Jay Slater inquest LIVE updates as details heard on teen's death in Tenerife... with police hunting missing friends, the truth about a '£10,000 watch' and drugs in his system revealed

NewsJay Slater inquest LIVE updates as details heard on teen's death in Tenerife... with police hunting missing friends, the truth about a '£10,000 watch' and drugs in his system revealedThe

19-year-old from Lancashire was found missing after a four-week searchmenBookmarkShareByAmy FentonSenior reporterStephen ToppingSenior reporterHelena VestyChris SlaterUpdated20:19, 21 MAY

2025BookmarkJay Slater was found after a four-week search in Tenerife (Image: Instagram)

An inquest into the death of Jay Slater will take place today, with new details set to be given in court.

The 19-year-old was tragically found dead in a ravine in Rural Parc de Teno, in Tenerife, on July 15 last year.

The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, east Lancashire, had attended the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas.

He travelled to an Airbnb in the remote Masca village in north-west Tenerife in the early hours of June 17, following an NRG event.

Jay then left the property, with the teenager intending to walk to the apartment his friends were staying in at Los Cristianos.

The month-long search for Jay sparked major media attention from the UK, Lancs Live reports.

He was eventually found in the Juan Lopez ravine, north of Masca, close to where his phone last pinged.

A post-mortem examination concluded he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height.

As Jay's body was returned to Lancashire for his funeral, Lancashire's Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley opened an inquest.

The final hearing is taking place today (May 21).

This is a live event. Follow the latest updates below.

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as there could be more attempts to find missing men14:53'You need to get home lad, you're off your barnet'14:1320:19Chris SlaterWhat could happen next

A witness can be compelled to give evidence at an inquest if they have been served with a summons. However, as police have so far been unable to find Mr Qassim or Mr Roccas, and therefore

have not been able to serve a summons, an arrest warrant cannot, as yet, be issued.

The inquest heard that the coroner's office had spoken to who they believed to be Mr Roccas on the phone - although the person who answered the phone had denied being him.

If a police officer has a reasonable belief that an individual is that named on a witness summons they can still serve it and, in those circumstances, if they fail to attend court then a

warrant for their arrest can be issued.

If police are unable to serve a witness summons they can take steps to locate an individual by other means, such as via family members or known associates.

The coroner has indicated that the inquest into Jay's death will likely resume "in a month or two" once further steps have been taken to locate the two men.

You can read more here.

The two men who had been the last to see Jay, Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, 'could not be located' despite extensive efforts to find them, the inquest heard.

Lancashire's Senior Coroner, Dr James Adeley, decided to adjourn the inquest to allow for further attempts to locate Mr Qassim and Mr Roccas.

He told Jay's family:

The question in any inquest is that of how somebody comes by their death. The difficulty is in the interpretation. We could simply deal with Jay's death by the fact that he has walked

into the middle of nowhere and fallen off a cliff.

However, you wish to speak to the witnesses, who last saw him.

You have heard of the difficulties we have had trying to find these two witnesses. In view of your distress and your need for answers, we will make an attempt to find them again using

whatever means we can.

I am not confident of success, but I will do what I can.

heard the tragic message a friend sent to him in the early hours of the morning he disappeared.

Preston Coroner's Court has heard how Jay's friend sent him a warning after the 19-year-old sent a concerning message.

At 2.39am on the morning Jay disappeared, he sent a message to a friend in which he said: "They've got a marker on me."

The friend replied: "You need to get home lad, you're off your barnet."

You can read the full story here.

Here are the five key points from today's hearing.

- 'Immediately unconscious' - the court heard how the head injury suffered by Jay after his fall from a height along the Juan López ravine would have rendered him unconscious

almost instantly.

Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd told the coroner that Jay suffered several injuries but 'that to the head is by far the most important one in understanding why Jay

died'.

Search for 'Johnny Vegas' - coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick was asked to give evidence to describe the extensive attempts she went to in order to track down a key witness by

the name of Ayub Qassim - nicknamed Johnny Vegas.

Mr Qassim had rented the Airbnb Jay went back to after the NRG music festival.

The court heard how the coroner's office had gone to significant lengths to locate Mr Qassim - including asking the Metropolitan Police to serve witness summons on him - but their

efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

Pleas made by Debbie Duncan - Jay's Mum - to have Mr Qassim present in court led to the coroner, Dr James Adeley, adjourning proceedings.

Watch strap - a witness by the name of Josh Forshaw made claims to the court that Jay had stolen a Rolex watch worth £12,000 before his disappearance.

Jay reportedly sent a message to Josh's phone, which read: "Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [expensive watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to

sell it."

Josh added that Jay told him he would sell the watch strap for '10 quid' - which he claims is slang for £10,000, not £10.

Josh also told the inquest that Jay sent him a picture showing 'knives down his trousers' - which he claims was captioned 'in case it kicks off'.

Conflicting toxicology reports -the inquest heard the results of both the UK and Spanish toxicology reports.

British toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin determined that Jay had ecstasy (MDMA) in his system at the time of his death.

Also present was a cocaine metabolite, which is present when cocaine is taken at the same time as the consumption of alcohol.

She explained that it is impossible to say exactly when Jay took the drugs but it is 'likely within a day or so of his death'.

Dr Martin also revealed that the Spanish authorities carried out their own tests, which revealed traces of ketamine in Jay's system.

She suggested that the 'the time between the two post mortem investigations' might have contributed to the different findings.

Friends can't be located - Dr Adeley explained at the start of proceedings that Jay's friends who were with him in Tenerife - Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves - "cannot be located".

The coroner said: "We can't find them. They have denied who they are and we have had police looking for them but we can't find them."

Police attempted to serve a witness summons on Lucy Law, but believe that she is currently in Tenerife.

The inquest heard how Bradley Hargreaves is also currently on a holiday which was booked last October.

At around 7.30am on the day he disappeared, Jay video called Hargreaves.

The court heard how Jay told Brad Hargreaves he didn't have the money for a taxi, to which Bradley said: "Just get a taxi here and then jump out and don't pay for it or we'll

pay."

The inquest was adjourned by Dr Adeley at around 3:30pm on Wednesday. It is expected to resume at a date yet to be confirmed.

answers'

Here is the full story as the coroner took the decision to adjourn the inquest so attempts can again be made to track down two key witnesses.

start again?

The inquest will close for the day now, to resume at a date to be confirmed.

This means Jay Slater's family are still without answers, almost 10 months after his death in Tenerife.

The coroner has adjourned the inquest and indicated it will likely resume "in a couple of months". Dr James Adeley said: "The question in any inquest is that of how somebody comes by their

death.

"The difficulty is in the interpretation. We could simply deal with Jay's death by the fact that he has walked into the middle of nowhere and fallen off a cliff."

Addressing Jay's mother Debbie, he continued: "However, you wish to speak to the witnesses, who last saw him. You have heard of the difficulties we have had trying to find these two

witnesses.

"In view of your distress and your need for answers we will make an attempt to find them again using whatever means we can. I am not confident of success but I will do what I

can."

The coroner is now coming back into the courtroom.

The inquest has been paused again after Jay's mum has called on the coroner to find the men who owned the Airbnb her son stayed in before his disappearance.

Read more here...

The inquest has already heard that the two men, whose Airbnb Jay had gone back to after the music festival, Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, cannot be located.

However, when Jay's mum Debbie was asked if she was content for their initial statements to be read into evidence, she pleaded with the coroner to bring "these people in front of us".

The coroner's office has already gone to significant lengths to locate the two men, including asking the Metropolitan Police to serve witness summons on them, but their efforts have so

far been unsuccessful.

Jay's mum Debbie told the coroner: "I know you tried to locate them but how can we ever get any understanding? We know he died, we know he had an accident, but from him leaving that

holiday resort to going up there...?

"We read the statements. There are things that we want to question. We want these people in front of us. My son went on holiday and didn't come back so there are questions we need to

ask. Please."

The coroner has called a short break. Potentially, this could mean that the inquest is adjourned to allow for further attempts to locate the two men.

Jay was carried

The Dutch rescue team volunteers have said "there would be no reason" why anyone would follow the route which Jay walked "unless you were on your way to the sea".

They added Jay "must have walked there himself because you can't carry someone down there". When asked by the coroner why someone couldn't be carried they said: "This would be

impossible."

The Dutch search and rescue volunteers said they "can imagine how Jay thought he was going to make it" from the Airbnb back to the coast.

They said that it would probably take around three and-a-half hours to walk from where Jay was last seen to where he was found.

'really steep, pretty dangerous'

The inquest is now hearing from the Dutch rescue team which assisted with the search for Jay. The team used search dogs which had been given clothes worn by Jay, from his mum, in order to

track his scent.

The route Jay took was initially "pretty easy" but the location where his body was found is "really steep, really dangerous".

The inquest has heard more on witness Josh Forshaw's claim that Jay's reference to "10 quid" actually meant £10,000.

Before lunch Josh had been asked by the coroner to provide evidence this is a commonly-used slang term. Josh responded to the request earlier today, asking the coroner: "Are you serious?"

Speaking this afternoon he said: "It's used in my area but I can't show that is what Jay intended. It was my interpretation."

DCI Rachel Higson has also been asked if she is aware of the term. She said: "It's not something I've heard of prior but I've consulted with colleagues and certainly in the

east of the county, like Blackburn, it is a commonly-known term."

DCI Rachel Higson, head of digital media investigations at Lancashire Police, examined Jay's phone.

She said that there was "no data recorded" after 8.49:51 on June 17. Between 7.59am and 8.49am, Jay's iPhone recorded "a lot of steps and inclines".

get home lad, you're off your barnet'

At 2.39am on the morning Jay disappeared he sent a message to a friend in which he said: "They've got a marker on me."

The friend replied: "You need to get home lad, you're off your barnet."

Between 5.03am and 5.52am on the morning Jay went missing a message was sent from his phone saying: "Just took a £12k Rolly off some **** off to get 10 quid for it now."

VestyBank card declined the night before Jay went missing

On the evening of June 16 last year, the night before Jay disappeared, his bank account provider declined two debit card payments. One, at 9.10pm, was for €320, and the second, just one

minute later, was for €160.

The inquest is back under way.

The court has heard witness statements from three Spaniards who saw Jay in the hours before he disappeared.

At around 7.50am two friends, who were working on a construction project in the village of Masca, saw Jay on the main road.

Jay asked them about bus times.

We're just waiting for proceedings to resume at Preston Coroner's Court.

Lancs Live reporter Amy Fenton remains in attendance.

A number of other witnesses are expected to give evidence this afternoon.

This was the moment Jay's family arrived outside Preston Coroner's Court earlier today.

(Image: CHRIS NEILL)From left: Jay Slater's dad Warren Slater and brother Zak attend his inquest at Preston Coroner's Court (Image: CHRIS NEILL)Share12:59Stephen ToppingLunch break

The hearing has now been adjourned for lunch.

Proceedings are expected to resume at 1.30pm.

Josh Forshaw, who has appeared via videolink, has now finished giving evidence.

He concludes his evidence by saying: "I hope that everybody is all right."

The coroner has asked Josh to provide some evidence on social media to show that '10 quid' is slang for £10,000.

Josh says: "Are you serious?"

The coroner replies: "I am absolutely serious. I want proof from somewhere that it is a common usage that that is £10,000."

Josh has been given an hour to 'back this up'.

The court hears that Jay sent the picture of knives down his trousers to Josh around 90 minutes before that phone call.

At around 7.30am on the day Jay disappeared he video called his friend Brad Hargreaves.

The court hears Jay told Brad Hargreaves he didn't have the money for a taxi, to which Bradley said:

"Just get a taxi here and then jump out and don't pay for it or we'll pay."

In this phone call Jay 'still sounded under the influence' but was not distressed or 'begging for help or in danger', Josh told the inquest.

Topping"In case it kicks off"

Josh says the picture Jay sent him of two knives down his trousers, was captioned 'in case it kicks off'.

He admits he didn't inform Spanish police about this image.

After Josh returned home to the UK he informed Lancashire Police about the image Jay sent him in which he apparantly had knives concealed in his trousers.

to sell watch strap'

The witness, Josh Forshaw, resumes his evidence.

He says Jay told him he would sell the watch strap for '10 quid' - which he claims is slang for £10,000, not £10.

Josh also tells the inquest that Jay sent him a picture showing 'knives down his trousers'.

The inquest resumes.

The coroner has just called a short break as contact has reportedly been made with one of the witnesses who couldn’t be located.

The inquest is now hearing about claims Jay had stolen a Rolex watch worth £12,000 before his disappearance.

The inquest has heard Jay sent a message to Josh in which he said:

"Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [expensive watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it."

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