Jay Slater’s previously “missing” friend and the last person to hear from him before his disappearance has been found on holiday in Tenerife, where her pal was found dead less than a year ago. Lucy Law did not attend yesterday’s inquest into the teen’s death, despite being a close friend and one of the last people to see him alive.
Coroner Dr James Adeley told the court at the start of the hearing that police had been unable to locate the 20-year-old and other witnesses who could provide crucial information about the hours before Jay went missing. Dr Adeley said: “We can’t find the witnesses, and they have stopped responding to phone calls.” However, Lucy’s stepfather, Andy Davis, said she was unaware police wanted to speak to her, and the family was not made aware of the inquest.
He told MailOnline: “We had no idea Jay’s inquest was even being held today. The police have only just been round today to say that she was due to give evidence. But it’s the first time we knew of it.
“They asked if Lucy was home, and I said she was abroad, and they asked me if I was aware that she should have been in court, and I said I wasn’t.
“The police said they had sent Lucy paperwork with the dates on it, but the first I knew about it was when the police turned up earlier today.”
A source within Jay’s family also told the outlet that they’d easily found out where these witnesses had been: on holiday.
They said: “Lucy is in Tenerife. Another supposedly untraceable witness is on holiday in Greece. If we can find this out so quickly, why can’t the police?”
The inquest also heard that Jay, 19, claimed to have stolen a Rolex worth around £12,000 just before he went missing.
The teen sent a message to his friend Josh Forshaw reading: “Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP off somebody and was on the way to sell it. ”
Josh said his pal was “off his head on drugs” and took “10 to 15 vodka shots” on the night of his disappearance.
The pair met in the queue for the flight from Manchester to Tenerife, later sharing contact details and meeting at the NRG music festival, after which Jay became separated from his friends.
He then went back to an Airbnb in Masca with two men, one of them being convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, before attempting the 10-hour walk back to his accommodation.
Jay went missing on his journey home and was found dead in a ravine nearly a month later.
