Alex Batty mystery deepens as French couple says teen lived on their farm as mum left to join 'spiritual communities'
17 December 2023, 12:47 | Updated: 18 December 2023, 22:49
A French couple have shed more light on the story of Alex Batty's disappearance, saying that the British teenager lived with them in their remote farmhouse for two years.
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Alex, 17, flew home to the UK to be reunited with his grandmother in Oldham after six years away, having been taken out of the country by his mother and grandfather when he was 11.
He emerged from the Pyrenees in the south of France, was picked up by a driver and taken to French authorities. From there his identity was verified and he was flown home to the UK on Saturday evening.
The details of how Alex left the UK in 2017 and what he has been doing since then have remained not totally clear since his re-emergence into society. He is said to have told the driver who picked him up that his mother "kidnapped" him.
The driver also said that Alex told him that he had lived in a luxury house in Spain for three years with ten other people, before leaving for France in 2021.
Now a French couple called Ingrid Beauve and Fred Hambye have said that Alex and his grandfather David Batty lived with them for two years in their farmhouse for free, in exchange for doing jobs around the house.
They said that Alex set off from the house to get identity papers so he could enrol in school.
Ingrid and Fred said they knew him as Zach, which tallies with what the driver had also said. David went by the name Peter, they said.
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His mother, Melanie Batty, did not stay with them but went off to join spiritual communities. Alex would visit her sometimes, they said.
The French couple said they took Alex on trips to the beach and to a river, and treated him as a member of their family, they told Mail Online. He liked cooking and helping in the garden.
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He announced earlier this month that he wanted to leave for the UK to study computer science.
They said they had no idea of his background and of the story of his 'abduction' that has been reported, and wished him luck in his new life.
The couple said in a written statement: "We are Ingrid and Fred, the owners of the gite de la Bastide and following the amalgams [myths] told in the press, we would like to give clarifications that will allow to better understand our role in the story of ‘Alex Batty’, who for us was called ‘Zach’ until last Thursday.
"We are the owners of the gite de la Bastide (to be differentiated from the Ferme de la Bastide, adjacent to the gite) in Camps-sur-l’Agly, a gite that has existed for almost 30 years and welcomes tourists but also hikers, horseback riders and cyclists along the GR 367 (Cathar trail) as well as groups on the occasion of family celebrations or associations, seminars and cultural events with a local focus.
"Zach (Alex Batty) arrived at our B&B for the first time in the late fall [autumn] of 2021, at the time he was accompanied by his grandfather and mother.
"He was looking for a place to stay and we offered to stay with us for a few days / weeks in a ‘WorkAway’ type formula in which he cointributed to the maintainance of the gite (garden, kitchen help) in exchange for accommodation and food. Zach / Alex had free access to the fridge and our food and loved to cook.
'He enjoyed sharing the dishes prepared by Fred and Ingrid, beef stew, chocolate cake, pasta bolognaise and vegetarian specialities. He was careful and keen to participate in the life of the Gite when he was there.
'On Sundays he would accompany us to the market to buy a Bagnat au Tuna [French bread tuna sandwich] and meet his mother. He was also part of our family and had good relations with our kids. We enjoyed time together in the summer, like cycling on rails, visiting the beach, the river, etc.
"He stayed with us for some longer and shorter periods. He left several times to join his mother in her successive places of residence between Aude and Ariege. We didn’t have much contact with his mother and she never lived at the Gite de la Bastide.
As far as we know, she was looking for a place to live in a community. La Bastide [hamlet] does not have this ambition. Nor are we a spiritual community.
"The last time Zach / Alex came back to us was at the beginning of this summer. As time went on, we saw him as part of our family and we think he appreciated the stability and security we represent for him.
"He had a room to himself, unlimited internet access and was completely free to come and go as he pleased.
"We were keen to help him (although we didn’t have parental authority since his family were in the area) and we encouraged him to learn French and study. In particular, we helped him find a school where he could be admitted without prior education. He showed a certain aptitude for computers.
"He was eager to go school and get back to a normal life and for that he needed his ID which he told us he no longer had. When we learned that he did not have an ID we offered to drive him to the British Consulate. He told us he would find a way to return to the UK on his own to get new [identity] papers and go back to school. To this end, he told us, he left on Sunday December 17 to join his mother.
"We reiterated to him that he would always be welcome and that if needed, we were there for him. The rest, as well as his real name and full story, we discovered in the press at the beginning of this week. We wish him the best of luck.
