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Jay Slater inquest drama as mum makes shock demand…meaning MORE bombshells to come after drugs & ‘missing’ pals revealed
Jay's mum Debbie previously told The Sun of her torment over 'unanswered questions'
AN inquest into Jay Slater's death has been adjourned after his grieving mum begged the coroner to summon crucial witnesses.
The 19-year-old's body was found in a ravine in the remote Rural de Teno National Park last July after an agonising 29-day search.
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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 Law and Brad Hargreaves.
The teen travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men - including convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim - in the early hours of June 17, before leaving at around 8am.
Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, made a heartbreaking final call to friend Lucy saying he had cut his leg, was lost, dehydrated and had just one per cent battery on his phone after he left the Airbnb.
Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley today told an inquest into his death that Lucy is among those who could not be tracked down to give evidence.
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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."
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Coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick also revealed extensive attempts to trace other witnesses, including Qassim who the Met Police were unable to locate.
Jay's dad Warren told the court: "The two people who can put some light on whatever happened to Jay aren't in court today."
I've been terrorised by trolls since my son Jay Slater's disappearance & death - it's destroyed me, says tearful mum
Jay's mum Debbie later pleaded for the coroner to do more to summon Qassim and the other man Jay went to the Airbnb with, Steven 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."
Dr Adeley paused the hearing before adjourning it until a later date, likely in a couple of months.
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.
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".
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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's body was identified using a palm print after being compared with records held by the police, Lancashire Constabulary's senior fingerprint expert Cheryl McGowan told the hearing.
Toxicologist Dr Stephanie Martin told the court how traces of ecstasy, cocaine and ketamine were found in Jay's system.
She said because of the length of time between Jay's death and the samples being taken, they were unable to say if he was under the influence of drugs when he fell.
But Dr Martin said Jay would have taken ketamin within the 12 previous hours.
A waitress at the venue Jay partied at hours before he vanished previously told The Sun how he looked so unwell she decided to give him free water.
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.
Asked how Jay seemed the night before his death, Josh said: "He was quite excitable. He seemed to be in a happy mood, joyful, excited to be there."
He added that Jay seemed to be "off his head on drugs".
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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 did not mention the image to Spanish police before leaving Tenerife, but did inform cops in Lancashire on his return.
The court also summed Jay's friends Lucy, Brad, and Brandon Hodgson, as well as Qassim and Roccas.
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.
Lucy is understood to be in Tenerife, while Mr Hodgson said he would be away on holiday.
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."
Devastated 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.
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The fundraiser was set up by Lucy - and Debbie said she did not know anything about it until the fund was already established.
Debbie revealed the £72,000 was used to pay for a private search.
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