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Alex Batty, a British boy who went missing in 2017, has been found in France. 

He is now 17, having disappeared when he was 11.

How and why did he go missing, and what has happened in the six years since?

What happened when Alex went missing?

Alex travelled to Spain with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty, on 30 September 2017, for what was supposed to be a holiday.

They flew into Malaga to stay in the Benahavis area near Marbella, but police believed they may then have headed towards Melilla in Morocco, via the port of Malaga.

Alex was reported missing on 8 October 2017, prompting a police investigation that has lasted six years.

Greater Manchester Police led extensive enquiries, including an international public appeal, in a bid to find Alex, who is from Oldham.

Ms Batty and Mr Batty are wanted in connection with his abduction.

What’s the backstory to the Spain trip?

Neither Alex’s mother nor grandfather have parental guardianship, so where he lived as a child was not up to them.

The holiday was prearranged with Alex’s maternal grandmother, Susan Caruana, who is his legal guardian.

Ms Batty and Mr Batty previously lived on a commune with Alex in Morocco in 2014.

Why did they disappear?

Speaking to Sky News in 2018, Ms Caruana explained that she thought they had left to pursue an “alternative lifestyle”.

“Because basically my lifestyle, my belief systems, are not what they agree with – just simply living day to day, how normal people do,” she said.

“They didn’t want him to go to school, they don’t believe in mainstream school.”

Recalling the day they were supposed to return to the UK, Mrs Caruana said: “I got this message on Facebook and it was a YouTube video of the three of them.

“They all spoke on it, and Melanie said the reasons why they had done what they had done.”

Mrs Caruana has not seen her grandson since 2017.

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Missing mum’s friend missed ‘pocket call’ after last CCTV sighting
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How was he found?

Alex was found when a medical student offered him a lift in the early hours of Wednesday after spotting him walking alone in heavy rain near the southern French town of Revel, about an hour from Toulouse.

Fabien Accidini was out on his job as a pharmacy delivery driver when he saw Alex by the side of the road and stopped to see if he needed help.

Alex initially gave a fake name, saying he was called Zac, but quickly started opening up and told him he had been kidnapped by his mother when he was 11.

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Student recalls rescuing Alex Batty

The teenager said he had been hiking in nearby mountains for more than four days in an attempt to return to England.

The 26-year-old initially did not believe the story, but eventually agreed to call the police after hearing more details.

Mr Accidini told Sky News: “After I called the police to explain the situation, when the cops arrived, that’s when I realised the whole story [was real].”

He also agreed to let Alex borrow his phone – which the 17-year-old used to send a Facebook message to his grandmother in the UK, saying “I love you, I want to come home”.

What do we know about the last six years?

Alex told Mr Accidini he 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 student said Alex did not seem angry at being held in the “community” and said he had not been chained up – although it was unclear if he had been allowed to leave at any time.

“He didn’t have regrets [about leaving the community]… he just wanted to live a normal life, to see his grandmother again and to have a normal future, that’s the word that he used,” the student added.

What happens now?

Alex is expected to arrive back in the UK to be reunited with his grandmother in the “next few days”.

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Alex Batty to be back in the UK ‘within days’

Greater Manchester Police said they were working with the French authorities to bring Alex back “as soon as possible”.

“Our main priority now is to see Alex returned home to his family in the UK and our investigation team are working around the clock with partner agencies and the French authorities to ensure they are all fully supported,” Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said at a news conference on Friday.

He said police were waiting to talk to Alex to establish the facts about what had happened in the past six years.

Alex and his grandmother have spoken on the phone and she was content it was him, police said, adding that they would do further checks on his identity when he was back.

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Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

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Deadline day for Andrew to respond to Epstein inquiry - but it's hard to imagine why he'd talk

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

More on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
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Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

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Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
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The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

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Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

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