Latest news with #BradleyGeoghegan
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Sky News
Jay Slater's mother breaks down in tears at inquest - as friends fail to appear as witnesses
Friends of Jay Slater have failed to appear as witnesses at an inquest into his death - as a coroner heard the British teenager had drugs in his system before he died from a "devastating" head injury. Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, disappeared in Tenerife after attending a music festival in June last year. In the early hours of the following day, he is believed to have travelled to an apartment where people he had met were staying - before he went missing. His body was recovered in a remote part of La Masca village on 15 July following an extensive search of the island by authorities and his family. His mother Debbie Duncan, stepfather and other family members attended the inquest into Mr Slater's death at Preston Coroner's Court on Wednesday. Ms Duncan broken in tears as she told the hearing she still had questions that needed answers. The hearing, scheduled to last one day, was told extensive efforts had made to reach several witnesses who were in contact with Mr Slater before he disappeared, which included summonses being issued. However, a number of witnesses had failed to respond, including Mr Slater's friends Bradley Geoghegan, Brandon Hodgson and Lucy Law, who were out with him at the music festival. The two men who were staying at an Airbnb that Mr Slater went back to before he disappeared have also not been traced. Ms Duncan said: "How can we ever get any understanding? "There's things we want to question. We want these people to be sat in front of us, because our son went on holiday and didn't come back, so there's questions we need to ask." Coroner Dr James Adeley agreed to adjourn the hearing, at the request of Mr Slater's tearful mother, who asked for the witnesses to be brought to court to give evidence before the inquest concludes. A further hearing date has yet to be set. Earlier, the court heard analysis of Mr Slater's body showed traces of drugs including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy. During Wednesday's hearing, Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd detailed Mr Slater's injuries. He described "extensive fractures of the left side of his head… extending into the bottom of his skull". Mr Slater also sustained "fractures to the left side of the pelvis and hip joints". Dr Shepherd said the injuries were "entirely consistent with a heavy fall, from a height, landing on his head". Asked by the coroner if there was any suggestion of assault or restraint, he replied: "Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort." Dr Adeley asked the pathologist about the impact of Mr Slater's injuries. Dr Shepherd replied: "It would have had an immediate and devastating effect on Jay's consciousness. "The injuries were so severe I have no doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. Death could well have been instant, the injury was so severe." Failing that, it would have most likely occurred "extremely soon after" the fall, he added. Dr Shepherd gave an official cause of death as a head injury.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Jay Slater's friends ‘cannot be found', inquest into teenager's death in Tenerife hears
Friends of Jay Slater who were in Tenerife when the teenager disappeared last year 'could not be located' to take part in his inquest. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with friends in Playa de las Americas before he went missing in the early hours of 17 June 2024. It is believed that he went to an apartment with other people he had met while on holiday, then subsequently vanished and was reported missing on June 18. The hearing, scheduled to last one day, was told extensive efforts, including summonses had been issued for several witnesses who were in contact with Mr Slater before he disappeared. However, a number of witnesses – including Bradley Geoghegan, Brandon Hodgson, Lucy Law and Leo McDermott – had failed to respond and so would not be giving evidence. 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 15 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. 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. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd detailed the injuries found on Mr Slater from his post-mortem examination findings. Dr 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 were 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.' 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. 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 is very different from the type of injuries and pattern I found with Jay.' Dr Adeley continued: 'Nothing to suggest that was the case?' 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 no doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. 'Death could well have been instant the injury was so severe. Jay would undoubtedly be unconscious and unaware. '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. Statements were then read from Spanish locals Ramon Hernandez and Juan Diaz, who were working near the holiday let Mr Slater had stayed at. Both statements said at around 7.45am on the day Mr Slater disappeared, an 'English-speaking guy' carrying a half-litre bottle of Coca-Cola, approached them and asked what time the local bus arrived. The man, later identified as Mr Slater, was told a bus came around 10am. He also asked about taxis but was told no local taxi service was available and the Spanish men then continued working and did not see where Mr Slater went. The hearing continues.
