Teenager Alex Batty, who was finally found after six years, has opened up about his escape in his first interview since he was reported missing.
The 17-year-old is now back in the UK after more than six years since he disappeared on holiday in Spain with his mother Melanie Batty, then 37 - who was not his legal guardian - and grandfather David Batty, who was 58.
Alex - from Oldham, Greater Manchester - flew with them on a pre-agreed trip to Malaga Airport for a week-long stay in the Benahavis area near Marbella.
But they did not return to England on their expected return date on 8 October 2017.
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Authorities thought that he may have been abducted.
However, after becoming fed up of his nomadic lifestyle with 'no friends' and 'no social life', Alex realised that he needed to escape.
Speaking about his mum in an interview with The Sun, he said: “She’s a great person and I love her but she’s just not a great mum.
“I had an argument with my mum and I just thought I’m gonna leave because I can’t live with her.”
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The teenager – who is now under the legal guardianship of his grandmother, Susan Caruana, in Oldham – said his mother was 'anti-government, anti-vax' whose catchphrase was 'becoming a slave to the system'.
He said that his escape plan began in the town of Quillan.
Alex explained: “To try and be clever I walked to Quillan then back. I did that so when I talked about asking for directions in Quillan and getting lost, it was half true.
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“I didn’t get lost. I knew exactly where I was going. I just wanted to circle back for that to be a true story. I’m a very competent walker. I knew my way around the area so I knew where there were open springs so I could get water.
“I slept outside on the ground. It was freezing. If I needed the toilet I used leaves and grass.
“My plan was to get to Toulouse and get as far away as possible.
“But I was so knackered when the delivery driver picked me up I just blurted out a story.
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“I thought, ‘Oh Zack, what have you done’. Zack was the name I used when someone asked me.
“I wasn’t even hitchhiking when he picked me up. I was walking across a little bridge. He said he stopped because he saw I had a skateboard. It was pouring with rain and pitch black as it was 3am.
“I told him my story and I don’t think he actually believed me so he just carried on with his work.
“He was delivering parcels so I helped him because it’s the least I could do. He let me use his phone to contact my grandma.
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“After that he calls the police and a squad car nearby takes me to the nearest police station.
“I’m in f***ing bits on the floor because I’m thinking ‘S**t I shouldn’t have said anything’. They fingerprinted me about five different times and were sending photos to my grandma.
“Two gendarmes took me to another police station where I had a shower. I sat on the couch and relaxed a little bit until an English translator came.
“On Wednesday I spent the night at a foster home and I stayed there Thursday and Friday.
“On Friday they told me I could fly home without a passport and on Saturday I got to Toulouse airport and my other grandad was waiting for me with two police officers and my social worker. I was so happy to see him I gave him a big hug.”
After being looked after by the French authorities, Alex met his step-grandfather at Toulouse airport on Saturday before boarding a flight back to the UK, Greater Manchester Police said.
Featured Image Credit: MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP/Getty Images/PATopics: UK News, Parenting, Travel, News, World News