Jay Slater’s family to question drug dealer who was among last to see teenager before he vanished in Tenerife: Live updates

Mr Qassim has told the inquest Jay Slater did not steal a watch as he revealed a Romanian national offered it to him and the teenager on the morning he disappeared.

Asked by the coroner why Jay ended up coming back to his Airbnb, Mr Qassim said:

He asked if he could come with us. From things that I’ve heard he must have thought we’d be up having a party.

Mr Qassim said told told Jay he would drop him off the next morning.

Asked about the stolen watch, Mr Qassim said there were Romanian and Senegalese ‘looky looky men’ on Veronica’s Strip, also one from England.

Asked by the coroner if a Romanian man was selling ‘fake watches’, Mr Qassim said the area was a ‘tourist hotspot’.

Someone here could be getting scammed. Someone here is stealing something from someone. It’s all happening.

Mr Qassim said one of the Romanians was ‘offering’ a watch to him and Jay, though he did not know whether it was given to Jay.

One thing I can say is Jay didn’t steal no watch.

Ayub Qassim has told the inquest Jay Slater was ‘on the buzz’ hours before he disappeared in Tenerife.

Asked about seeing Jay outside Sugareef at about 2am on June 17, Mr Qassim said: ‘Everyone’s doing balloons,’ explaining that meant inhaling nitrous oxide which they’d obtained in Las Veronicas.

Mr Qassim said he then went to another nightclub, Tramps, until 6am during which they popped out to nearby takeaway Magic Mike’s with Jay.

But he said ‘you’d see him and then he’d go’ and he remembered Mr Geoghegan asking:

Where is he, where is he?’ He’d be with us and then he’d not be with us.

Asked about Jay’s demeanor, Mr Qassim said:

He’s on the buzz, head bopping, chilled, happy, minglin innit, sort of thing.

He ‘vaguely’ remembered Jay saying he had ‘run out of dough’ but ‘didn’t search his pockets.

Ayub Qassim began his evidence by telling the inquest he arrived in Tenerife three or four days before the NRG festival.

Mr Qassim interrupted the coroner to say:

First and foremost I want to send my condolences to Jay’s family for what they’ve been through.

He then began making a statement about ‘kids dying’ in the Middle East before being cut off by the coroner who warned him:

Mr Qassim, you’re here to give evidence and answer my questions, you’re not here to make political statements.

Mr Qassim then began answering Dr Adeley’s questions, saying he had known Mr Hodgson ‘for a little while’ by last June.

He thought he first met Jay and Mr Geoghegan for the first time ‘just before the start of the NRG festival’ at the Xanadu nightclub.

Mr Qassim said he went to the festival ‘with my friend Rocky’ but didn’t remember seeing Jay there.

I think Jay had left. Maybe he was in the crowd dancing, I didn’t see him.

Ayub Qassim now giving evidence by video link.

The hearing was delayed in May as the coroner made renewed attempts to trace Qassim and Stephen Roccas.

Mr Roccas is not expected to give evidence today.

Mr Geoghegan has told the inquest another one of Jay Slater’s friends should be questioned over claims Jay attempted to sell an expensive watch for £10,000 just hours before he vanished.

The inquest previously heard one of Jay’s friends mentioned a message in which the teenager mentioned being ‘thrown out’ of the rave and that he tried to sell a watch.

Asked about what Jay told him during the car journey, Mr Geoghegan said:

I knew what he went there for because he sent a Snapchat about a watch.

Ms Norris asked: ‘Did you know anything about the watch?’

‘No, apart from him saying he was going up – whatever that Snapchat says,’ he said.

Saying that was all he knew about the watch, Mr Geoghegan said:

This is why I thought Brandon [Hodgson] should be here because he knows a lot more.

He said he had heard that Mr Hodgson had said he’d ‘seen the watch’.

‘I think personally that Brandon should be questioned more because he knows about the watch.’

Asked by the coroner when Jay mentioned selling a watch, Mr Geoghegan said he didn’t know.

Asked if Jay appeared ‘under duress’ or ‘threatened’ at any stage, Mr Geoghegan replied: ‘No.’

Questioned by the coroner why he thought Jay had left the AirBnb that morning he replied:

He wanted to come back to the apartment I was at to carry on drinking. I think he’s probably got there and sobered up and decided to carry on drinking.

Jay’s probably sobered up and decided to come back down to where we were staying.

Mr Geoghegan has told the inquest the last time he spoke to Jay Slater after the teenager told him he would crash at an AirBnb rented out by two British men Ayub Qassim and Stephen Roccas.

He told the court he got a taxi back to their apartment at 5am or 6am in the early hours on June 17. At 5.30am Jay sent a Snapchat saying he would be sleeping at ‘Ayub Qassim’s and Rocky’s place’.

Earlier he sent a message ‘something about a watch’, Mr Geoghegan said.

Asked what the message said, he replied:

Took a watch… I can’t remember what it said. There’s a lot of people selling fake stuff on the Strip, I didn’t think anything of it.

Jay didn’t seem frightened or distressed at any stage, he said, adding he showed him where he was going to sleep during a back and forth exchange on Snapchat.

Asked about his demeanour he said:

Then he goes I’m going to come back down. He might have been feeling a bit worried at that time. But I don’t know why.

At 8.30am he said Jay contacted him saying he was walking down a road and was asking if there was any alcohol back at the apartment.

That’s the last time I spoke to Jay.

Asked about his friend’s state at that point, he said: ‘He was a lot better than he were, but he was definitely still under the influence.’

Mr Geoghegan told the inquest that on June 16 – the day before Jay went missing – he went with Jay to Sugareef nightclub and met Mr Hodgson and Ms Law before going to Papagayo for the festival.

We were together all that evening. When we got to Papagayo everyone split up. We all kept bumping into each other again.

He said Mr Hodgson told him Jay had been thrown out and he went to see him outside but they wouldn’t let him back in.

That was around 2am on June 17 as he was ‘very drunk and couldn’t stand up’, the inquest heard.

At about 4am Mr Geoghegan and Jay went back to Sugareef.

Asked what ‘state’ Jay was in, Mr Geoghegan said:

He wasn’t as bad as when he was inside. He was still under the influence but we could still talk to each other, have a conversation.

Jay was about six out of ten drunk and they had both taken drugs, Mr Geoghegan said.

Bradley Geoghegan – also known as Hargreaves – is the first witness to give evidence this morning.

He confirms he travelled to Tenerife with Jay on June 13 last year to attend the NRG festival and that they were staying together.

Lucy Law travelled with them but was staying in another flat, he said, and Brandon Hodgson – or ‘Hodgy’ – was in a third flat where he lived, he said

The following day they went to the first day of the festival – ‘drinking, dancing as you would at a festival,’ he said.

They went back to their apartment at about 3.15am.

He said the next day they had a pool party at the hotel which started at midday before they went out later in the evening.

Asked about Jay’s behaviour and how much he drank, Mr Geoghegan said: ‘We might have took it a bit too far.’

Coroner Dr James Adeley has told the inquest evidence would be heard about efforts to contact Brandon Hodgson, who partied with Jay days before he disappeared in Tenerife.

He will also provide an update on attempts to locate Stephen Roccas, known as Rocky, who rented an AirBnb with Ayub Qassim.

Nick Spencer, a digital analyst from Lancashire Police, will also give evidence.

The inquest into the death of Jay Slater has resumed this morning after a delay.

Coroner Dr James Adeley said he was waiting for Ayub Qassim – the convicted drug dealer who is among the last people to see him alive – to join remotely ‘from a foreign jurisdiction’.

He said Mr Qassim was currently ‘travelling’ and he was waiting for him to join the link, adding he ‘cannot compel ‘ him as he’s abroad.

Dr Adeley said Lucy Law and Bradley Hargreaves will give evidence with Mr Hargreaves arriving in person.

Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan, 56, sat at the front of the court flanked by her elder son Zak.

Next to her was the family’s barrister, Lois Norris, who was not involved during the previous hearing.

To her left Jay’s father Warren with a frame photograph of Jay propped up.

Warren and Zak Slater pictured outside Preston Coroner’s Court

Jay’s dad Warren Slater and his elder brother Zak, 25 – who both spent weeks in Tenerife in a desperate search for the teenager – also arrived at the inquest earlier this morning.

Jay’s close friend Lucy Law – another of the witnesses who did not attend the previous hearing in May – is expected to give evidence remotely

Jay had been on holiday in Tenerife with Ms Law, now 19, and Bradley Hargreaves.

Ms Law – who later attended Mr Slater’s funeral last August – received a call at 8.30am where Jay said he was lost, had 1 per cent charge on his phone and needed water.

After the friends became separated on the last night of the NRG festival, the previous hearing in May was told there were ‘repeated efforts’ by Ms Law – referred to on his phone as Lucy Mae – to contact him.

She messaged him saying he was ‘off your head’ and to go back to their apartment.

At 8.35am Ms Law sent him a message telling him to ‘get back to wherever the f*** you just came from’.

Ms Law spoke to reporters from the island as efforts to launch a search got underway.

After the tragic discovery of his body she posted a heartbreaking Instagram tribute, writing:

Always the happiest and most smiley person in the room, you was one of a kind Jay and you’ll be missed more than you know. I’m sure you’ll “have your dancing shoes polished and ready” waiting for us all. We all love you buddy. Fly high.

Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan was pictured as she arrived at Preston Coroner’s Court this morning.

Ms Duncan’s emotional outburst in the previous inquest led to proceedings being halted before it was adjourned until today.

In August last year, hundreds gathered in Accrington to bid a final farewell at his funeral, as his coffin was laid to rest amid an encore of drum-and-bass music.

During their eulogies, friends recalled Mr Slaters ‘buzzing and smiling’ demeanour and told their late schoolmate to ‘keep partying hard up there’.

His parents led the procession of mourners through the drizzle on August 10 to the service at the packed Accrington Crematorium Chapel, while many more watched on an outdoor screen.

On November 21, a GoFundMe page titled Get Jay Slater Home was closed after it had received £72,821 worth of donations.

In a final post on the page, Mr Slater’s family said they had been able to give a ‘truly deserved… send-off’ at his funeral.

They also explained how the donations were spent, which included hiring a search team from the Dutch non-profit organisation Signi Zoekhonden and paying for their stay in Tenerife while they searched for the teenager’s body.

In May, the inquest heard traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine were found in Mr Slater’s body following his death.

Toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin said the length of time before Mr Slater’s body was discovered meant it was impossible to carry out tests on blood or urine.

But examination of a liver sample found metabolites of MDMA and of another recreational drug MDA, as well as of cocaine.

Spanish scientists additionally tested hair and muscle samples, finding a metabolite of ketamine, Dr Martin added.

However due to the length of time between Mr Slater’s death and the samples being taken, she was unable to say if he had been under the influence of drugs when he fell to his death, she said.

Bradley Hargreaves (centre) arrives at the inquest in Preston

Jay’s friend Bradley Hargreaves has arrived at Preston Coroner’s Court, accompanied by family members.

The 20-year-old – who was swapping messages with Jay as he attempted to walk from the remote village of Masca back to their apartment – is among the friends who was abroad at the previous hearing.

The hearing in May was told that at 6.09am on the morning of June 17 last year Jay used his phone to share his location as being in the village with Mr Hargreaves, also known as Bradley Geoghegan.

That was followed by a seven second video an hour later showing a mountainous scene.

Mr Hargreaves stayed on in Tenerife assisting the search for Jay along with his mother Rachel.

After the tragic discovery of his body he posted an online tribute reading: ‘Nothing be the same without you. Rest easy brother. Love you always.’

The hearing in May heard that Mr Hargreaves had informed the coroner’s office that he would be abroad that week on a holiday booked last October.

Jay Slater with his friend Lucy Law

Lancashire senior coroner Dr James Adeley said some of Mr Slater’s friends would be provided with new summonses to attend the resumed hearing in Preston this morning.

In May he asked the Slater family to pass his office any contact details which they had for them.

Before it was adjourned, the inquest was told Mr Slater had traces of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine in his body when he was found dead – and had been ‘off his head on drugs’.

The hearing was also told that his friends had failed to attend to give their accounts.

Lucy Law – who received a call from the Mr Slater saying he was lost, had 1 per cent charge on his phone and needed water – is among those who could not be traced to give evidence, the coroner revealed.

Dr Adeley said police had failed in attempts to contact Ms Law and several of Mr Slater’s other British friends.

Witness summons were also issued for Josh Forshaw, Brad Hargreaves and Brandon Hodgson.

Jay Slater’s post-mortem and funeral will feature in a new Channel 4 documentary that will look into conspiracy theories surrounding the case.

The Disappearance Of Jay Slater will follow the story of the 19-year-old who vanished in Tenerife last June – only to be found dead a month later at the bottom of a ravine on the Spanish party island.

The film, which has been made in collaboration with Mr Slater’s family, will include exclusive access to his post-mortem and funeral.

It is also set to look at the conspiracy theories that stemmed from the story, the online abuse that the family still receive and the media coverage of the case.

Mr Slater’s disappearance last summer sparked a global internet storm – with armchair detectives sparking wild theories as to what happened to him.

Rita Daniels, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said:

The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture. The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.

The release date for Channel 4’s new show is yet to be announced.

Here are the key events leading up to the discovery of Jay Slater’s body after the British teenager vanished in Tenerife in June 2024:

Jay Slater’s body was found in a mountainous area of Tenerife almost a month after he disappeared on the Spanish island.

The teenager is believed to have lost his footing and fallen while desperately trying to climb through a ravine to try and return to his hotel.

A post-mortem found that he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height. His death would have been instantaneous.

Forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, who examined Mr Slater’s body after its repatriation to the UK, said at May’s inquest that injuries including severe skull and pelvis fractures were consistent from a fall from a height.

He found no sign of injuries associated with Mr Slater being assaulted prior to his death – but said his post mortem examination could not rule out the possibility that Jay had been pushed although there was nothing to indicate an assault.

Dr Shepherd said the injuries caused by the fall would have caused ‘instantaneous’ loss of consciousness and Mr Slater would have died soon afterwards.

Jay Slater captured international attention when he vanished on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife last June.

The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, travelled to the Canary Islands with two friends to attend the New Rave Generation’ (NRG) music festival held over three days.

During the festival he went back to the house of two British men he had met at the festival, according to friends.

The following morning he phoned his friend to say he was walking back to his accommodation before he phone battery died.

During a near month-long disappearance, his whereabouts sparked intense online speculation and various conspiracy theories.

His body was found in a deep and desolate ravine less than two miles from where he was last seen.

The inquest into the death of Jay Slater was halted in May when his mother Debbie hit out after two British men who rented an Airbnb her son visited failed to attend.

The hearing was also told extensive efforts including summonses had been issued for several witnesses who were in contact with Mr Slater before he disappeared.

But Mr Slater’s mother Debbie Duncan, 55, today made an emotional outburst after the two British men who rented the AirBnb – convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, 31, and Steven Roccas, previously known as ‘Rocky’– did not attend the hearing.

She told Lancashire senior coroner Dr James Adeley: ‘How can we ever get any understanding? We know he died, he had an accident.’

Sobbing, she added: ‘There’s things that we want to question. We want these people to be sat in front of us. Something went wrong that day, he didn’t come back. There’s questions we need to ask – please.’

The coroner adjourned the hearing so his staff could make further efforts to find Mr Qassim and Mr Roccas, but warned the family he was ‘not confident of success’.

Jay Slater’s family are today desperately hoping for answers about his death in a remote Tenerife ravine after pleading to hear from the British tourists who last saw him alive.

A huge search operation was launched after the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire became separated from his friends after attending an all-night rave in June last year.

He had contacted them the following morning to say he was attempting to walk back from a remote village but was lost, had one per cent charge on his phone and needed water.

After weeks of social media speculation about how the apprentice bricklayer ended up in the mountains, his body was tragically found in a ravine a month later.

On May 21 an inquest in Preston, Lancashire was dramatically halted over the failure of two British men who drove Jay back to the village following the rave to attend court.

Police had attempted to serve witness summons on Ayub Qassim, a convicted drug dealer who was renting the AirBnB in Masca, and fellow Briton Steven Roccas, previously known as ‘Rocky’, but neither could be traced.

Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan sobbed as she begged Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, to make renewed efforts to trace them.

The hearing is due to resume this morning when she hopes to learn the answers to some of the unanswered questions which continue to surround Jay’s final hours.

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage as the inquest into the death of British teenager Jay Slater resumes in Preston this morning.

Jay, a 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was on holiday in Tenerife with friends when he disappeared in June last year. His body was discovered by mountain rescuers 29 days later in a a steep and inaccessible area.

His inquest was halted in May after two British men who rented an Airbnb that Jay visited on the Spanish island failed to attend.

The coroner adjourned the hearing so his staff could make further efforts to find Ayub Qassim, 31, and Steven Roccas.

Stick with us for live updates throughout the day with James Tozer reporting from Preston Coroner’s Court and Jamie Bullen in London.