Kidnapped by my mum: BBC

[evrievri]

Has anyone watched this documentary about the abduction of Alex batty?
Shocking stuff. I felt so sorry for the poor lad. The most formative years of his life wasted . I’m amazed how mature he is for his age and after everything he’s been through

I read an article, I thought it was a bit sad when he said he’d probably never see his mum again. If she is able to avoid authorities for ever he’ll not know if/when she eventually dies either ☹️. So much trauma stored up. But no one seems to be talking about his granddad, unless he did in the programme? Or his dad?

Fascinating documentary! Just incredible how in modern times it’s possible to exist just outside the law. The French authorities were so not bothered.

Is Grandad also a victim?

it’s very hard to work out the grandfather, there was not much said about him other than his drink problem . I agree where was the boys dad?

Is the Gran the mother and ex wife of the mum and grandad?

I should just watch the programme shouldn’t I?!

Mixed feelings. So grandma is the good guy and mum and grandad are the bad guys. Not so sure if it's as black and white as that. This lad has turned out pretty good - great emotional intelligence and articulate. He did right to get himself out of there though, get assistance and return to the UK at 17.

Yes she is

Did you not listen to him?

He's desperate to see the good in his Mum, but the facts were, she didn't provide a safe home for him, abandoned him for several years, and then took him away from the only stable family he had and kept him on the run, without education, forced him to work to provide for her, didn't feed him properly, left him to sleep in a tent in freezing cold weather whilst she stayed cosy in a heated camper van and abused and harangued him if he dared to disagree with her about anything.

She was an utterly unfit mother and it sounds as though she has some serious control issues and personality disorders. My heart breaks for what he's been through, and it's only because of his refusal to co-operate with the investigation that she's not in prison.

100% agree @ImImmortalNowBabyDoll

What a truly lovely young man he turned out to be, despite everything he has gone through. His mum is clearly utterly brainwashed and I hope she and the Granddad manage to get the mental health support they need.

So many people turned a blind eye to a child out of school with no visible education going on, no mates of his own, hanging around until he was big enough to be useful and earn money to keep her. The granddad must have been in thrall to her to have gone along with it for so long. Selfish, selfish people, I’m so angry on his behalf.
His mother sounds like she has serious mental health problems including a delusional God complex. I’m disgusted that no one intervened in six years.

Have been watching this, such a nice young man. I really hope he’s got his life on track again. Was disappointing how many people turned a blind eye to what was clearly an unacceptable situation.

Grandad had similar delusions, though - the gran talked about how he was "reborn" after his AA meetings. Sounds like she inherited some kind of personality disorder from him. She was absolutely raving though. I'm surprised no one talked to Alex in terms of mental health, so he was struggling to process it all as "good vs bad intentions." His counsellor seemed a bit pathetic.

Those regions are full of off-grid hippy conspiracists... it's awful, but I suspect the authorities have just got used to turning a blind eye and letting them get on with it.

This is on my watch list.

How are the mother and grandfather not in jail? The victim should not have the responsibility of deciding whether charges are brought!

So many people that he met said it was none
of their business!

how can a child’s welfare be none of
theor business?

Thwy havent been caught! They’re on the run

Well yes I think PP knows they haven't been caught and is saying they should be

But they said there's not sufficient evidence for them to be charged towards the end.

I think a key issue is that the grandma gave her consent (she said she felt bewitched into it!).

Re the various adults who encountered them not doing/saying anything, I can understand that in an alternative community where everyone is playing by different rules.

At the end it said the mum will be releasing her side of the story

I'd be interested to know what that is then

The grandma only gave her consent to go on holiday though. Not to just stay there. I don't think that's why there's insufficient evidence

Lovely lad, do I think he told it all how bad some was no because all the way thru he was absolutely protecting his mum, I think the tent living in the cold alone, being made to go to work and hand over money to her was just the surface. For all the people they stayed with that turned a blind eye shame on them..A happy lad is not one that runs away at night alone and gets into a car with a stranger to find safety.. Enjoyed it tho and glad he has turned out well

Heartbreaking 💔

Pretty bonkers, going by the stuff she was saying all through the programme...!

Most probably. Would be curious though to see what she's planning on saying about it all

I don’t think jail is a solution to this. It’s really complex and whilst Alex is clearly hugely resentful that he lost his schooling the technicality of parental permission/ responsibility is a weak point compared to the nuance of the situation- that they don’t pose a threat, that plenty of parents do the same, that the victim doesn’t want them punished.

it raised such interesting questions about grooming, radicalisation, and cults