Jay Slater had taken cocktail of drugs and was 14 hours from home, inquest told

Daily Record

2 days ago

The teen had also been drinking alcohol on the night before he vanished in Tenerife.
Teen Jay Slater who vanished in Tenerife last summer, sparking a huge search, before his body was found in a ravine, had allegedly taken drugs and alcohol on a night out and had a 14-hour walk home, the inquest into his death heard.
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Bradley Geoghegan, who had gone on holiday with Mr Slater, said the 19-year-old had taken ecstasy pills, and possibly ketamine, along with cocaine and alcohol, on the night out before he went missing.
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Mr Slater had been forced to leave a nightclub earlier that night because he was so drunk. Instead of going back to the apartment he shared with Mr Geoghegan, Jay went to an Airbnb, miles away, with two men they had met on the holiday. The next morning Mr Geoghegan said he got a video call from his pal, who was walking along a road and was still 'under the influence', Preston Coroner's Court heard, reports Wales Online.
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Mr Geoghegan said: 'I said put your maps on to see how far you were. It was like a 14-hour walk or an hour drive. I said, 'Get a taxi back', then he just goes, 'I will ring you back'.'
The witness said he did not think his friend had any money on him, and taxis in Tenerife insisted on payment up front before carrying a fare to their destination. Coroner Dr James Adeley asked the witness: 'Did you get the impression he was in any way threatened or fearful, or under duress in a difficult situation?'
Mr Geoghegan replied: 'No. I think he probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?', sobered up and decided to come back.'
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Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with a group of pals at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas, on June 16 last year. Mr Slater vanished the morning after going to the Airbnb and was reported missing on June 18.
Evidence heard during the inquest suggested that he had left the holiday let, and after failing to get a bus or taxi and attempted to walk back to his own apartment but had fallen from a height into a ravine. A huge search was launched before his body was eventually found in a steep and inaccessible area, by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard, near the village of Masca, on July 15.
Mr Slater's mum, Debbie Duncan had asked for the inquest into the death to be resumed on Thursday after a number of witnesses failed to give evidence at the last hearing in May. She said Mr Slater's family still had questions about their loved one's death that needed answers.
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Dr Adeley agreed to adjourn the inquest until Thursday to trace the witnesses, including those who had been with him in the hours before he vanished. The hearing in May heard from a number of witnesses, including toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin.
The court heard analysis showed traces of drugs, including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy, along with alcohol, were found in Mr Slater's system. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said his post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries, and Mr Slater's body showed no evidence of restraint or assault, with the pattern of injuries consistent with a fall from a height.
Detective Chief Inspector Rachel Higson, from Lancashire Constabulary, said police had analysed Mr Slater's phone data. On the night out he had received phone messages from his friends telling him to go home as he was 'off his head'.
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Phone location data suggested Mr Slater had travelled to the Airbnb and the next morning left the property at about 7.45am. Statements from Spanish witnesses said they were approached and asked by Mr Slater about buses or taxis to take him home.
More messages from friends warned him about the 'boiling' heat of the day, but activity data on his phone ended at 8.51am, suggesting his phone battery had died. Marieke Krans from Dutch rescue charity Signi Zoekhonden, which uses dogs, helped in the search.
She said the area where the body was found was about a three-and-a-half-hour walk from the Airbnb and was 'really steep, really dangerous', and it was 'easy' to lose your footing.