A MAN found alive in Spain after disappearing six years ago became addicted to drink and drugs after he was falsely accused of rape.

Matthew Green was 26 years old when he vanished without a trace from his home in Sittingbourne, Kent, after telling his parents he was visiting a friend in London.

But this week his parents Pauline, 63, and Jim, 64, were told their son was alive and well after being discovered by Spanish cops.

Since then they have opened up about their agonizing ordeal - and revealed Matthew turned to substance abuse after he was accused of rape when he was 17 years old.

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Detectives investigating the case found CCTV evidence proving Matthew was at a petrol station 40 miles from where the alleged attack took place - forcing the 16-year-old accuser to admit she had made up the story.
"I think after everything that happened, it pushed him to the limit," his dad Jim said.
"From that time [his arrest] the boy we knew as outgoing, football and girls mad - he seemed to just stop.
"From that he was never the same.
"Police officers came round to apologise after, I said look at that young boy.
"That's what you've done to that young lad.
"He became very withdrawn.
"His social life just went to nil.
"He packed up playing football, he wouldn't go out.
"He began isolating himself in his bedroom and ate meals upstairs."
On April 8, 2010, Matthew, now 32, told his family he was visting a friend in Mile End, east London.

But that was the last time they ever heard from the roofer, who vanished with his passport, birth certificate, driving licence, bank card, £1,700 in cash and a card which allows him to work on construction sites.
His family and friends launched an appeal at the time of Matthew's disappearance - and never gave up hope that they would find him again.

This week he was spotted in Spain by Spanish cops who allegedly became concerned about his welfare.
They carried out DNA tests to prove Matthew was who said he was - but they still can't tell his parents where he is because of data protection laws.
It is alleged that Matthew was being sought by police over a petty theft, which is the reason officers managed to track him down.
A source reportedly told the Daily Mail that Matthew made attempts to hide his identity from the cops so that his family wouldn't find out where he was.

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They added: "Authorities are duty-bound to honour the wishes of adults who have been reported missed and indicate they don't want their loved ones to be told where they are if they are subsequently found.
"One of the first things police or any other official agency would do if they found a person who was on a missing list would be to tell them they had been officially reported as missing and ask them if they wanted their families to know where they were."
In a desperate attempt to get in contact with their son, the Greens have written a letter and sent it to the British Embassy in Madrid.
They now plan to enlist the help of a private investigator to track down their long lost son after Kent Police closed their missing persons enquiry.

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A Kent Police spokesman said Mr Green had been found in Europe.
He added: "Matthew Green was 26 years old when he was reported missing, and European authorities confirmed in May 2016 that he had been located in Europe.
"His family has been informed and Kent Police has closed its missing person inquiry as of 16 May 2016."
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