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Alex Batty wanted to return to Britain to go back to school and lead a “normal life”, his French hosts claimed.
The teenager returned home on Saturday after being found in France – six years after he disappeared while on holiday in Spain with his mother Melanie Batty, who is not his legal guardian, and his grandfather David Batty.
Last Wednesday he was spotted by a French driver as he walked along a road at the foot of the French Pyrenees, before arriving back in Britain on Saturday to reunite with his grandmother Susan Caruana.
French prosecutors who spoke to the 17-year-old teenager said he lived a nomadic lifestyle with his mother and grandfather, moving from place to place in Spain, Morocco and France.
Now the owners of a farmhouse in France that the teenager apparently visited regularly have released a statement about the boy's whereabouts.
Frederic Hambye and Ingrid Beauve said: “He really wanted to go to school and return to a normal life – and for that he needed his ID, which he told us he no longer had.”
Alex reportedly stayed with the couple “off and on” during his missing years at the Gite de la Bastide – their farmhouse in a hamlet at the foot of the Pyrenees.
“When we found out he didn’t have ID, we offered to drive him to the British consulate,” the couple continued.
“He told us he would find a way to return to the UK on his own to buy new things [identity] papers and go back to school. For this purpose, he told us, he left for his mother on December 17th.”
Alex Batty, now 17, who was found in France (family handout)
(PA Media)
They said they knew Alex as Zach and that he arrived on scene with his grandfather and mother.
During his stays, Alex had his own room, unlimited free internet access and the freedom to come and go as he pleased, they said – adding that he also enjoyed cooking, participating in property life and cycling and visit the beach.
His grandfather worked as a craftsman and received room and board for himself and Alex, it was said.
The farmhouse's owners said Alex's mother did not live on the property and during that time lived at “successive residences between Aude and Ariege” – about 30 miles north and 70 miles west of the farmhouse.
The D16 road in Chalabre, where Alex Batty, who disappeared in Spain six years ago, was found by a delivery driver
(Portal)
The statement added: “Over time, we came to see him as part of our family and we believe he appreciated the stability and security we represented for him.”
“We encouraged him to learn and study French. In particular, we helped him find a school where he could be admitted without any previous education. He showed some aptitude for computers.”
The whereabouts of Alex's mother are unknown, although French prosecutors said he told them she intended to take him to Finland, leading him to decide to return to Britain.
Greater Manchester Police said on Saturday evening that police had not yet established the full circumstances surrounding Alex's disappearance and were unable to determine whether or not a criminal investigation would be launched.