Teenager Jay Slater died from a head injury, inquest hears

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21-05-2025

Teenager Jay Slater, who disappeared in Tenerife last summer, sparking a major manhunt, died from a head injury, a coroner's court heard.
Mr Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on June 16th last year.
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It is believed that in the early hours of the next day, a Monday, he went to an apartment with other people he had met while on holiday, then subsequently vanished and was reported missing on June 18th.
Members of a search and rescue team search near to where Jay Slater went missing in the village of Masca, Tenerife (James Manning/PA)
His body was found in a steep and inaccessible area by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard near the village of Masca on July 15th, 2024.
His mother Debbie Duncan, stepfather and other family members attended the inquest into Mr Slater's death at Preston Coroner's Court on Wednesday.
Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd detailed the injuries found on Mr Slater from his post-mortem examination findings.
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Mr Shepherd said, apart from lacerations and cuts to the left side of his head, the major findings were associated with head injuries and his pelvis.
He said: 'There was extensive fractures of the left side of his head. Several extensive fractures extending into the bottom of the skull.
'Also fractures to the left side of the pelvis and hip joints.
'The pattern of the injuries were entirely consistent with a heavy fall, a fall from a height, landing on his head.'
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Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, asked the witness if, from the injuries, there was any suggestion of an assault or restraint of the teenager.
Members of the Guardia Civil close to the village of Masca, Tenerife, where Jay Slater went missing (James Manning/PA)
Dr Shepherd said: 'That's something I considered very carefully, something I would always look to identify.
'The pattern of the injuries when someone is assaulted or restrained are very different from the type of injuries and pattern I found with Jay.'
Dr Adeley continued: 'Nothing to suggest that was the case?'
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Dr Shepherd: 'Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort.'
The witness was then asked about what effect the skull injuries would have.
Dr Shepherd said: 'It would have had an immediate and devastating effect on Jay's consciousness.
'The injuries were so severe I have not doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head.
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'Death could well have been instant the injury was so severe. Jay would undoubtedly be unconscious and unaware.
A general view of Masca, Tenerife, where Jay Slater went missing last year (James Manning/PA)
'It's most likely death would have occurred instantly or extremely soon afterwards.'
Dr Shephard said he gave the official cause of death as a head injury.
A preliminary Spanish post-mortem examination report recorded the death as 'violent', with the immediate cause being 'traumatic shock' and a severe traumatic brain injury.
Dr Shepherd said the findings were consistent with his own findings.
Toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin told the hearing there were difficulties checking for the presence of drugs or alcohol in a body so severely decomposed.
But she said analysis of Mr Slater's body showed traces of the presence of MDMA and MDA, commonly known as Ecstasy along with cocaine and alcohol.
Dr Martin said because of the limitations of the analysis, she could not say exactly how much or how soon before death the drugs had been taken.
Analysis of samples by the Spanish authorities also showed the presence of Ketamine which was not found in the UK samples.
The hearing continues.