The inquest into Jay Slater's death has revealed some previously unknown events, including the 19-year-old's final text messages.
Jay, a bricklayer from Lancashire, disappeared on June 18, 2024, after a night out during a holiday on the Spanish island, Tenerife. A massive month-long search followed, until his body was found on July 15 in a steep and remote area of the Rural Parc de Teno.
Now, as the inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court investigates the mysterious circumstances of his death, one friend has revealed troubling details, per the Mirror.
Josh Forshaw, who met Jay at Manchester Airport en route to Tenerife and saw him at the NRG music festival the night before he went missing, described him as “dead happy” and “off his head on drugs” on June 17.
He told the court that Jay messaged him saying: “Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [Audemars Piguet, a luxury watch brand] off somebody and was on the way to sell it.”
Forshaw claimed the watch strap was going to be sold for £10,000. But more disturbingly, he said Jay also sent him a picture showing “knives down his trousers,” with the caption: “In case it kicks off.”
While he didn’t inform Spanish authorities about the photo at the time, he later told Lancashire Police after returning to the UK, per BBC News.
Dr Richard Shepherd, a Home Office pathologist, confirmed in court that Jay died from a fall, with no signs of assault or restraint.
“There was extensive fractures of the left side of his head. Several extensive fractures extending into the bottom of the skull,” the inquest heard. “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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When asked by senior coroner Dr James Adeley if there was any evidence of foul play, Dr Shepherd replied: “Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort.”
The inquest was briefly halted today (21 May) after news broke that one of three key witnesses, previously unreachable, had been contacted.
The three missing witnesses include Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves — friends who were with Jay in Tenerife — and Ayub Qassim, the man who rented the remote Airbnb in Masca where Jay was last seen.
Coroner’s officer Alice Swarbrick told the court that police had attempted to serve a witness summons on Lucy, who is believed to still be in Tenerife.
Brad, meanwhile, was said to be on a pre-booked holiday. Qassim, the Airbnb host, had not been located by the Metropolitan Police prior to today’s hearing, although contact was reportedly made with one of the three after noon.