Alex Batty’s grandmother has told how she felt “completely betrayed” by her daughter and ex-husband when the schoolboy was abducted.
Susan Caruana, 68, who was Alex’s legal guardian at the time, feared she would never see the boy, then 11, again after the call in Spain.
5
Susan Caruana was recently reunited with her grandson Alex Batty after he was missing for years – now speaking of her heartbreak over his disappearance Credit: Louis Wood – Commissioned by The Sun
5
Alex disappeared in 2017 with his mother Melanie and grandfather David Credit: UNPIXS
Her daughter Melanie told Alex “We’re getting rid of the phone” moments after Susan finished talking to Alex – and that was the last she heard for six years.
Susan allowed Melanie, 43, and her ex-husband David, 64, to take him on what they said was a week’s holiday in September 2017.
The retired mental health support worker was Alex’s legal guardian for 18 months – to the fury of “chaotic” single mum Melanie. Susan said Melanie had gone off the rails and regarded her son as her “property”, demanding a £500,000 payout.
Susan recalled: “Melanie asked to take Alex on holiday and David said he would go too. Alex wanted to go like any child.
“I was nervous when I said ‘Yes’, but I felt I had no choice but to give them a chance and trust them. How wrong could I be?”
The trio flew to Malaga and stayed in a luxury villa in Marbella owned by Melania’s friend.
But they broke their promise to bring Alex home to Oldham as the holiday drew to a close.
They let Alex call his babysitter from the beach and say he wasn’t coming back, before Susan heard his mom tell them to give up their phones.
She said: “They completely and utterly betrayed me and left me heartbroken.
“I knew as soon as I heard her say, ‘We’re going to get rid of the phone now,’ I thought, ‘I’ll never see it again.'”
Their cell phones and passports were thrown into the McDonald’s bin.
Susan immediately contacted Gtr Manchester Police but was told nothing could be done until Alex boarded the flight home.
The police eventually launched an investigation into the alleged kidnapping as Melanie and David dragged Alex around Spain and France.
However, Alex was not found for more than six years until a delivery driver saw him walking along a country road near Chalabre, France at 3am on December 13.
Susan was overjoyed to be reunited with Alex, now 17, at her home in Oldham last Saturday night after he flew home.
She said the hardest thing about being apart from Alex is not knowing if he’s alive or dead.
She told The Sun: “I didn’t hear anything from them until Alex was found in France.
“During six full years I did not know whether they were alive or dead.
“Every time there was a disaster, I was afraid that he might be a victim.
“And during Covid I had no idea where he was so I didn’t know if he was in a populated area or not.”
Susan said she’ll never be able to forgive Melania and David for tricking her into letting him go abroad – and it’s not her fault if they go to jail.
Melanie had already raised welfare concerns by taking Alex to Morocco to live in a commune when he was just eight.
While there, Melanie flew to Bali with a new boyfriend, leaving Alex with his grandfather.
Susan—concerned that her grandson was living in squalid conditions—paid for a flight for him and David to return home.
She got Alex a place at school and successfully applied for legal custody in March 2016, allowing Melanie to see him when she wanted.
Susan experienced a difficult relationship with her daughter after she and David separated when she was 13.
He believes Melanie became spiritual after her father attended Alcoholics Anonymous and took the 12 steps.
Susan said: “Mel has always been a daddy’s girl. She went off the rails shortly after Alex was born.
“David is a good person, but he is an alcoholic who is being treated. She met people through him and she liked the idea of it all and started.”
When asked if she hates her daughter and her ex for the pain they put her through, Susan said they should take responsibility.
She added: “I don’t want to be the one to help them go to jail, but if they do, then it’s not my fault. Alex came home of his own free will.
“He told his mother ‘you chose this life, but I don’t want it.’
She is delighted to be back with her beloved grandson, who returned home an incredible 2,269 days after flying out of the UK.
Susan said she first found out Alex had been found in France when she was called by Gtr Manchester Police’s family liaison officer.
She said: “I haven’t heard from her in a long, long time. When I saw the invitation, I thought, ‘That name rings a bell’.
“She said ‘We’ve just had a call from the French police and we think they’ve found Alex’.
“I just cried. I couldn’t believe it.”
5
Susan says she will never be able to forgive daughter MelanieCredit: Louis Wood – commissioned by The Sun
5
Susan was reunited with Alex at her home in Oldham last Saturday night after he flew homeCredit: Louis Wood
5
Police officers have launched an investigation into the alleged kidnapping Credit: Louis Wood
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education