‘I felt betrayed’, says Alex Batty’s gran as she reveals heartbreaking moment she knew he was gone in painful final call

11 months ago 3

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THE grandmother of Alex Batty has told how she felt “utterly betrayed” by her daughter and her ex-husband when they abducted the schoolboy.

Susan Caruana, 68, who was Alex’s legal guardian at the time, feared she would never again see the lad, then 11, following a call in Spain.

14/12/2023 - FRANCE - Alex Batty disappeared with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty. A 17-year-old English boy from Oldham who went missing in Spain in 2017 has been found in France, authorities say. The teenager, answering to the name of Alex Batty, was found in the town of Revel east of Toulouse early on Wednesday morning. Six years ago, Alex, then 11, was on holiday with his mother and grandfather when they disappeared in Spain. A police source told local media that Alex had been taken to a police station by a concerned motorist. The boy said he had been in France for two years, the police source said, adding that he bore a resemblance to the last known picture of Alex. He was in good health and did not say he had been mistreated in any way. The prosecutor's office in Toulouse confirmed the identity to media, stating: "It is the missing child. The family have confirmed it." His grandmother - and legal guardian - Susan Caruana said in 2018 that she believed Alex's mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty had taken him to live with a spiritual community in Morocco...She said they were seeking an alternative lifestyle and did not want Alex to go to school...PICTURE: UNPIXS 14/12/2023

Her daughter Melanie told Alex “We’re getting rid of the phones” moments after Susan finished speaking to Alex — and that was the last she heard for six years.

Susan had allowed Melanie, 43, and her ex-husband David, 64, to take him on what they said was a week-long break in September 2017.

The retired mental health support worker had been Alex’s legal guardian for 18 months – to the anger of “chaotic” single mum Melanie who regarded him as her “property” and demanded a £500,000 payment for the boy.

Susan recalled: “Melanie asked to take Alex on holiday and David said he would be going too. Alex wanted to go like any child would.

“I was nervous about saying ‘yes’ but I felt I had no choice but to give them a chance and trust them. How wrong could I have been.”

The trio flew to Malaga and stayed at a luxury villa in Marbella owned by a friend of Melanie.

But they reneged on their promise to bring Alex back home to Oldham as the holiday came to an end.

They allowed Alex to call his nan from the beach to say he was not coming back, before Susan overheard his mum saying they were ditching their phones.

Susan said: “They completely and utterly betrayed me and left me heartbroken.

“I knew as soon as I heard her say, ‘We’re getting rid of the phones now’ I thought ‘I’ll never see him again’.”

Their mobiles and passports were dumped in a McDonald’s bin.

Susan immediately contacted Gtr Manchester Police but was told nothing could be done until Alex failed to board his flight home.

Cops eventually launched an alleged abduction investigation as Melanie and David dragged Alex around Spain and France.

However Alex would not be found for more than six years until a delivery driver saw him walking along a rural road near Chalabre in France at 3am on December 13.

Susan was reunited with Alex at her home in Oldham last Saturday night after he flew home.

She said the hardest thing about being apart from Alex was not knowing if he was alive or dead.

She told The Sun: “I didn’t hear anything from them again until Alex was found in France.

“During the whole six years I never knew if if they were alive or dead.

“Every time there was some sort of disaster I feared that he could be a victim.

“And during Covid I had no idea where he was so I didn’t know if he was in a built-up area or not.”

She said she will never be able to forgive Melanie and David for tricking into letting him go abroad.

Melanie had already sparked welfare concerns by taking Alex to Morocco to live in a commune when he was just eight.

While there, Melanie jetted off to Bali with a new boyfriend, leaving Alex behind with his grandad.

Susan, worried that her grandson was living in squalid conditions, paid for a flight for him and David to return to Oldham.

Once home, she got Alex a place in a school and in March 2016 successfully applied for legal guardianship, allowing Melanie to see him when she wanted.

Susan endured a difficult relationship with her daughter after she and David split up when she was 13.

She believes Melanie became spiritual after her dad attended Alcoholics Anonymous and performed the 12 Steps.

Susan said: “Mel has always been a daddy’s girl. She went off the rails not long after Alex was born.

“David is a good person but he’s a recovering alcoholic. She met people through him and liked the idea of it all and off she went.”

When asked if she hated her daughter and ex-partner for the pain they had put her through, Susan said she believed they should be made to take responsibility for their actions.

She added: “I don’t want to be the one to help them go to prison but if they do, then it’s not my fault. Alex has come back home of his own free will.

“He told his mother that ‘you chose this life but I don’t want it’.”

She is now overjoyed to be with her beloved grandson, who she was reunited with a staggering 2,269 days after he left the UK for what was supposed to be a week’s holiday.

Susan said she first learned Alex had been found when she got a call from her GMP family liaison officer.

She said: “I haven’t heard from her for a long, long time. When I saw the call I thought that name rings a bell.

“She said ‘We’ve just had a call from French police and we think they’ve found Alex’.

“I just cried. I couldn’t believe it.”