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Shack where Alex Batty lived with grandad David & ‘cult obsessed’ mum for 2 YEARS before fleeing on foot revealed
The dilapidated cottage is high up in the foothills of the Pyrenees
KIDNAPPED Alex Batty escaped from this rundown holiday home before walking for four days over hills to his freedom.
He was taken there by his mum and grandad two years ago after they left a travelling hippy commune said to be obsessed with solar panels.
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French prosecutors claim Alex, now 17, walked out after mum Melanie Batty, 43, proposed taking him to Finland.
And it emerged grandad David, 64, died six months ago — with Alex taking part in a meditation ceremony to mark his passing.
The pair had vanished with Alex while on holiday in Spain in 2017 when he was 11, having previously travelled to Morocco.
At 3am on Wednesday, Alex was picked up by a delivery driver in pouring rain near Toulouse.
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He has since video-called gran Susan Caruana — David’s ex-wife and Melanie’s mum — and could return home to Oldham today.
Susan, 68, who is his legal guardian, yesterday told The Sun it was “like a dream” to hear his voice, saying: “It is unbelievable.”
She added in a statement: “I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well. I spoke with him last night and it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again.
“I can’t wait to see him. The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.”
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The sparsely-furnished, two-up two-down holiday let in the hamlet of La Bastide is more than 30 minutes’ drive from the nearest main road.
Locals say it is the perfect place “to fall off the grid”.
The owner, called Fred, is said to have let the trio stay in return for jobs. He declined to comment yesterday.
Neighbours often saw Alex and David working in the garden.
And local mayor Rolande Alibert, 76, said: “Alex always seemed a very nice and polite young boy.
“He didn’t speak much French but would always smile and say ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Au Revoir’.
“I saw him leave carrying a bag at the weekend. He looked OK. But I didn’t know why he left. It was only after I read about them in the newspaper that I learnt the truth.”
- Alex Batty, was 11 years old when he went missing during a family holiday in Spain in 2017
- His mum Melanie and grandfather allegedly kidnapped him, leaving his grandmother and legal guardian Susan devastated
- On December 14 Alex was found alive and well six years after his kidnapping
- He hiked for four days to escape a commune in the Pyrenees mountains
- His family in the UK think he was "brainwashed" by his mum and grandad's beliefs
- The lorry driver who picked him up has revealed his simple hope after the six-year ordeal
French prosecutors claim Alex knew his alternative life with his mum “had to stop” after she planned to move to Finland.
Toulouse assistant public prosecutor Antoine Leroy said Alex left the home and went walking for four days, covering around 15 miles by foot and skateboard.
He was sleeping in the day and walking at night, fuelled by eating “whatever he found in the fields and gardens”.
Mr Leroy added: “It is possible that the mother has gone to Finland as she planned. The grandfather, who has always been with his daughter and grandson, is said to have died around six months ago.”
Describing Alex’s lifestyle over the past six years, Mr Leroy said: “They would work on the ego, there was meditation work — there was no connection with the real world. They believed in reincarnation.”
Mr Leroy said Alex was tired but in good health, adding: “He’s said to be intelligent even though he’s never been to school in this period.
"He doesn’t describe any kind of physical violence, without talking about emotional violence. We can’t use the term ‘sect’ as such but he talks of a spiritual community.”
Mr Leroy suggested the group were fascinated by solar panels, and that Melanie has a fear of them.
He added: “They were travelling from house to house with solar panels. They only used car-sharing, they didn’t have their own vehicle.”
Mr Leroy added: “What I’m describing is what happened in Morocco, in Spain and in France — always the same way of living.” Alex left the UK on September 30, 2017, and was due to return on October 8.
Stephen Devine, 42, a cousin of Melanie, said yesterday: “Alex’s mum was involved in a cult. His gran became his guardian but then Melanie and his grandfather offered to take him on holiday for a week and were never seen again.
“It is going to be a big adjustment for him. He’s probably grown up without a formal education.”
Another cousin, Raisa Devine, said she had not seen Alex since 2016.
She added: “He was very settled with his grandma. I’ve not spoken to Susan for a while and not since Alex was found. I am very pleased he has turned up.” Greater Manchester Police’s assistant chief constable Chris Sykes said the force was “relieved and overjoyed”.
He told reporters: “This is a huge moment for Alex, for his family and the Oldham community.
“The young man and Alex’s grandmother spoke on a video call last night. Whilst she is content that this is indeed Alex we obviously have further checks to do when he returns to the country.”
Cops said Alex is being well cared for by French authorities, who were sorting his paperwork.
After moving to southern France in 2021, he is believed to have lived in caravans and tents in the Upper Aude valley.
Police are understood to be trying to get Alex to reveal the commune’s last location.
Carrying a rucksack, he trudged along trails using a torch and skateboarded through towns such as Quillan on his search for a city.
Delivery driver Fabien Accidini was taking medicines to pharmacies when he spotted Alex near Chalabre early on Wednesday.
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The pair spoke for three hours while Fabien drove 45 miles to a police station in Revel.
Fabien told local reporters: “Alex said his mother kidnapped him when he was 12. He told me his mother was a little crazy. He had no animosity towards her but really wanted to find his gran.”
Fabien lent Alex his phone to send a text to his gran saying: “Hello it’s me, Alex.”
Meanwhile, Susan never gave up hope of finding Alex and would post birthday messages online, saying: “All I want to know is that you’re alive and well.
“It’s been years of torture. My heart is broken. I love you so much. I hope that I will see you again some day. I would give anything just for one hug.”
In 2014, Melanie and David took Alex, then eight, to a commune in Morocco.
The pair disappeared after visiting Marbella, Spain, in 2017.
In a 2018 interview, details of which emerged yesterday, Susan revealed: “Melanie went off to live in Bali with a new boyfriend, leaving Alex behind.
“I was panic-stricken and I paid for a flight home for him. I got Alex into a school in Oldham and he was settled and happy.”
Susan was granted guardianship in 2016 but allowed Melanie contact with her son.
Then came the Spain holiday, with Susan heartbroken when the trio never returned.
In the 2018 interview, Susan said Melanie was a rebellious teen but had got a law degree.
Melanie turned to living an “alternative lifestyle” after she failed to hold down a job.
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Susan said: “I lived nearby and saw Alex every day. I looked after him a lot and we had such a close bond. I loaned loads of money to Melanie, to care for Alex, but she just blew the lot. Melanie became caught up with his new lifestyle and she got involved with a cult.
“She began travelling abroad with Alex. Their lives were chaotic.”
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