Boy abducted by mum has renewed 'sense of purpose'
Alex Batty, who was abducted by his mother and lived off-grid for six years, has found a renewed sense of purpose after securing employment at a waste management company. His story highlights the challenges of reintegration for victims of long-term abduction.
Why it matters
The case sheds light on the difficulties faced by young people re-entering society after prolonged isolation and the importance of employment in recovery.
Image caption, Alex Batty has been working at a waste management site for three months
Alex Batty, who disappeared for six years after being abducted by his mother as a child, has described feeling a renewed "sense of purpose" after finding work.
Batty, from Oldham, was declared missing by his grandmother in 2017, aged 11, after his mother and grandfather failed to return him from a holiday in Spain and instead moved to France
He spent the following years in isolation before he was spotted by a delivery driver in December 2023 in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south-west of the country.
Batty, who is now 20, said his job at a waste management company had given his young family financial security.
It has been a whirlwind couple of years for Batty, whose teenage years were spent living as a nomad in France.
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