Latest news with #NRGfestival
Sky News
4 days ago
- Sky News
Jay Slater suffered 'accidental death', inquest finds - all we learnt from hearing
The death of teenager Jay Slater has been ruled as "accidental" after an inquest. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on 17 June 2024 on the Spanish island of Tenerife after attending the NRG music festival. He was reported missing and, after an extensive search and rescue mission and significant media attention, his body was found a month later on 15 July. Jay Slater's inquest as it happened An inquest into the teenager's death took place on 24 and 25 July at Preston Coroner's Court, after first being adjourned in May. Dr James Adeley, a senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, concluded that Mr Slater died "an accidental death". He said he fell while trying to descend a ravine, which resulted in fatal skull trauma. Here is everything we learned from the inquests in May and July which heard from experts, friends who were on holiday with Mr Slater and a testimony from his mother Debbie Duncan. Why happened during the inquest in May? The first inquest heard from Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, who said Mr Slater's injuries were "entirely consistent" with a fall from a great height and gave an official cause of death as a head injury. He said there was no suggestion that the teenager had been assaulted or restrained. Toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin said traces of MDMA and MDA, commonly known as ecstasy, along with cocaine and alcohol, were also found in Mr Slater's body. Dr James Adeley decided to adjourn the inquest to July after a number of witnesses who had been asked to give evidence could not be traced or were unable to attend. Mr Slater's mother Ms Duncan told the court in May that she wanted "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". Slater took a mixture of drugs and alcohol Bradley Geoghegan and Lucy Law, who were with Mr Slater on holiday, gave evidence to the court when it resumed in July. Mr Geoghegan told the court the trio landed in Tenerife on 13 June last year and met up with their friend, Brandon Hodgson. While they were out that night, the group met Ayoub Qassim and Stephen Roccus, who were staying at the Airbnb Mr Slater travelled to in the village of Masca, before his disappearance. On the night of 16 June, the day before Mr Slater disappeared, Mr Geoghegan said he had taken ecstasy pills and possibly ketamine, along with cocaine and alcohol. Mr Slater 'on the buzz' and 'happy' before disappearance Appearing at the inquest via video link, Mr Qassim, who Mr Slater stayed with before he disappeared, described the teenager as "on the buzz" in the early hours of 17 June, the day he went missing. At roughly 5am, after a night of partying, Mr Qassim was with Mr Slater and other friends going between a club and a food spot. "Jay was on the buzz, head bopping, chill, happy, mingling innit," he told the coroner. Asked if he would have trusted Mr Slater to drive a car in his state then, Mr Qassim said "nah". Mr Qassim said Mr Slater had asked to come back to the Masca Airbnb where he and his friend Mr Roccas were staying as everyone else had left. He told the inquest he went to bed when they returned and could hear Mr Slater downstairs. He was woken about an hour later because he needed to move his car and when he returned to the house Mr Slater was leaving and said he was going to catch a bus. Me Qassim said: "I went 'bro, there ain't no buses coming here any time soon'." He said Mr Slater left, despite him explaining that buses did not pass regularly. "At that point I presumed he'd sit at that bus stop and that's it. He's waiting till the first bus comes and he's out of there." 'I told him to chill… now he's gone missing' When questioned by family barrister Lois Norris, if he can remember any calls he received on the day Mr Slater disappeared, Mr Qassaim said he only vividly remembers being told he had gone missing. Pointing out he'd only slept for one hour - and that he had suggested to Mr Slater that he should stay at their place, rather than take a bus - Mr Qassim said: "I'm sort of annoyed, thinking 'f****** hell I need some sleep. "I said: 'Bro, I told him to chill, and now you're telling me he's gone missing'." Slater called friends before his phone died Having left the Airbnb, it is believed Mr Slater attempted to make the 14-hour walk back to the main Veronicas Strip. During this walk, coroner Dr Adeley said the teenager called Brandon Hodgson "laughing and joking". Moments later, he called Mr Geoghegan on Snapchat, during which he told Mr Slater to get a taxi. 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'." Mr Slater then called Ms Law saying he didn't know where he was with mountains "all around". He said he needed a drink and was "frightened" but said he could not go back to the Airbnb, without expanding on why. Ms Law told the court: "By this stage, I'm panicking." Lack of sleep, training, water and poor judgement Excerpts of information from the Spanish authorities were read out in court by Dr Adeley, including from the local Mountain Rescue services. It said on the 29th day of the search for Mr Slater, they took to the treacherous Juan Lopez Ravine, where his body was later found. 1:03 Dr Adeley explained that the teenager's body was found eight metres above a dry stream bed, with mountain rescue crews estimating he fell between 20 and 25 metres. "It was acknowledged the area was mountainous with inaccessible areas," Dr Adeley said in court. The coroner says that there was "very rough terrain" at the point where the fall occurred. He adds that factors contributing to Slater's fall were a lack of training, poor judgement, a lack of sleep and a lack of water. 'Our lives will never be the same' Speaking at the inquest, Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan, said the lives of their family will "never be the same without Jay in it". "Not in a million years could we predict what was going to unfold," she said. "He was learning to drive and had so many plans and a bright future ahead of him." He "touched the hearts of the nation", Ms Duncan continued, asking that he be allowed to "rest in eternal peace".
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Inquest details how Jay Slater died after month search
A holiday with friends turned into a nightmare for teenager Jay Slater after he fell 25 metres down a ravine while attempting to walk back to his holiday villa, an inquest has heard. Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was visiting the Spanish island of Tenerife and had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June last year when he went missing. After the event, he had gone with two men to an Airbnb in Masca, a village in the mountains miles from his holiday apartment in Los Cristianos, before deciding that he wanted to go home. The 19-year-old had later told his friends he was 'in the middle of the mountains' and in need of a drink, as he attempted a 14-hour walk home the morning after taking drugs and alcohol on a night out, Preston Coroner's Court has heard. The teenager made contact with his friends several times on his phone before it ran out of battery, but failed to identify where he was in the mountains. What ensued after Mr Slater failed to return to Los Cristianos was a nearly month-long search for the teenager. It would take 29 days to find his body. On 15 July, his body was found above a dry stream bed. After his bag was found with his passport some 15 to 20 metres above him, it was presumed he had fallen. The Spanish authorities said they believed Mr Slater could have veered off the road and into the dangerous ravine after seeing the sea and believing he could reach a beach to get help. Concluding a two-day inquest into his death, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, 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.' Dr Adeley said the evidence showed there was no one else involved in the death and no evidence to suggest Mr Slater had been threatened, assaulted, was under duress or in fear for his safety. The coroner told Mr Slater's family sat in court that he hoped the 'examination of facts rather than conjecture' during the hearing had been some consolation to them. Mr Slater's tearful mother, Debbie Duncan, had earlier given a tribute to her son at the hearing on Friday. 'He was very loved and our hearts are broken,' Ms Duncan said: 'Our lives will never be the same without Jay in it.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Jay Slater's final words are revealed as friend tells inquest he called her from the 'middle of the mountains' as his phone ran out of battery - before his body was later found at bottom of ravine in Tenerife
Jay Slater's final words have been revealed as his friend told an inquest he called her from the 'middle of the mountains' before his phone ran out of battery. The 19-year-old, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas when he went missing in June last year. When Jay refused to go home after a night out, according to his friend Lucy Law, she got a taxi home with her friend Mr Hodgson. Ms Law - who gave evidence remotely via an autolink - said the next thing she heard was a phone call from Mr Hodgson at 8.30am which woke her up. He told her Jay was 'in the middle of nowhere' and his phone was on one per cent battery. Her first reaction was that he was 'having me on' but Mr Hodgson insisted he was being 'serious'. She called Jay, speaking to him for just over two minutes. Asked by the coroner about their conversation, Ms Law said she asked him: 'What on earth are you doing, where are you?' He replied: 'I'm just in the middle of the mountains.' Saying there are 'mountains everywhere' in Tenerife, Ms Law said: 'I'm panicking, his phone's on 1 per cent.' She said Jay said he needed a drink and asked: 'Are cactuses poisonous or what?' 'I said cactuses are the least of your worries. 'You need to go back to wherever you've just come from and stay there.' But she said Jay refused, saying 'I can't go back there'. Ms Law said she didn't believe the reason Jay wouldn't go back to the Airbnb was that 'something bad' had happened there as he would have mentioned it. 'He was telling me all the problems about his leg and needing a drink. 'I feel if there was something else going on in the Airbnb he probably would have said. 'I feel if there was a reason, some conflict… he probably would have said that first.' Ms Law agreed that the drugs Jay had taken would have affected his decision-making and made him 'more confident'. Ms Law said that on the evening before Jay disappeared - June 16 - she had been watching the England match with Mr Hodgson. Later they were joined by Jay and Mr Geoghegan. She said Jay was 'visibly intoxicated' but not 'in a state'. Both she and Mr Geoghegan went back to their apartments after the football to change, she said. At around midnight they met up with Jay and Mr Geoghegan outside Papagayo for the last night of the festival. Ms Law said the club was 'very busy' inside, 'quite hot' and overcrowded. Asked by the coroner about Jay's demeanour at that point, she said he had clearly 'taken something' but was not 'visibly mangled'. Jay was 'always on a buzz', she added. At around 2am Jay said he was going to the toilet and the bar. When he hadn't returned after about half an hour she went to look for him but could not see him anywhere in the nightclub, she said, and he didn't reply to phone messages. Ms Law said she and her friends left Payagayo at around 2am to look for Jay on Veronica's Strip, saying he was a 'social butterfly' who might have befriended a different group of people. She said Jay sent messages naming other venues he had gone to, but she drew a blank each time she tried to find him. Asked by the coroner why she was so 'worried', Ms Law said she had been to Tenerife several times and 'I wouldn't want any of my mates roaming around on their own'. She was questioned about a message she sent Jay asking where he was, adding: 'If you're not there this time I'm going to be f****** fuming.' Ms Law said Jay kept replying saying where he was 'and then vanishing into thin air'. Finally while she was ordering food from the Magic Mike's takeaway she was forwarded a Snapchat image showing where Jay was. She said she called him and ordered: 'Stay there and don't move.' While Mr Hodgson waited for her food order she ran back to the Strip and found Jay at the bottom of some steps. Ms Law said she told him: 'I've been looking for you for ages.' 'He was laughing his head off,' she added. Ms Law said she told Jay they had 'all been worried about you'. 'He found the whole situation funny.' She said Jay told her: 'There's no way I'm going home.' By now she wanted to go back to her apartment, so she and Mr Hodgson got a taxi while Mr Geoghegan went to meet Jay. Asked by the coroner if she had the impression Jay was 'frightened' in any way, she replied: 'Definitely not.' 'He was just enjoying his night as he usually would.'
Sky News
5 days ago
- Sky News
Jay Slater took ecstasy and cocaine before he went missing - but did not steal a Rolex watch, inquest hears
British teenager Jay Slater had taken ecstasy, cocaine and possibly ketamine - but did not steal a Rolex watch as he claimed on Snapchat - the night before he went missing in Tenerife, an inquest into his death has heard. Bradley Geoghegan, who was on holiday with Mr Slater on the Spanish island, said the 19-year-old had also been drinking alcohol before he was last seen on 17 June last year. Mr Slater's disappearance sparked a huge search until his body was eventually found by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard in a ravine near the village of Masca around four weeks later on 15 July. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said in May that a 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. The teenager, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on 16 June. During the night out he was forced to leave a nightclub for being too drunk. However, instead of going back to the apartment he shared with Mr Geoghegan, he went to an Airbnb miles away in the northern village of Masca with two men they had met on the holiday. The next morning Mr Geoghegan said he got a video call from Mr Slater, who was walking along a road and was still "under the influence", Preston Coroner's Court heard. 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'." He added that did not think his friend had any money on him, and taxis in Tenerife insisted on payment up front before carrying a fare. The inquest into Mr Slater's death had begun in May but was adjourned the same day. Dr James Adeley, a senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, made the decision after a number of witnesses who had been asked to give evidence could not be traced or were unable to attend. The adjournment allowed for time to trace the witnesses who had been with him in the hours before he vanished. Witness says Slater didn't steal watch This includes Ayub Qassim - one of the two men staying in the Airbnb that Mr Slater travelled back to. Mr Qassim said he and Steven Roccas, the second man staying in the Airbnb, met Mr Slater and his friends out in Tenerife. He added that Mr Slater asked if he could come back to his and Mr Roccas' apartment on the night before he went missing. Mr Qassim, giving evidence via videolink, told the hearing: "I did say, 'Bro, oh mate, it's so far away from the strip.' There's nothing happening there other than scenery. I said I would drop him off in the morning. He rolled with us." The coroner then asked Mr Qassim about messages Mr Slater had sent about a watch possibly being stolen. Mr Qassim 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 and tried to sell it to him and Mr Slater. He added: "Jay did not steal no watch. I can say 100%." While on the drive to the Airbnb Mr Slater then 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." Coroner Dr Adeley asked the witness: "You were not involved in taking a watch?" Mr Qassim replied: "No. And neither was he." He said when they got to his Airbnb he gave Mr Slater a blanket and pillow and told him he could sleep on the sofa before going off to his own bed. Slater said he 'cut his leg on a cactus' Lucy Law, who had to be traced along with Mr Geoghegan and Mr Qassim after the inquest was adjourned in May, was next to speak at the hearing and said Mr Slater was "definitely on a buzz... but not visibly mangled" the night before he went missing. Ms Law said Mr Slater told her "there's no way I'm going home" after she suggested it. She is believed to be the last person to have had contact with the teenager after she spoke to him on a 22-second call on the morning he went missing. He is believed to have said he had cut his leg on a cactus and got lost in the mountains. His phone battery was also said to be on 1% at this point. Meanwhile, the coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick said she was unable to get in touch with Mr Slater's friend Brandon Hodgson and Mr Roccas so that they could give evidence at the inquest.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Jay Slater inquest LIVE: Brit teen's pal Lucy Mae Law, 20, appears after missing first hearing while on Tenerife holiday
JAY Slater's close friend Lucy Mae Law has finally come forward to give evidence at his inquest after she missed the first hearing on holiday. The Brit made a heartbreaking final call to Lucy, 20, saying he had cut his leg, was lost and dehydrated just before Jay vanished last year. 4 4 4 4 Lucy and Brad Hargreaves, friends Jay was on holiday with, and Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, who Jay went to the Airbnb with, all failed to attend the first inquest hearing in May. Lucy's family revealed she was on holiday on the very same island where Jay died and totally unaware the inquest was going on. An emotional plea from Debbie to trace them and compel them to give evidence prompted coroner Dr James Adeley to postpone the inquest until today. Debbie told the hearing in May: "There are things that we want to question. We want these people in front of us. "My son went on holiday and didn't come back so there are questions we need to ask. Please." Lucy's hearing comes after Brad spoke to the court and convicted drug dealer Qassim also said his side of the story. Qassim, one of the final people to see Jay alive, addressed the hearing via videolink from another country. Jay's body was found in a ravine in the remote Rural de Teno National Park last July after an agonising 29-day search. Apprentice bricklayer Jay flew to the Spanish island last June to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas with two friends, Lucy and Brad. After a night of partying on June 17, the teen travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men - Qassim and Roccas. Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, phoned Brad after he left the Airbnb at around 8am and attempted to make the treacherous walk to his holiday apartment in sweltering heat. Today, 11:08 By Katie Davis Brad recounts their trip to Tenerife Brad said he and Jay landed in Tenerife in the early hours of June 13. He said they flew to Tenerife with Lucy Law, and took a taxi to where they were staying. Brad said they then went out drinking until 5am and met Brandon Hodgson, Steven Roccas and Ayub Qassim. Today, 11:06 By Katie Davis Brad gives evidence to the court We are now hearing from Jay's friend Brad Geoghegan, who Jay was on holiday with in Tenerife. He said he had been friends with Jay since the start of secondary school. Today, 11:01 By Katie Davis Jay's friend Brad arrives at court Jay's friend Brad Hargreaves - also known as Geoghegan - has arrived at Preston Coroner's Court. Brad was summoned to attend the hearing in May but was on holiday. He is in court today, while Lucy is due to give evidence via videolink. Today, 10:37 By Katie Davis Dr James Adeley leading today's hearing Today's hearing is being overseen by Dr James Adeley, who led the initial hearing in May. Dr Adeley - who has two decades of experience as a coroner - also oversaw the inquest into the death of Nicola Bulley in 2023. He is a qualified barrister and medical surgeon. Today, 10:32 By Katie Davis Jay's dad and brother arrive at court Jay's dad Warren and brother Zak have now arrived at Preston Coroner's Court. The pair spent day after day walking the remote mountains of northern Tenerife after Jay disappeared on June 17 last year. Extra security has been drafted in for today's hearing. The hearing was due to start at 10am, but people are still arriving at court. Debbie, Warren and Zak are all wearing blue heart pins with the letter J on. Today, 10:14 By Katie Davis Jay's friend Lucy Law due to give evidence Jay's friend Lucy Law - who he was on holiday with in Tenerife - is due to give evidence via videolink today. Lucy did not attend the last hearing, and was understood to be in Tenerife. Jay made a final heartbreaking call to Lucy on the morning of his death. The 19-year-old told her he had cut his leg, was lost, dehydrated and had just one per cent battery on his phone. Today, 09:50 By Katie Davis Jay's mum Debbie arrives at court Jay's mum Debbie Duncan has arrived at Preston Coroner's Court for today's hearing. The last hearing in May was adjourned after heartbroken Debbie pleaded for crucial witnesses to be tracked down. The inquest is due to last two days. By Katie Davis Who are the missing witnesses? The previous hearing on May 21 heard how several witnesses had not been located to give evidence. Jay's friend Lucy Law was believed to be in Tenerife, while pal Brad Geoghegan had told the coroner's office he would be on holiday. The two men staying at the remote Airbnb Jay went to hours before his death also failed to be traced. Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas did not attend the last hearing, despite summonses being issued. Coroner Dr Adeley said renewed efforts would be made to track them down before today's hearing. It remains unclear whether these key witnesses will appear at today or tomorrow's hearing. Today, 09:37 By Katie Davis 'So many unanswered questions' Jay's devastated mum Debbie previously opened up to The Sun about how she is tortured by 'so many questions' over what happened when he went missing. The grieving mum said she 'could not get her head around' why Jay got into a car with two older men after the music festival and went to their Airbnb apartment. School assistant Debbie also questioned why his friend Lucy did not race to pick him up. Fighting back tears, she told The Sun: 'I don't know what he thought he was doing by going with these two guys. I really don't know. 'I can't get my head round why he just didn't go back to his own friends, and went with them. 'In our minds, we think he's not realised where he was going. 'And it was dark. I just think he's not even thought about or knew which direction he was going.' Brave Debbie also told how Jay was a "loving and popular" teen who "had the world at his feet". She also defended a GoFundMe page that was set up to support the family after endless abuse from trolls. Today, 09:23 By Mum's plea to locate witnesses The last hearing was adjourned in May after Jay's mum Debbie Duncan pleaded with the coroner to locate crucial witnesses. The court summoned Jay's friends Lucy and Brad, who he went to Tenerife with, as well as Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, who Jay went back to the Airbnb with. But the hearing was told how in most cases they were either "unknown" at addresses held by police or there was no answer. Contact via mobile phone and email also went unanswered. Debbie pleaded with the coroner to locate Qassim and Roccas. She said: "I know you tried to locate them but how can we ever get any understanding? "We know he died, we know he had an accident, but from him leaving that holiday resort to going up there? "We read the statements. There are things that we want to question. We want these people in front of us. "My son went on holiday and didn't come back so there are questions we need to ask. Please." Today, 09:17 By Katie Davis Why inquest farce was more pain for family At the last hearing in May, Jay's family were 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 was a kick in the teeth for Debbie and Jay's already suffering family. The 19-year-old went missing 13 months ago, and his body tragically discovered 29 days later. So why after all those months did the court failed to bring together vital witnesses - including the two friends he was on holiday with? Today, 09:10 By Georgie English Tenerife hotspot where Jay Slater died is WORSE a year on The streets in notorious Tenerife party town Playa de las Americas, where British teen Jay Slater took a powerful cocktail of drugs before falling to his death is still heaving with blatant criminality. Sun reporters went out to the strip and found people luring tourists into a bar with the promise of 'a free line' of cocaine with their first drink. Two prostitutes in skin-tight bodycon dresses could be seen loitering outside while down the road, 'looky-looky' men circulate, offering Class-A drugs. A police car crawls past, its head-lights on the crowds of holiday-makers, but the officers inside seem blind to the blatant criminality. Student Georgina Haywood, 19, who had just flown in from Manchester with her boyfriend, told us: 'We went into a bar next to KFC and I wouldn't go back again. 'Looky-looky men were all around offering cheap drugs and we've heard if you buy them, they will mug you as soon as they see the cash. 'On the transfer bus over here we were talking to three men who told us they'd been robbed every time they'd come here." Today, 09:04 By Katie Davis Route Jay took was 'steep and dangerous' At the last hearing, Dutch rescue team Signi Zoekhonden told the hearing how the route Jay took was "pretty easy" to begin with but where his body was found is "really steep and dangerous". The volunteers said they "can imagine how Jay thought he was going to make it" from the Airbnb back to the coast. Jay 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 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 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 told the inquest Jay suffered a "heavy fall from height" and the "devastating" effects would have been "immediate". Today, 09:00 By Katie Davis I was there when Jay's body was found – this is why the case still haunts me "You covered Jay Slater, didn't you?" It's a question I've been asked time and again for the best part of a year now. And every time it makes my stomach churn as their eyes light up, hoping I will lift the lid on the ridiculous conspiracy theories they've lapped up. Jay's story is one I have followed from the moment he went missing in Tenerife on June 17 last year - and it is one of those cases that will never leave me. I was never convinced by the relentless armchair detectives - nor the outlets that regurgitated baseless theories. Outrageous claims include that Jay skipped the island on a yacht, fell foul of a drug cartel, and had been tied up hostage with chains. Jay's grieving mum wept as she opened up to me following his untimely death - and as I looked her in the eyes, I could feel the unspeakable toll of pain she was suffering. I was the only reporter in the mountains of Masca when police confirmed Jay's body had been found, and I can still feel the shock pulsing through me after a long 29-day search. Today, 08:56 By Katie Davis Why was the last hearing adjourned? The last inquest hearing into Jay's death was adjourned after his grieving mum begged the coroner to summon crucial witnesses. Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley told the hearing in May that Lucy is among those who could not be tracked down to give evidence. He said Lucy and Brad - who attended Jay's funeral in Accrington last August - "can't be located". Dr Adeley told Preston Coroner's Court as Jay's family sat in silence: "We can't find them. "They have stopped responding to phone calls. "When drugs are involved in a death, the witnesses are less than forthcoming and do not wish to speak to the authorities." Coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick also revealed extensive attempts to trace other witnesses, including Qassim who the Met Police were unable to locate. Mum Debbie pleaded for the coroner to do more to summon Qassim and the other man Jay went to the Airbnb with, Steven Roccas. Dr Adeley paused the hearing before adjourning it to today.
