Jay Slater cops probe if his background ‘related’ to disappearance

Spanish police searching for missing holidaymaker Jay Slater are investigating his background to determine whether it is ‘relevant’ to his disappearance, MailOnline has learned.

The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished last Monday morning after attending a three-day rave in Tenerife.

Now detectives on the holiday island are trying to determine whether Jay’s disappearance is linked to his criminal past after the Spanish press revealed that he was previously involved in a machete attack that left a man fighting for his life.

Jay part of an eight strong gang who split the skull of Tom Hilton after he was attacked with a machete, golf clubs and an axe.

Mr Hilton was left with injuries to his head which left his skull exposed as well as wounds to his shoulders and legs in the 2021 attack when he was 17 in Rishton, Lancashire.

In court he described the gang as a ‘pack of wolves’ and he was forced to run for his life through nearby woods before being set upon.

Details of the attack have been posted on social media sites appealing for help in tracking Jay down and many have described his disappearance as ‘karma’.

But in a Facebook message the gang’s victim, Mr Hilton said: ‘Whoever is writing on these TikToks, give it a rest. This young lad’s missing and his family’s heartbroken.

‘Put yourself in their shoes. Stop talking nonsense on social and get this lad found, mentioning my name all this and that.

‘Have some respect and help find this boy and get him back to his family.’

A report of the attack in the Manchester Evening New from last August describes how throughout the case all eight laughed and joked with Judge Philip Parry telling Preston Crown Court they had found the trial ‘amusing’.

Passing sentence Judge Parry said: ‘Many of you have found these proceedings amusing throughout the trial and yesterday and today, showing disrespect to the court.

‘I hope for the sake of all your families, the public and the people who have offered you jobs and apprenticeships and the sort that you all grow up.

‘Everyone of you deserves to be sent to youth detention. Some of you played a more active role in the violent disorder than others, some of you carried weapons, some wore balaclavas but the seriousness of the this is the group nature of it.

‘As a group you were all more threatening than you would have been as individuals.’

He added that if they had been convicted of the more serious charge of section 18 wounding, they would all have gone to youth custody.

However, he said he took the rehabilitative approach when sentencing them for violent disorder and further offences including witness intimidation, attempted robbery and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Jay was given an 18-month community order with 25 days rehabilitation activities and 150 hours unpaid work for violent disorder – and he went on holiday to Tenerife last week after completing most of his sentence.

Details of his criminal past were reported by El Dia, a local newspaper for the Canary Islands.

The headline read ‘The past of the young British man who disappeared in Tenerife. Slater beat up a teenager along with seven other people.’

They went on to describe in detail the court case adding that he had a ‘black mark in his past’.

Jay’s conviction has led a number of amateur sleuths and psychics spread wild, false and even malicious theories about his disappearance on social media – including the sick idea that he has faked his disappearance to pocket the GoFundMe cash.

Some cruel trolls have even made the unfounded claim that he has been kidnapped after a drugs deal went wrong with criminal enforcers holding him to pay back the debt. Others have alleged that he lost the drugs or pocketed the money himself and is lying low until the heat dies down.

The speculation was fuelled when, shortly after he vanished, Jay’s his mother, school finance officer Debbie Duncan, 55, was sent a menacing Snapchat message that read: ‘Kiss goodbye to your boy, you’re never going to see him again, he owes me a lot of money.’

Spanish police say they are not ‘ruling anything out’ – and a source told MailOnline: ‘In cases of missing people it’s natural to investigate their background in case it’s relevant to the hunt.

‘This case is unusual as it’s been a week and there has been no sighting or leads on him at all and searches have thrown up no clues.

‘We have to consider the possibility of something else happening.’

His mother Debbie is convinced he has been ‘taken’ and appealed to anyone who was holding him to let him go.

She said: ‘What happened in court is irrelevant, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. What matters more than anything is that my son is missing and we need to find him.’

Jay was last heard of at 8.50am on Monday morning when he told his friend Lucy Mae West that he was in mountains, lost, with one per cent on his battery.

He is known to have left an end of festival afterparty at around 5am and headed off to the rural village of Masca, 19 miles from Playa des Los Americas in south Tenerife, with two British men.

From there he sent Lucy and his mother two pictures on Snapchat showing him outside the white washed two bedroom farm house and he said he was going to try and make an 11 hour walk back after missing the bus.

The two men who hired the Airbnb have been questioned by Spanish police but have since returned to Britain, much to the amazement of family and friends.

Lucy told MailOnline that when she tracked the house down and asked the men where Jay was they seemed ‘startled and surprised’ that she had found them and told her he had left to try and catch bus back.

On Saturday Lucy – who set up the GoFundMe page for Jay asking for the specific sum of £30,000 – was questioned at length by police although there is no suggestion that she has any involvement in his disappearance.

However, questions have been raised about the donations and where exactly they are going – especially as Debbie has been added and then removed as a beneficiary several times since the page was opened last Thursday.

One woman named as Charlotte C wrote: ‘Unfortunately I have to donate the minimum of £5 in order to leave a comment. However, I feel this is important to highlight the concerns regarding this GoFundMe.

‘It is essential that all funds going towards Jay Slater’s GoFundMe page are put on hold until further details or evidence from the police are released and pending a thorough and meticulous investigation.’

Another donor Andy S, who also contributed £5, said: ‘I echo Charlotte C’s concerns. I have raised these on numerous platforms (as have many, many others) and no action has been taken.

‘I understand that advice may have been given not to interact but there has not been one update on this GFM to address such concerns. It is not difficult to update the bio.

‘The media have even highlighted the public’s concerns in this respect. Common sense tells me that Organisers/Beneficiaries would have responded to this on this platform at least.

‘The general public have raised almost £30k for this cause which has obviously touched the nation. Therefore, please, please address the points raised. My thoughts remain with those concerned.’

Meanwhile in a Facebook post early on Monday Debbie addressed the concerns over the Go Fund Me Page set up for him as which has attracted more than £32,000 in donations.

She said: ‘I really am saddened by all your comments. You seem to be so bothered about this GoFundMe page. I really hope I am not taking my son home in a body bag.

‘The funds are not released and won’t be if not needed. I really cannot believe the British public are not supporting me in trying to find Jay.

‘This may happen to any of you one day. Very let down by you all.’

She later updated the post and said: ‘Update!! Sorry that you have taken this the wrong way. I am overwhelmed with the generosity.

‘What I meant was VERBAL support. I really hope I don’t need this money. If it’s not needed it all gets refunded to the people who really did care.’