Missing British teenager, Alex Batty, admits to lying about details of "escape" to protect family

December 26, 2023

Update on the Alex Batty story:

Missing British teenager, Alex Batty, who was found earlier this month by a delivery driver in rural Southern France, has finally spoken up about his “escape experience,” telling papers that he had initially lied about the details. (Please see PART 1 of the story HERE<<)

In an interview with The Sun Newspaper, (UK) Alex expressed that although he loved his mother and did not want to get her into trouble, he had endured as much of the “pain-in-the-arse” alternative lifestyle as he could.

The teenager described his mother, Melanie, who uses the alias, “Rose,” as an “anti-vaxxer,” Anti-government, Hippy who was unable to have a conversation with him without an argument erupting. It was after one of these arguments on December 11, which Alex said wasn’t a serious argument, that he decided to finally leave the lifestyle his mother and grandfather had been providing him with.

Since his decision to leave was spontaneous, Alex packed light, neglecting to bring food and water.

He hurriedly penned a goodbye note to his mother. In the letter he told her that he loved her very much and said he was thankful for the life she and his grandfather had given him, adding that he could take care of himself and asking her not to "be too mad." He also assured his mother she "would not get found" and told her not to worry. Although Alex had claimed his grandfather, David, had passed away several months before his “escape,” he later admitted that his grandfather, a 64-year-old tattoo artist, was alive and well, and confessed that he had made up the story about his grandfather’s passing to protect him from the law. David is apparently alive and using the alias “Peter.”

Alex Batty went hungry during his on-foot journey, but stayed hydrated by drinking water from springs he passed on the way.

According to his recent interview, Alex said he knew where he was going the entire time, however, when spotted by a delivery driver and picked up, said he panicked and came up with a story about escaping from a spiritual commune.

His initial plan, he said, was to make it to Toulouse and put as much distance as possible between himself and his mother and grandfather to lead authorities in the wrong direction. He admitted to The Sun newspaper that he believed Melanie and David Batty were likely to be found since the story of his “escape” broke and made it into the mainstream news.

His motive was to save his mother from being located by police and potentially prosecuted, as she didn’t have custody of him when he went missing and he feared she would face child abduction charges if caught.

He confessed to concocting a plan that involved walking around in the mountains for four days, pretending to be lost, in order to make the story he planned to tell French police more believable. In reality, Alex knew where he was, and was familiar with the area. He spent a night exposed to the elements before reaching the town of Quillan, where he finally got something to eat. Despite knowing where he was, he asked for directions in Quillan to back up the fabricated version of events he would later tell police.

Alex didn’t count on a delivery driver spotting him out in the rain at 3am and admitted that he began blurting out a story and helping the driver with his deliveries because he felt guilty.

He used the drivers phone to contact his grandma in the UK and once in the custody of the police, he described being overwhelmed.

He was transported to two different police stations, photographed, and fingerprinted before being sent to a foster home where he would await a flight back to the UK followed by a car trip to his Grandma's home.

Although he said Melanie wasn’t a good mother, Alex said she was a good person, and that he didn’t want anything negative to come back to her following his return to the U.K. According to media outlets, Alex’s parents split up when he was around two years old, and he left in the custody of his grandmother as his mother would frequently leave him behind to go traveling. According to Alex, she had a large network of friends across several countries, including Spain and France, and would often stay with them, leaving him behind even after taking him from the U.K. It was these friends, he said, that helped his mother fly under the radar when it came to issues with local authorities.

Providing more details about his mother, he said that she had a cell phone, but did not allow him to have one. He said that although she didn’t have a license, she did have her own car that she drove around.

When Alex began working as a handyman and getting paid under the table, he said he felt more self-reliant and less dependent on his mother, whom he explained he stopped viewing as an “authority figure.” Earning his own wage allowed him to realize the life his mother had been providing for him up until that point didn’t hold much stability, nor opportunity, for the future he wanted for himself.

After six years, Alex finally returned to Oldham in time for Christmas. He plans to study computer science or cyber security or blockchain development.

He described his mother as cold and resistant to any kind of conversation that challenged her rigid views. She has not been located at the time of writing.

Sources: [X][X][X]