throughout, and concluded there would be no realistic chance of criminal prosecution.

"Given this, the right thing to do is bring closure to this chapter of Alex and his family's lives, particularly as this is the outcome they wished for.