The investigation into the death of Jay Slater was left facing awkward questions after it was claimed a key witness who police could not find is actually on holiday in Tenerife and is unaware they even want to speak to her.
Lucy Law, 20, was one of the last people to see Jay alive when he disappeared after a night out on the Spanish island last summer before being found dead a month later.
But at the opening of an inquest into Jay’s death the coroner told the court – including Jay’s distraught parents and other family members – that police had been unable to find Ms Law and other potentially important witnesses.
Dr James Adeley told the hearing: ‘We can’t find them, they have stopped responding to phone calls.’
Among those he said police had tried and failed to find was Ms Law.
However last night Ms Law’s family insisted that she was simply on holiday – on the very island where Jay had died – and was unaware that they wanted her to give evidence.
Speaking at the family home in Burnley, Lucy’s stepfather Andy Davis said: ‘We had no idea Jay’s inquest was even being held today.
‘The police have only just been round today to say that she was due to give evidence. But it’s the first time we knew of it.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay Slater, 19, pictured with his mother Debbie Duncan
Speaking at the family home in Burnley, Lucy’s stepfather Andy Davis (right) said he did not know the inquest was being held today
Lucy Law (above) is among those who could not be traced to give evidence, a coroner revealed
‘They asked if Lucy was home and I said she was abroad and they asked me if I was aware that she should have been in court, and I said I wasn’t.
‘The police said they had sent Lucy paperwork with the dates on it, but the first I knew about it was when the police turned up earlier today.’
Sources within the Slater family later said they were aware where other supposedly missing witnesses were and had been able to find out easily.
The family source said: ‘Lucy is in Tenerife. Another supposedly untraceable witness is on holiday in Greece. If we can find this out so quickly why can’t the police?’
The inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court also heard a suggestion that witnesses may have been reluctant to appear because drugs may have been involved – as Jay was found to have traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine in his body when found dead.
Dr Adeley said: ‘When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities.’
Ms Law received a call last June from the 19-year-old British tourist saying he was lost, had one per cent charge on his phone and needed water.
A friend also said that Mr Slater seemed to be ‘off his head on drugs’ the night before.
Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had attended the NRG Festival at Papagayo, in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife on June 16 last year.
But after becoming separated from his friends following the all-night rave he went back to an AirBnB holiday cottage in the remote village of Masca with the two Britons, convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, 31, and another man.
Pictured: Lucy Law’s mother Rebecca Law and her stepfather Andy Davis
Jay Slater called his friend Lucy Law (pictured together) in June last year saying he was lost
Members of Jay Slater’s family including his mother Debbie Duncan (front right) arrive at Preston Coroner’s Court in Lancashire for the inquest into the death of the 19-year-old
The apprentice bricklayer was last seen alive leaving the white-washed house at around 7.30am on June 17.
He was apparently trying to walk the 10-hour journey back to the apartment where he was staying after missing a bus back.
An immediate focus of the investigation was a post Mr Slater uploaded on Snapchat of him having a cigarette, with the location tagged at the door of the apartment at 7.30am UK time.
Then two phone calls emerged.
Ms Law – who later attended Mr Slater’s funeral in August – received a call at 8.30am where he said he was lost, had 1 per cent charge on his phone and needed water.
In a video call to their other friend, Brad Hargreaves, Mr Slater was walking on rough, stony ground, saying he was making the long walk back.
His mother and father joined family and friends to comb the island for sightings.
As the mystery surrounding the teen’s disappearance grew, ‘vile’ and ‘distressing’ conspiracy theories began to emerge that dogged efforts to find Mr Slater.
Among the rumours circulating included claims Mr Slater had been targeted by a criminal cartel on the island for allegedly stealing a watch from a gang member – something his family vehemently denied happened.
Tragically Mr Slater’s body was found a month later in a mountainous area of the island.
He is believed to have lost his footing and fallen while desperately trying to climb through the ravine to try and return to his hotel.
Mr Slater went to an AirBnB cottage with drug dealer Ayub Qassim (pictured) and another man
Jay Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan arrives at Preston Coroner’s Court in Lancashire on Wednesday
Jay Slater pictured with friend Brad Hargreaves (left), with whom he was on holiday in Tenerife
A post-mortem found that he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height. His death would have been instantaneous.
A forensic pathologist who examined Mr Slater’s body after its repatriation to the UK said at today’s inquest that injuries including severe skull and pelvis fractures were consistent from a fall from a height.
He found no sign of injuries associated with Mr Slater being assaulted prior to his death.
Dr Richard Shepherd said the injuries seen in assault victims were ‘very different from the type of injuries I saw with Jay’.
The pathologist said decomposition of Mr Slater’s body during the 28 days it lay at the bottom of the ravine in the hot Tenerife climate meant he could not ‘exclude’ the possibility of a push ‘because a push would not leave a mark’.
‘But with that proviso there was nothing to indicate an assault or gripping of any sort,’ he added.
Dr Shepherd said the injuries caused by the fall would have caused ‘instantaneous’ loss of consciousness and Mr Slater would have died soon afterwards.
‘Jay would undoubtedly have been unconscious and unaware,’ he added.
Even with immediate specialist treatment in a neurosurgical unit, Dr Shepherd said he would be ‘extremely surprised’ if Mr Slater could have survived his ‘severe’ injuries.
The inquest also heard traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine were found in Mr Slater’s body.
Toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin said the length of time before Mr Slater’s body was discovered meant it was impossible to carry out tests on blood or urine.
Jay Slater attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance
But examination of a liver sample found metabolites of MDMA and of another recreational drug MDA, as well as of cocaine.
Spanish scientists additionally tested hair and muscle samples, finding a metabolite of ketamine, Dr Martin added.
However due to the length of time between Mr Slater’s death and the samples being taken, she was unable to say if he had been under the influence of drugs when he fell to his death, she said.
But he would have taken the ketamine within the previous 12 hours, Dr Martin added.
She said her analysis suggested Mr Slater had taken MDMA within one or two days before his death.
But the Spanish tests indicated that Mr Slater had used ketamine ‘over a much longer period’.
The hearing was also told by one friend of Mr Slater who did give evidence about a message in which the teenager mentioned being ‘thrown out’ of the rave and trying to sell an expensive watch for £10,000.
Joshua Forshaw – who gave evidence by videolink – said he met Mr Slater and his friends for the first time when they flew out for the NRG festival and swapped Snapchat details.
He told the Spanish authorities that when he saw Mr Slater on June 16 – the night before his death – he seemed to be ‘off his head on drugs’.
Asked how he seemed by Dr Adeley, Mr Forshaw said: ‘He was quite excitable. He seemed to be in a happy mood, joyful, excited to be there.’
He assumed Mr Slater had taken ecstasy because his friend Mr Hargreaves had asked Mr Forshaw to split a tablet with him, he said.
Later that night Mr Forshaw received a Snapchat message from Mr Slater saying he had ‘ended up getting thrown out’ with two other people and planned to sell a watch for ‘ten quid’.
Mr Forshaw said that meant £10,000 but said he never saw the watch and had no involvement in attempts to sell it.
The Airbnb house in Masca, Tenerife, where Jay Slater was staying before his disappearance
Jay Slater’s father Warren Slater (right) and brother Zak (left) at Preston Coroner’s Court on Wednesday
Snapchat messages normally delete automatically, but Mr Forshaw said he saved that one and later handed it to police.
However the court was told police later accidentally deleted the image, the court heard.
The Snapchat message read: ‘Yes cuz ended up getting thrown out of there me with 2 Maili kids just took an AP off some **** on way to sell it for 10 quid’.
Mr Forshaw said an AP was an expensive watch brand. The message was sent at 5.58am.
He said that later in the early morning of June 17, Mr Slater sent him another image with mountains in the background showing his top pulled up and two knives in his waistband.
At the same time through Snapchat he said Mr Slater texted him: ‘I’m carrying these in case it kicks off.’
Mr Forshaw said he didn’t save the image and did not mention it to the Spanish Guardia Civil before leaving Tenerife.
However he told Lancashire Police about it when he returned to the UK because it was ‘the right thing to do’.
Mr Forshaw said he did not ask Mr Slater if he was OK in response to the message.
Later that morning he overheard a Facetime call between Mr Slater and his friend Mr Hargreaves after going to their apartment.
‘He was slurring his words but he wasn’t begging for help or anything,’ he told the court. ‘He didn’t sound like he was in danger.’
Mr Forshaw said Mr Hargreaves urged Mr Slater to get a taxi back to where they were staying, but the teenager said he had no money.
Mr Hargreaves told Mr Slater he should either get a taxi and run off when it reached its destination, or alternatively they would pay for it, the hearing was told.
Mr Slater didn’t sound ‘distressed or angry’, he added.
The coroner pressed Mr Forshaw on whether it was true that Mr Slater sent him an image showing knives in his waistband, reminding him that he was under oath.
‘I wouldn’t lie,’ he said. ‘I went to police off my own back.’
At the close of his evidence, Dr Adeley instructed him to provide ‘proof’ that ‘ten quid’ was ‘common parlance’ meaning £10,000, warning that there would be ‘serious consequences’ if he did not comply.
Before closing the videolink, the coroner gave him until 2pm to supply the information.
A police officer overlooks Masca in Tenerife during the search for Jay Slater on June 21, 2024
Attempts to contact the Britons with whom Jay spent his final hours via mobile phone numbers and email addresses which they gave the Spanish authorities were unsuccessful, the court heard.
Police served summonses on Ayub Qassim, who was renting the AirBnB he went back to, and fellow Briton Steven Roccas, known as Rocky, the coroner heard.
But both were unknown at the addresses in London held by police.
Witness summons were also issued for Jay’s friends Josh Forshaw, Lucy Law, Brad Hargreaves and Brandon Hodgson.
Mr Forshaw responded to a summons and gave evidence, but Mr Hargreaves replied to say he would be away on holiday when the inquest was heard today, having booked the trip last October.
Ms Law is currently in Tenerife, the coroner was told, while Mr Hodgson is also understood to be abroad.
‘We’ve been looking for them for months and we cannot find them,’ Dr Adeley said. ‘We really tried, we just can’t find them.’
Asking about Mr Qassim and the fellow Briton whose AirBnb the teenager went back to, Mr Slater’s father Warren told the coroner: ‘The two people who can put some light on whatever happened to Jay aren’t in court today.’
Dr Adeley said he understood his concerns.
But he said evidence from Spanish witnesses given to the Tenerife authorities due to be spelt out to the hearing would corroborate the account Mr Qassim gave at the time.
Also today, the inquest heard from two members of a Dutch search team which flew out to the island at the request of Mr Slater’s family.
They said it would have taken Mr Slater about three-and-a-half hours to hike from the Airbnb in Masca to the ravine where his body was found.
Poignantly they said that from having retraced his last steps, they could appreciate why he thought he could reach the sea.
‘I can imagine he thought he was going to make it,’ said Signi Zoekhonden. ‘He’s a young guy.’
She said it was only the last hour of the route where it became ‘difficult to walk’, although there was a stream he could have drunk from.
But in the last 50 metres before the ravine it became necessary to use ropes and climbing equipment to proceed safely.
In addition, by 10.30am the temperature would have been rising sharply.
Statements from three locals describing Mr Slater’s last known movements in the remote village were also read to the hearing.
One, Luisa Hernandez, recalled Mr Slater asking her at about 7.55am when the next bus would be, to which she responded that it was due around 10am.
Later that morning she was driving to an appointment and briefly caught sight of him walking ‘at a brisk pace’ along the main road.
This was the last time he was seen alive.
Detective Chief Insp Rachel Higson, head of Lancashire Police’s digital media investigation unit, analysed Mr Slater’s iPhone after it was returned to his family.
Jay Slater’s brother Zak Slater arrives at Preston Coroner’s Court in Lancashire on Wednesday morning
On June 16 it was unsuccessfully used to make payments to unknown recipients in the sums of €320 (£270) and €120 (£110).
At 9.26pm there was a message from ‘Hodgey’ to Mr Slater reading: ‘Get that 2 ton out for me aswell bro.’
Later in the night there were ‘repeated efforts’ by Ms Law – referred to on his phone as Lucy Mae – to contact Mr Slater, telling him he is ‘off your head’ and to go back to their apartment.
At around 2.40am on June 17 a message was sent by Hodgey reading: ‘You need to get home.’
Mr Slater replied: ‘You think I’m going home you must be disabled.’
Then shortly before 6am Mr Slater sent an image to a different Snapchat group captioned: ‘Just took a 12k rolly off some **** with this Maili kid off to get 10 quid for it now haha off my undies.’
He also sent a two-second video of himself in the back of a moving car, consistent with driving to Masca.
At 6.09am Mr Slater sent his friend Bradley his location as being in the village, followed by a seven second video an hour later showing a mountainous scene which police geolocated to Masca.
At 8.13am Mr Slater sent a WhatsApp message which could not be recovered which gave his location 1.5km from the Airbnb, approximately a 26 minute walk.
This was his last confirmed location, DCI Higson said.
At 8.35am Ms Law sent him a message telling him to ‘get back to wherever the f*** you just came from’ which was delivered and read.
The last contact was a Snapchat call with a contact called ‘Luce’ at 8.55am.
Police analysed the phone’s battery health and established that at 8.27am that morning it was on 3 per cent, declining to 2 per cent by 8.33am and 1 per cent at 8.52am.
The phone also showed strenuous activity including ascending ‘inclines’ between 7.49am and 8.49am but nothing after that – consistent with the phone running out of charge.
DCI Higson said the messages over the night fitted with Jay’s friends being ‘concerned about his state’ due to his being ‘incapacitated’.
Analysis of the phone battery, location and activity data were ‘consistent’ with what witnesses had said and where he was last seen, she added.
‘Having read all the messages there’s nothing at all to suggest Jay was frightened, that he was under any threat, that he was scared of anybody, that he was forced to do anything against his will.’
The detective said there was no other reference from analysis of his phone to a stolen watch or Jay trying to sell it, or evidence that it ever existed.
She confirmed that ‘AP’ could refer to the high-end Audemars Piguet watch brand while ‘Rolly’ was likely to mean a Rolex.
DCI Higson told the coroner that ‘ten quid’ was widely used in East Lancashire where Mr Slater lived to mean £10,000.
Earlier witness Mr Forshaw told the coroner this was his understanding of the phrase ‘ten quid’ but he had no way of knowing that this was what Mr Slater meant in his message.
In August, hundreds gathered in Accrington to bid a final farewell at his funeral, as his coffin was laid to rest amid an encore of drum-and-bass music.
During their eulogies, friends recalled Mr Slaters ‘buzzing and smiling’ demeanour and told their late schoolmate to ‘keep partying hard up there’.
The coffin of Jay Slater ahead of his funeral in Accrington, Lancashire, on August 10, 2024, where mourners wore the colour blue in his memory
His parents led the procession of mourners through the drizzle on August 10 to the service at the packed Accrington Crematorium Chapel, while many more watched on an outdoor screen.
On November 21, a GoFundMe page titled Get Jay Slater Home was closed after it had received £72,821 worth of donations.
In a final post on the page, Mr Slater’s family said they had been able to give a ‘truly deserved… send-off’ at his funeral.
They also explained how the donations were spent, which included hiring a search team from the Dutch non-profit organisation Signi Zoekhonden and paying for their stay in Tenerife while they searched for the teenager’s body.
The same coroner also presided over the inquest into the death of mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, who went missing while walking her dog after dropping her children off at school in in St Michael’s-on-Wyre, Lancashire, in January 2023.
Her disappearance also provoked a storm of attention on social media with TikTok sleuths sharing outlandish theories.
The 45-year-old’s body was found in the River Wyre three weeks later after a huge search effort which sparked global headlines.
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, later ruled that Ms Bulley’s death was accidental and that she did not have ‘any desire’ to take her own life.
That hearing took place amid tight security at County Hall in Preston, with members of the public who attended subjected to searches and warned against disrupting proceedings.
By contrast, Mr Slater’s inquest is being held at Preston Coroner’s Court.
