Greater Manchester Police said there is no ‘realistic chance of criminal prosecution’.
The criminal investigation into the alleged abduction of Alex Batty, who returned to the UK after six years abroad, has been discontinued because he and his family would not support a prosecution.
Greater Manchester Police said the inquiry into his disappearance between September 30 2017 and December 13 2023 has officially concluded because there is no “realistic chance of criminal prosecution”.
Mr Batty went missing at the age of 11 after his mother, who was not his legal guardian, took him on a pre-arranged trip to Spain with his grandfather.
He was found by a chiropody student near the French city of Toulouse in December 2023 after walking across the Pyrenees.
