Manchester boy, Alex Batty, who went missing six years ago is believed to have been found in France according to local authorities.
For those who don’t remember the story, Alex Batty went missing when he was just 11 years old whilst on holiday with grandparents in Spain on 30 September 2017 and, as per various reports, may now have been identified in France.
Having been escorted to a police station by a concerned motorist in the town of Revel, near Toulouse, the teenager originally from Oldham was flagged as a possible sighting and is said to be answering to the name Alex Batty.
The young boy told French police he had been in France for two years, with local authorities having noted that he bore a resemblance to the last known picture of Alex. He was also reported to be in good health and had ‘not been mistreated in any way’.
French police have claimed that missing Mancunian teen Alex Batty has been now been found. (Credit: Greater Manchester Police)
While full confirmation is still yet to be officially announced, the prosecutor’s office in Toulouse is currently verifying the identity to the BBC, stating: “It is the missing child. The family have confirmed it.”
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His grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana, told the outlet in 2018 that she believed Alex’s mother Melanie and grandad David had taken him to live with a ‘spiritual community’ somewhere in Morocco after wanting him to live an ‘alternative lifestyle’.
French journalist Remi Buhagiar of La Depeche newspaper explained that the young boy was picked up by a passing delivery driver who found him wandering the foothills of the Pyrenees with a rucksack and a skateboard before picking him up and listening to his story for “three hours”.
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The now 17-year-old believed to be Alex was found walking in the rain at night and had reportedly been travelling for days. As per Sky News, he told the passerby that he’d been kidnapped by his mother and had been living in a luxury house in Spain with a group of around 10 people.
Buhagiar went on to add that Batty “asked the driver if he could borrow his phone and sent a message via Facebook to his grandmother, saying he was fine and wanted to see her”, although he was unsure if she got the message.
The boy is currently being looked after by social services and Greater Manchester Police have been contacted via the embassy in Paris to put “safeguarding measures in place”.
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A spokesperson for GMP said: “This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place.”
We sincerely hope it indeed proves to be Alex and that he will soon be reunited with his family members back here in the UK.
Police appeal after teenage girl reports being sexually assaulted in a Stretford park
Emily Sergeant
An urgent appeal for information has been issued after a teenage girl reported being sexually assaulted in a park in Stretford.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers attended Victoria Park, in the Stretford area, earlier this week on Tuesday night (21 July) following reports that a teenage girl had been sexually assaulted.
The incident is reported to have happened between 5:30pm and 5:44pm, and the offender is described to be an older white male of a large build who was wearing a black t-shirt.
No arrests have been made at this time, GMP confirmed, and enquiries are ongoing.
As police continue their investigation at pace, a public appeal for information has been issued in the hopes that someone can come forward and provide the details needed to track down the offender.
“Detectives are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry and the victim is being fully supported by specially trained officers,” explained Detective Superintendent Suzanne Keenaghan, from GMP’s Trafford district.
“There will be an increased police presence in and around Victoria Park while officers continue their investigation and provide reassurance to the local community.”
Police say they are ‘particularly keen’ to hear from anyone who was in the park at the time, or who may have CCTV, doorbell, mobile phone or dashcam footage from the area.
Anyone with information can speak to police officers at the scene, call 101, or contact GMP via LiveChat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 3029 of 21/07/26.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues to be slashed by 20% next year
Emily Sergeant
Business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues across England are set to be slashed by 20% next year.
Continuing on with his week of, seemingly, introducing a new measure a day amid the cost of living crisis, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has now announced that he has taken action to cut business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues across England from April next year.
It’s expected that these new business rate cuts will benefit nearly 32,000 pubs, clubs and live music venues, saving the typical pub an estimated £1,100 in the next financial year.
“For too long, the pubs, social clubs, and live music venues that form the backbone of local high streets have been replaced by boarded up windows and for sale signs,” the Government said in a statement as the cuts were announced today.
Andy Burnham is slashing business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues by 20% next year / Credit: John Arano (via Unsplash) | Wikimedia Commons
These changes are set to be fully funded by the Government – including through reviewing reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities, such as vape shops for example.
The Government says it also plans to crack down on businesses that sell through online marketplaces but do not comply with their tax obligations, which therefore puts them at an unfair advantage over businesses that do play by the rules.
I’m giving thousands of pubs, clubs and music venues a 20% cut in business rates.
I won’t stand by while these cherished local spaces disappear, replaced by boarded-up windows and ‘For Sale’ signs.
They’re the heart of our communities and it’s time we backed them.
“Pubs, clubs and live music venues are at the heart of communities across the UK,” explained Chancellor John Healey. “They help make a place what we love. They bring people together, support local jobs and help keep high streets, and town centres busy, which is why we will back them all the way.
“We are determined to bring hope back, give businesses the support they need and generate growth in every postcode.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham added: “For too long, Governments have stood by while cherished venues have disappeared from our local high streets. So today I am changing that.
“This Government will back the businesses that people want to see in their communities. I said I would protect pubs and local high streets, and that’s what we will do. What we’re announcing today is just the start as we work to bring back hope across the country.”
Danny Jones -
14th December 2023 
