**New Testimony Offers Insight Into Jay Slater’s Mysterious Final Hours**
Fresh testimony has brought new perspectives to the final hours of Jay Slater, the 19-year-old apprentice from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, whose disappearance in Tenerife last year sparked a complex search and an ongoing inquest. At a hearing on 24 July in Preston Coroner’s Court, Slater’s friend Brad Hargreaves disclosed a series of digital conversations that may shed light on Jay’s actions before he vanished.
Jay Slater was last seen during a holiday to Tenerife in June 2024, having attended the NRG music festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Playa de las Americas with friends. It is believed he departed with two men in the early hours, heading towards a remote holiday rental in Masca. His disappearance was reported on 18 June, prompting an extensive search operation, which ended with the discovery of his body in a difficult-to-reach mountain area nearly a month later.
During the latest inquest session, Hargreaves informed the court that Jay had contacted him via Snapchat shortly before his disappearance. In these messages, Jay allegedly confessed to taking a watch and indicated an intention to sell it at the Airbnb in Masca. Hargreaves told the inquest he did not initially treat the admission seriously, explaining that the nightlife scene in Tenerife is rife with people buying and selling imitation goods, particularly watches.
“I didn’t think anything of it at the time because lots of people sell fake stuff around the strip, watches especially,” Hargreaves stated. However, he admitted his own capacity to question Jay was impaired that night, owing to drug use. This raises questions not only about the events themselves but also about the reliability and depth of information shared between the friends.
The subject of the purported stolen watch has been a recurring theme in the inquiry. Previously, Ayub Qassim—one of the men with Jay that night—rebuffed suggestions that Slater had stolen any property. Qassim told the court that a local street seller, described as a “Romanian looky looky guy,” was circulating counterfeit watches and that Jay may have exaggerated details to impress his peers. “Sometimes, young people make things up to big themselves up. I didn’t see Jay take anything,” Qassim commented.
What is becoming clear is that the group dynamic and circumstances on the night remain murky. Not all key witnesses have participated in proceedings. Brandon Hodgson, another acquaintance connected to the evening’s events, was absent despite the court’s attempts to trace him—a point highlighted by Brad Hargreaves, who implicated that Hodgson might be able to clarify more about the incidents than anyone else.
Further insights from Hargreaves reveal the friends’ movements leading up to Jay’s disappearance. After a day of drinking and later attending the festival, Jay was described as intoxicated to the point of being ejected from a nightclub. The group later regrouped, and Jay was said to be in better spirits. Hargreaves recalled Jay’s use of ecstasy and cocaine during the night, painting a picture of a chaotic and potentially risky atmosphere.
Hargreaves shared with the court his last in-person conversation with Jay at a local takeaway, Magic Mike’s, during which Jay first indicated his plan to stay overnight at the Airbnb with Qassim and “Rocky” Roccas. Later, Jay video-called Hargreaves from Masca, showing off the bed prepared for him and appearing upbeat. The mood changed shortly after during a Snapchat call. Jay, now out on the road and contemplating the journey back, remarked that he was a 14-hour walk from their apartment—a detail that concerned Hargreaves. “I was shocked and told him to get a taxi back. He replied that he’d call again and that was the last I heard from him,” Hargreaves recounted.
The inquest, set to conclude on 25 July, continues to probe the circumstances surrounding Jay Slater’s death. With conflicting testimonies and some critical witnesses still missing, questions persist over what might have occurred during those defining hours in Tenerife. This case remains one that has not only gripped Slater’s hometown but has also raised wider debates about safety and responsibility for young holidaymakers abroad.