Latest news with #MarkWilliamsThomas
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Jay Slater detective says Spanish police ignored bombshell evidence after he offered to share crucial audio recording that could shed light on British 19-year-old's last days in Tenerife
An ex-detective who helped Jay Slater's family when the 19-year-old went missing in Tenerife has claimed that the Spanish police ignored a key piece of evidence. Mark Williams-Thomas has accused Spanish authorities of failing to investigate an audio recording he offered to share which may have shed light on the British teenager's disappearance. In a shocking seven-minute long video posted on X/ Twitter on Friday, Mr Williams-Thomas reveals the alleged difficulties he faced when dealing with the police in Tenerife. 'I sent the information I had in an email to Spanish authorities. the ex-detective said. 'I told them I wasn't able to share the audio recording at this point because I needed to explain to them how I had obtained it and also I was very conscious that it was highly sensitive and I didn't want it just being shared all around. 'They've never come back to me,' he added. The caption of his post reads: 'Certain cases attract huge media attention and the landscape is so different now with social media and the internet. 'What is always key for me is the end game, 'JUSTICE' (which takes many forms), which is why I always work with the authorities. 'However some authorities and countries are open to receiving information batter than others.' His bombshell claims come as an inquest into Jay's death was launched at Preston Crown Court this month.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
I'm an ex-cop who hunted for Jay Slater – his drug dealer ‘pal' MUST come forward and answer key questions from inquest
A FORMER Met detective who investigated Jay Slater's disappearance has said his drug dealer "pal" has to come forward and answer key questions from the inquest. Mark Williams-Thomas - who worked on the Madeleine McCann case - conducted his "own investigation" after the 19-year-old went missing on the island of Tenerife in June last year. 11 11 11 The inquest into Jay's death was suddenly adjourned yesterday after his grieving mum Debbie pleased the coroner to summon crucial witnesses - including convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim. Detective turned TV-sleuth Mr Williams-Thomas said he had been in close contact during the investigation with a number of witnesses - including Jay's family and friends. Now he has urged Qassim to come forward and answer questions from the "disappointing" inquest. Qassim took the 19-year-old Brit back to an Airbnb in Masca the night before he went missing on June 17. Mr Williams-Thomas called Qassim "the most important witness" who he says gave him "crucial evidence" that "hasn't been made public" yet. The ex-detective added that the evidence he received from Qassim in his own investigation provides "greater context" as to why Jay left the villa. Qassim was previously jailed for nine years in 2015 as the ringleader of a London -based gang dealing heroin and crack cocaine in Cardiff. He and another Brit previously known only as "Rocky" had rented the Airbnb in the remote Tenerife mountains that they took Jay back to after the festival. Jay posted a final Snapchat picture of himself smoking on the doorstep of the apartment at 7.30am on June 17 before leaving shortly after. Qassim has always denied any involvement in Jay's death. Jay Slater inquest drama as mum makes shock demand…meaning MORE bombshells to come after drugs & 'missing' pals revealed Jay's disappearance sparked widespread media interest - as well as a slew of social media conspiracy theories. One of those theories claimed Jay had stolen a £12,000 watch - which his mum Debbie dismissed as vile rumours. Josh Forshaw, who met Jay as they boarded a plane from Manchester to Tenerife, said he received a message from the teen before he disappeared. It read: "Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [luxury watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it." Josh told the hearing via video link that Jay said he was planning to sell the strap for "10 quid", slang for £10,000. Josh told the hearing he received a Snapchat from Jay later in the night that claimed he "ended up getting thrown out" of the venue with two other people. He also claimed Jay sent him a photo showing "knives down his trousers" that was captioned "in case it kicks off". Josh said he didn't mention the image to Spanish police before leaving Tenerife, but did inform cops in Lancashire on his return. 11 11 11 Speaking of Josh's claim of receiving the knives image, Mr Williams-Thomas says he was told that they weren't found with him and were left in the apartment. Apprentice bricklayer Jay travelled to the Spanish island in June to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas with two friends, Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves. The teen travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men including Qassim in the early hours of June 17, before leaving at around 8am. Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, made a heartbreaking final call to his friend Law saying he had cut his leg, was lost, dehydrated and had just one per cent battery on his phone after he left the Airbnb. On Wednesday night, Law's family revealed she was simply on holiday on the very same island where Jay died. They claimed she was also unaware that she had been called to give evidence at the inquest. 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." He added: "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 in the Slater family later said they were aware where the other missing witnesses were, and had also been able to find them easily, according to the MailOnline. 11 11 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 court also heard a suggestion that witnesses may be reluctant to appear because drugs may have been involved. After Jay's body was found, officials said there were traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine in his body. 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." Jay 's disappearance and death remain largely cloaked in mystery and it is hoped that glaring gaps in his final movements will be filled after the inquest. The inquest heard from three construction workers who said, via video link, they saw Jay on the main road through the remote village of Masca and he asked them about bus times. He was attempting the treacherous 10-hour walk back to his apartment in Los Cristianos when he called Lucy to say he was lost. DCI Rachel Higson, head of digital media investigations at Lancashire Police, told the hearing today that Jay's phone recorded "a lot of steps and inclines" between 7.59am and 8.49am. His mobile last pinged in the mountainous Rural de Teno Park after Jay walked the wrong way from the Airbnb, and DCI Higson said there was "no data recorded" after 8.49:51am. After a month-long search, Jay's body was found in a ravine on July 15 last year - near to where his phone last pinged. A post-mortem examination concluded he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd today told the inquest Jay suffered a "heavy fall from height" and the "devastating" effects would have been "immediate". Why the inquest farce is more pain for Jay's family By Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) AS I stood in the sweltering, remote mountains of Masca I was told the news Jay Slater's loved ones dreaded - his body had been found. But for his devastated family, it didn't bring the closure they so desperately needed. Now almost a year on, his grief-stricken mum, dad and brother have been subjected to yet more torment as an inquest into his death dredged up painful details of his disappearance - while lacking any actual answers. Jay's courageous mum Debbie Duncan opened up to me just weeks after his body was found about how she was tortured by not knowing what happened to her beloved son before he fell to his death. I was humbled by the bravery she showed in the face of living every parent's worst nightmare on the world stage - relentlessly hounded by mindless trolls. Spineless witnesses failing to turn up to the hearing to provide crucial information is a kick in the teeth for Debbie and his already suffering family. The 19-year-old went missing 11 months ago, and his body tragically discovered 29 days later. So why after all these months has the court failed to bring together vital witnesses - including the two friends he was on holiday with? After months and months of battling through their grief, the last thing Jay's family needed was to face a farce of a hearing without the necessary witnesses. 11
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Jay Slater 'wanted to sell watch strap for £10,000' and showed 'knives down his trousers', inquest hears
Jay Slater sent a message about 'selling' an expensive watch strap moments before his disappearance, an inquest has heard. Claims were previously made about Jay stealing a £12,000 Rolex watch on the night before his disappearance in Tenerife last June. The alleged theft was a line of inquiry made by investigator Mark Williams-Thomas as Jay's disappearance dominated national headlines. READ MORE: Jay Slater's friends who were with him in Tenerife 'being looked for by police' but they can't be found READ MORE: Jay Slater inquest LIVE updates as details heard on teen's death in Tenerife His mum, Debbie Duncan, had described the claims as 'nonsense' - telling The Sun last August that her son 'would never have been involved in anything like that'. Senior coroner Dr James Adeley has now explored the claims during Jay's inquest at Preston Coroner's Court today (May 21). A witness named Josh Forshaw met Jay at Manchester Airport on the way to Tenerife, before later seeing him at the NRG music festival, which Jay attended with his friends. Josh told the inquest Jay was 'off his head on drugs' and 'seemed dead happy' at the festival before he disappeared on June 17 last year. The inquest has heard Jay sent a message to Josh in which he said: "Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [expensive watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it." Josh claimed Jay told him he was going to sell the watch strap for '10 quid' - which he claimed was slang for £10,000, not £10. He also claimed Jay sent him a picture showing 'knives down his trousers'. Josh says the picture Jay sent him of two knives down his trousers, was captioned 'in case it kicks off'. He told the coroner he didn't inform Spanish police about this image. He told the court that after returning home, he informed Lancashire Police about the picture with the knives. The inquest continues this afternoon - read our live coverage here. --- For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the latest. Follow us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page here. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rolf Harris's widow left staggering fortune to their daughter on her death following dementia battle aged 92 - after her paedophile husband hid his wealth to avoid paying compensation to his victims
Paedophile Rolf Harris 's widow Alwen left a fortune of just under £4 million to their daughter who stood by the children's TV star while he was exposed as a sex offender. Details of her will show Alwen Harris, who died in August last year aged 92, left £3,840,532 to Ava Reeves, who used to be known as Bindi Harris. The will dated in 2018 before Harris died, would have seen the estate go to her husband had he been alive, but the amount appears to confirm suspicions that the disgraced former children's entertainer 'shielded' his fortune to avoid legal claims from his victims, even after his death. He died in May 2023 aged 93 following a battle with neck cancer. At the time of his death, reports suggested he might leave around £16million to Alwen and daughter Bindi, 60. However, court documents released at the time of his death showed his assets to be worth £438,802. Expenses then brought that sum down to zero. It was claimed Harris purposely reduced his fortune to prevent his victims from seeking financial compensation after his death. Ex-detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who played a role in convicting the disgraced performer, said at the time: 'This is yet another disgrace. 'He has obviously planned to get rid of money and assets and there is no way he'd have actually been penniless,' he said. 'He had amassed a huge amount of wealth and I would assume he has squirreled it away to avoid victims making claims on it, even after his death. 'The man had no shame.' Ava stood by her father along with Alwen, while he was on trial for sexual of underage girls in 2014, even though one of Harris's victims was a close childhood friend. The will contains a codicil, or revision, which was made in March 2022, leaving Ava as the sole family executor of the will and removing Rolf Harris's sister Jennifer Harris as a co-executor with Ava. Harris was barely seen in public after leaving prison in 2017 retreating to his Thames-side mansion, in Bray, Berkshire, for his final years. He died after reportedly falling 'gravely sick' with neck cancer, with most of his £16 million fortune going to Ava/Bindi as well. The family home in Bray is now up for sale with a price tag of £4 million. According to the Land Registry, the owners are still listed as Rolf and Alwen Harris. Last month Ava was seen emptying the property. A source told the Mirror: 'She wants to sell it, but she doesn't desperately need the money and is in no rush, so she's determined to hold out for a good price.' She reportedly changed her name to Ava in order to get away from the legacy of her father's name and to build her own career as an artist. Harris was brought to justice in 2014, in one of the prosecutions brought by the Metropolitan Police's Operation Yewtree - an investigation into historical behaviour by celebrities. Drama surrounded each day of his first trial at Southwark Crown Court. His family attempted to put on a united front, holding hands together for the cameras as they apparently travelled to court together. But this was later labelled an elaborate show by the prosecution - it turned out his daughter Bindi was joining her father for the last few moments of the journey into court. Harris's appearance in the witness box was, in part, a reminiscence about his long career as a singer and cartoonist that was designed to entertain the jury. 'In 1959,' asked his barrister Sonia Woodley KC, 'did you invent something called the wobbleboard?' Harris said he had done. He went on to sing a few lines of his 1965 hit Jake the Peg. But such semi-comic moments could not diminish the compelling testimony of women who had got to know Rolf Harris when they were young. His main victim had known Harris and Bindi well from childhood. The court heard that Bindi's friend was first abused by Rolf Harris on a holiday to Hawaii, when she was 13. Over time, he groomed her and repeatedly abused her until she was in her mid-20s. '[His victim] had been totally controlled by Rolf Harris,' prosecutor Sasha Wass, KC, told the court. 'He knew that he could have access to her intimately whether there were people around or not.' By the time she was 29, she had developed a drink problem, which she blamed on Harris's abuse. At this point the woman told her family what he had done to her. The family's furious reaction culminated in a visit by Harris to the woman's village in the English countryside. 'She said she was disgusted by what he had done,' Wass said, 'and she hit him about the head.' The woman then made him walk around the village, knowing he would be recognisable in public. Wass said: 'She continued to berate him, not caring about the embarrassment.' In court, Harris's defence case was that the abuse she said took place when she was under age had never happened, and that sex between them took place later and was consensual. After the confrontation in the village Harris never spoke to the woman again, but wrote a pleading letter to her father: 'I would like to talk to you to apologise for betraying your trust and for unwittingly so harming your darling [daughter]. I know that what I did was wrong but we are, all of us, fallible and oh how I deluded myself. Please forgive me, love Rolf.' Others knew Harris only fleetingly. Four women were named on the charge sheet. His conviction for the indecent assault of one of them was overturned on appeal. More women gave evidence about his character. There was a family friend who said Harris had told her in 1969, when she was 12: 'Come here, I want to be the first one to give you a tongue kiss,' and did so, terrifying her. A dancer from New Zealand said Harris had groped her as a 17-year-old in 1970; a holidaymaker said Harris took her to the back room of a Maltese bar the same year and assaulted her. A production worker on an Australian TV show of Harris's, Tony Porter, flew to London to tell the trial about the time he saw the entertainer grope a make-up artist. As he did so he 'made a lascivious noise with his mouth', said Porter. One woman fought back tears as she recounted the story of how she suffered sexual assault at the hands of Harris when she was aged 14 and in London on a theatre trip in 1986. Harris was jailed for nearly six years for 12 indecent assaults against four girls - including one aged just seven or eight. Sentencing Mr Justice Sweeney said Harris, 84, had taken advantage of his celebrity status and had shown 'no remorse'. One victim said the abuse had taken away her 'childhood innocence'.
