Jay Slater's mum says tragic teen was 'joy to be around - our hearts are broken'
Jay Slater's mum has remembered her late son as a "joy to be around" in a heartbreaking tribute issued before a coroner delivered a cause of death at the tragic teen's inquest.
Debbie Duncan said hers and her family's lives would "never be the same" without him while providing a statement to the inquest at Preston Coroner's Court. The mum, 55, was among members of the 19-year-old's family who jetted to Tenerife after he went missing, triggering a massive search operation that attracted international attention, last year, and had taken a central role in calling for witnesses to come forward during the inquest's initial stages earlier this year.
With several of Jay 's acquaintances, including others who assisted in the search efforts before he was found dead at the bottom of the Juan López ravine in Buenavista del Norte, having now come forward, she told of the devastating impact of her son's death before a coroner issued a cause of death.
Speaking to the inquest today, Ms Duncan remembered her son as "a joy to be around", adding he had a "wonderful life full of fun" before he died last year.
She said: "Our hearts are broken. Not in a million years could we predict what was going to unfold." She added her son had been "counting down the days" before leaving for Tenerife, where he would attend the NRG Music Festival before he went missing on June 18 last year.
Sjhe continued: "Jay had a wonderful life full of fun and was always a joy to be around. He was always a popular boy and had many, many friends."
She continues: "He loved his family very much and wasn't afraid to show affection." Ms Duncan also described her son's hopes and joys, stating he was excited to finish a bricklaying apprenticeship and loved football. She added the teenager was also learning to drive and "had so many plans and a bright future ahead of him".
She concluded: "Our hearts are broken. Our lives will never be the same without Jay in it. Jay was a loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and loyal friend to many."
Ultimately, the mum said, Jay "touched the hearts of the nation". Coroner Dr James Adeley ruled today that Jay died last year after falling from a height, with the teen plummeting around 20 to 25 metres into the Tenerife ravine where he was found, leading to an "accidental death".
A coroner ruled today that Jay died while attempting to descend a ravine, and had "died instantly" when he suffered from significant skull trauma.
Dr Adeley said: "Jay fell at a particularly dangerous area in difficult terrain. He fell approximately 20 to 25 metres, suffering skull fractures and brain trauma from which he would have died instantaneously. Jay Dean Slater died an accidental death.
'This is a tragic death of a young man.' He added: "Jay Slater died an accidental death." The coroner also determined there was "no third party involved".
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Rotherham police sexually abused us too, say five grooming victims
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BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
What Jay Slater inquest told us about 19-year-old's disappearance
As the inquest into Jay Slater's death concluded, key details of his last hours were 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, went missing in Tenerife in June 2024 after attending a music body was found in a remote national park in a steep and inaccessible area by a mountain rescue team at the end of a 29-day inquest at Preston Coroner's Court began in May, but was adjourned after a plea from Mr Slater's mother that key witnesses who were with him on the night he disappeared should be made to attend. While some witnesses came forward, the court was not able to contact Brandon Hodgson and Stephen Roccas, who were with Mr Slater before he went hearing all the evidence, coroner Dr James Adeley ruled that "Jay Dean Slater died an accidental death" without third-party influence, after a fall in a "particularly dangerous area" that resulted in skull fractures and brain trauma that killed him instantly. 'Our hearts are broken' Mr Slater was an apprentice bricklayer on his first holiday with his friends, flying to Tenerife to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas on 16 June at his inquest, mum Debbie Duncan said he was "a bundle of fun with a constant smile", adding he "always made new friends wherever he went".She said: "He had a large circle of good friends who have been left devastated at his tragic death."He was very loved and our hearts are broken. Our lives will never be the same without Jay."On the night itself, Mr Slater's friends went home, but they said he appeared to want to continue to party after taking drugs and got into a car with two men he had met on the holiday and was driven to an Airbnb in the remote village of Masca, about 22 miles (36km) away from where he was friend Bradley Geoghegan told the inquest he felt the Mr Slater "probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?' sobered up and decided to come back."Mr Geoghegan said he had told him to get a taxi back, but he decided to walk back - even though it was a 14-hour journey and he had been offered a lift the following his friends searching the area, there was no sign of Mr Slater, and he didn't return to his was reported missing to Spanish police on 18 police and mountain rescue teams began searching and his mother and brother boarded a flight to Tenerife. 'Mark on him' Mr Geoghegan told the two-day inquest that he last saw his friend at about 02:40 BST on 17 June 2024. Mr Slater had sent him a text message claiming he had been refused entry to Papagayo nightclub and claimed it was because "they had a mark on him".Mr Geoghegan confirmed during the hearing that the refusal of entry to the nightclub was because Mr Slater "couldn't stand up". He added that he walked outside to meet his friend and that in "the fresh air he could now stand and wasn't so bad".He also confirmed Mr Slater had taken ecstasy and cocaine and may have taken ketamine too. Missing data Lancashire Police Det Ch Insp Rachel Higson, a specialist in the Digital Department, told the inquest about her analysis of the teenager's phone. An iPhone 14 was found on the body, and it was confirmed to be Mr Slater's by the telephone and email address on it. It was confirmed during the inquest that before an examination of the phone could take place, some information and messages were lost due to "blocking of various people on various social media sites". The coroner added this was "not a criticism or any form of censure but simply an explanation that some of the data was not available to interpret".Det Ch Insp Higson said various messages on the phone confirmed that Mr Slater had separated from his friends at some point during the early hours of the morning. Lucy Law Lucy Law, who had known Mr Slater for about six years, was the last person to speak to him on the told the inquest at about 02:00 BST on the day of his disappearance, Mr Slater left her and her friends, who had been together on the dancefloor of a then tried to find she eventually saw him she told him they had been worried about him, but "he just found the situation funny".She said a friend had later called her to say he was in the mountains and did not have much phone battery after he had left an said she thought it was a joke until her friend said it was more serious."I thought they were having me on," she said. In a subsequent phone call with Mr Slater - the last known outgoing communication from his phone - she asked him where he was and what he was told her he had missed a bus and decided to walk the 14-hour journey home but was lost, needed water and his phone had only 1% of its battery life told her he was "in the middle of the mountains" and there was "literally nothing" around."By this stage, I'm panicking," she told the inquest, adding she had urged him to go back to where he came last phone call lasted just 22 seconds and cut off suddenly. The hearing heard it is possible that at such low battery levels the phone terminated the he didn't return, she set up a fundraising page and urged the police to start a search. Body found Spanish police had had an approximate location for the search, the Rural de Teno park, because Mr Slater's phone had pinged off a mast. The search large scale search involved helicopters, drones, rescue teams and dogs, with crews working through difficult terrain and having to hack through thick vegetation with machetes. With steep ravines and cliffs across the landscape, the Spanish authorities deployed helicopter crews, specially trained search dogs and Slater's friends and family also 15 July, the teams searched the treacherous Juan Lopez Ravine - a little-used area with no water - and found Mr Slater's body. Around 66ft (20m) above where the body was found, Mr Slater's bag, with his phone and gas canisters inside, was Spanish authorities said they could not explain why Mr Slater "took a chance" by leaving the road to descend down the the sea could be seen from the head of the ravine, and they suggested he may have believed he could reach a beach and get report said: "It would be easy to slip on the rocks and fall into the void."Through fingerprint testing, the body was confirmed by the police and Canary Islands Higher Court of Justice to be Mr injuries were consistent with a fall on to rocky ground from height. Lack of suitable clothing Coroner Dr James Adeley said contributing factors to the fall might have been a lack of suitable clothing, lack of sleep and lack of mountain training, as well as potential after-effects from drugs Mr Slater had impact of the skull was enough to cause non-survivable brain injuries, even if he received immediate medical help and death was likely instant, he were fractures on his pelvis in multiple coroner said he hoped it was of "some consolation to the family" that Mr Slater would not have been in concluding the inquest, the coroner said there was "every indication Jay's friends were concerned about him", adding they "made efforts to find him and persuade him to return"."In particular Lucy Law made repeated attempts to find Jay on the evening and look after his welfare, "As Jay is an adult, he has every right to ignore such concerns and to make his own decisions," he added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Jay Slater inquest: 5 bombshells from 'extensive mummification' to beach theory
The inquest into the death of Jay Slater - who vanished on the party island of Tenerife last year - has unearthed some bombshell evidence and left some mysteries remaining The coroner at Jay Slater's inquest concluded the tragic teenager from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, died a natural death after going missing on the Spanish island of Tenerife, where he was attending the NRG music festival. The hearing, which resumed yesterday after being adjourned in May to try and track down vital witnesses who hadn't attended, heard statements from Jay 's friends who were with him on the fatal holiday in June last year. Other professionals also gave evidence regarding how they believed 19-year-old Jay's life came to an end. After he decided to go to a drug dealer friend's rented apartment in a remote area of the island, Jay attempted to get back to the resort where he was staying with friends early the next morning. However, after making contact with pals over the phone and on social media, he vanished. His body was discovered a month later in a deep ravine in the mountains after an extensive search. He had fallen from a height and died instantly from skull fractures and brain trauma. There was no third party involvement, the inquest heard. Here we take a look at five bombshell discoveries the hearings uncovered - and the unanswered questions that remain... His body had been 'mummified' The hearing was told Jay's body was found by rescuers in the Juan Lopez Ravine in a remote area of the Teno Natural Park in Tenerife and that he died on 17 June - the same morning he set off to make his way back to his apartment. HM Coroner, Dr James Adeley, said: "Whilst attempting to descend the Ravine, Jay Slater fell at a particularly dangerous area of difficult terrain and loose rock. Jay Slater fell approximately 20-25m resulting in skull fractures, brain trauma and from which he would have died instantly. There was no third party involvement in Jay Slater's death." The court also heard the apprentice bricklayer's body had been 'mummified' by the scorching Spanish sun because it had been at the location for a month. The coroner said Jay's body was formally identified using his finger and palm prints. The post mortem found his body had undergone "extensive mummification" due to him being out in the hot sun for several weeks. He was worried about being poisoned Good friend Lucy Law was the last person to speak to Jay. She had travelled with the teen and their other two friends Brandon Hodgson and Bradley Hargreaves to the party island for the festival. Brandon, who had already spoken to Jay, had alerted her that he was stranded up in the mountains with little phone charge left. Thinking it was a joke at first, she soon realised it was serious and called Jay several times at around 8.50am. She asked him if he knew where he was. Jay said his mouth was dry and he needed a drink and was frightened. His phone was on 2% at this point. He also m ade a frantic ca ll to Lucy saying: "I'm in the middle of nowhere... there is literally nothing but mountains." Lucy told the hearing she "started panicking" after receiving the call. She said Jay asked her if cactuses were poisonous, and she replied: "A cactus is the least of your problems, go back to where you have just come from." During the call Jay told her "I can't go back there", but she said she didn't feel anything bad had happened, saying: "I also feel like, if something had gone on in terms of conflict, I feel like he probably would have said." Jay may have been trying to reach the beach After being introduced to convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim and Steven 'Rocky' Roccas by Brandon a few days before, Jay asked if he could stay at their rented Airbnb, which was about 40 minutes from the festival, because everyone else had gone home. Ayub told the hearing he had warned Jay there were no regular buses and the apartment was in the middle of nowhere. Despite this, phone location data showed he left the holiday rental around 7.45am to get a bus. He reportedly told Ayub a local woman had told him there was one due. As well as hearing from witnesses and friends, a report was read out that summarised the findings of Spanish authorities. The officials said they could not explain why Jay "took a chance" to make his way from the safety of a road to descend down a ravine considering he was unfamiliar with the area and without a working phone. However, the sea can be seen from the head of the ravine, and they suggested he may have believed he could reach a beach and get help. The report said: "It would be easy to slip on the rocks and fall into the void. The death of the missing person must have occurred as a result of an accidental fall." 'Stolen watch' mystery While on the drive to the Airbnb, Jay posted a message to friends on social media, saying: "Just took a 12k Rolly (Rolex) off some c*** with this Maili (Somalian) kid. Off to get 10 quid (thousand) for it. Off my undies ha, ha, ha." His friend Brad also said Jay had told him in a Snapchat message that he was going up to Ayub and Rocky's house "to sell a watch". The coroner asked Ayub if he was involved in taking a watch. He replied: "No. And neither was he." The coroner then asked him about messages Jay had sent about a watch possibly being stolen. Ayub said while still on the strip before leaving for their apartment he saw what he described as a Romanian "lucky-lucky" man take a watch from another person before trying to sell it to him and Jay. He added: "Jay did not steal no watch. I can say one hundred per cent." When Lucy was asked at the hearing about her knowledge of a stolen watch she said she wasn't sure what the truth was. "The word over in Tenerife was that a watch had been stolen but I thought it's just one of those things," she said. "I honestly don't know what to believe. There were so many theories being thrown around." The coroner concluded that the watch was irrelevant to subsequent events. Two missing witnesses The inquest was adjourned in May because Jay's distraught mum Debbie Duncan wanted all of the witnesses and friends to give their evidence after they failed to turn up. Lucy and Brad were both on holiday on the original date. A relative of Mr Geoghan told the BBC he had only been given the date for the inquest within the past 10 days and had provided the coroner's office with evidence of his pre-booked family holiday overseas. She said he was happy to give evidence on the new date, which the court accepted. Lucy, who had been mates with Jay for around six or seven years, gave evidence yesterday via video link "because of the condition that she is in". No further details were given about her condition. Despite exhaustive efforts to locate key witnesses Rocky and Brandon since the May hearing, they could not be traced and failed to show up yesterday. According to Lois Norris, a barrister representing Jay's family, Brandon appeared "unwilling to give evidence" in a prior message thread. Brandon, who is understood to be in Tenerife, was repeatedly served a summons at his Lancashire home by police. Multiple calls and voicemails went unanswered. Even after his mother, Natalie Hodgson, received a letter in person, neither she nor Brandon responded further. Steven 'Rocky' Roccas was contacted by Coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick on April 17 to provide a statement via email, but he soon stopped returning calls. Ms Swarbrick arranged visits by police officers at several London addresses, checked the Police National Computer, and checked voting records, but could not locate him.
