The British teenager’s whereabouts remain a mystery as police continue their desperate search for Jay Slater.
The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer went missing after attending the NRG Tenerife Weekender festival with friends during his first overseas holiday. He has not been heard from since the morning of June 17th, leaving relatives extremely concerned.
Detective Mark Williams-Thomas arrived in the Canary Islands yesterday to help with the case. The detective, who was previously involved in the search for Nicola Bree, said he would now develop a “clear timeline” of the 24 hours leading up to Jay’s disappearance.
Officers searching for Jay are now also looking at the location of Jay’s phone last ‘beeping’ as they return to the holiday island’s mountain valley to search for him. Here gives an overview of Jay’s life in the UK, including his involvement in a gang machete attack…
In 2021 Jay and seven other young people ambushed fellow young man Tom Hilton in Rishton, Lancashire, chasing him with anything: machetes, golf clubs, axes. Tom, who likened his attackers to a “pack of gorillas”, suffered a cracked skull and injuries to his shoulder and leg after the attack.
The Manchester Evening News reported that the gang of eight were seen laughing and joking throughout the trial at Preston Crown Court, with Judge Philip Parry accusing them of “disrespect”.
Judge Parry told the defendants: “Many of you have found these negotiations throughout the trial, yesterday and today disrespectful of the court and amusing.
“I hope that you will grow up, for the sake of your families, for the sake of the public and for the sake of those who have provided you with jobs, apprenticeships and so on.” The sentence in the case included 25 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Victim’s brave plea
After Jay’s previous crimes came to light, several social media users described his disappearance as “karma”. But Tom, who was 17 at the time of the attack, bravely called on her to see it from a different perspective.
Tom made the following appeal on Facebook: “This boy is missing and his family is heartbroken. Put yourself in their shoes. Stop saying nonsense on social media and say my name etc to help find this boy. Please be respectful and help us find this boy and return him to his family.”