Alex Batty has returned to the UK, six years after he was last in the country.
The Oldham boy left the country with his mother and grandfather in September 2017, when he was an 11-year-old schoolboy at Hathershaw College.
Now, Alex is finally back home at the age of 17, as more details about his time outside of the country continue to be revealed.
The Oldham Times has put together a timeline of events between Alex's disappearance and his return home.
September 30, 2017
Alex goes on a pre-planned holiday to Spain with his mother, Melanie Batty, and his grandfather, David Batty. At the time, Alex's grandmother, Susan Caruana, was his legal guardian.
October 8, 2017
Alex, Melanie and David don't return from their holiday in the Benahavis area near Marbella. Alex is declared a missing person and inquiries reveal the trio may have tried to sail from Malaga to Melilla on the Moroccan border.
Melanie and David are suspects in the abduction of Alex.
February 13, 2018
On Alex's 12th birthday, Ms Caruana issues a public appeal for him to be returned home. From this point on, it is thought Alex moved between Morocco, Spain and France.
Autumn 2021
Alex, Melanie and David arrive at a bed and breakfast called the Gite de la Bastide in Camps-sur-l’Agly, a commune in southern France.
There, the couple who owned the gite, Frederic Hambye and Ingrid Beauve, said they knew Alex as 'Zach' and that he stayed in a ‘WorkAway’ type formula in which he helped with the maintenance of the gite in exchange for accommodation and food.
Alex stayed at the commune on different occasions, with the periods differing in time.
Mr Hambye and Ms Beauve said Alex left several times to join his mother where she was staying between Aude and Ariege in the Pyrenees mountain range in France.
Early summer 2023
Alex visits the gite in Camps-sur-l’Agly for the final time. Mr Hambye and Ms Beauve said he wanted a normal life and to go to school, however they were unable to enrol him in one as he did not have ID.
He said he would find a way to get back to the UK.
It is believed that around this time, in summer of this year, David Batty died, according to Toulouse Assistant Public Prosecutor Antoine Leroy.
Mr Leroy also says it is believed that Melanie has gone to Finland.
Wednesday, December 13
A delivery driver, Fabien Accidini, spots Alex while driving near Revel, a town close to Toulouse in southern France. Mr Accidini stopped to check on Alex, who asked the driver to take him to a police station.
Thursday, December 14
Public prosecutors in Toulouse confirm that Alex has been found and identified. as news breaks about his reappearance.
December 15
Greater Manchester Police confirm Alex has been found and that he will be returned to the UK.
Ms Caruana says in a statement: “I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well.
“I spoke with him last night and it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again. I can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited.
“The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.
“I would ask that our family are given privacy as we welcome Alex back, so we can make this process as comforting as possible.”
December 17
Alex returns to the UK, more than six years after having last been on British soil.
December 18
Alex says he is "glad to be home for Christmas".
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