Abducted teenager Alex Batty set off to Britain last Sunday in a bid to get new identity papers so he could enroll at a French school and get an education, the owner of the isolated farmhouse in the Pyrenees mountains has revealed.
Alex, or Zach, as he was known, arrived at the remote Gite de la Bastide with his grandfather and mother in the autumn of 2021, looking for a place to stay.
His grandfather David Batty, who went by the name Peter, was taken on as a handy man in exchange for board and lodgings for himself and his grandson.
Alex’s mother, Melanie Batty, did not stay at the farmhouse but left to find a ‘spiritual’ community to live among.
The owners of the Gite, Frederic Hambye and Ingrid Beauve, took the British youngster under their wing and treated him as a member of the family. He was taken on outings throughout the summer, including cycling on railway lines and trips to the beach and the river.
Alex Batty, from Oldham, was 11 when he did not return from a holiday to Spain with his mother Melanie, then 37, and grandfather David, then 58, in 2017. He was found earlier this week
The owners of the Gite, Frederic Hambye and Ingrid Beauve, (pictured) took the British youngster under their wing and treated him as a member of the family
Alex, or Zach, as he was known, arrived at the remote Gite de la Bastide with his grandfather and mother in the autumn of 2021
He would stay with them for weeks and months at a time, but also spend time with his mother at whichever ‘community’ in the remote Aude and Ariege departments of the Pyrenees she was living with at the time.
The youngster was given ‘free access’ to the fridge and ‘unlimited’ internet access. He liked cooking and helping out in the garden.
On Sundays he would meet up with his mother at one of the many markets that are held in valley villages of the Pyrenees.
However earlier this month Alex announced he was returning to the UK to get the identity documents he needed to enrol in a local school to study computer science. He told his French hosts he no longer had his ID.
In a long and carefully written statement the French couple explained how they only ever wanted the best for the British youngster and treated him as a member of their family.
They only learned of his real identity and his painful story of abduction from news reports last week, they said.
In a parting note they wished him ‘good luck’ in his new life with his grandmother Susan Caruana, in Oldham, Manchester.
Alex Batty disappeared with his mother Melanie Batty and grandfather David Batty in 2017
They wrote: ‘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.’