Bradley Hargreaves, who was with Jay Slater in Tenerife before he went missing, “could not be located” to take part in an inquest into the teenager’s death today but has been spotted elsewhere
Jay Slater’s pal Bradley Hargreaves, posted a selfie hours before he “could not be located” to take part an inquest into the teenager’s death.
The hearing at Preston Coroner’s Court is investigating the circumstances surrounding 19-year-old bricklayer Jay’s death in Tenerife on July 15 last year, following a month-long search for him.
After attending the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas, Jay had travelled north to an Airbnb in the remote village of Masca in the early hours of June 17.
He then left the property on foot and subsequently went missing in the Rural Parc de Teno. This morning, the inquest heard that three crucial witnesses could not be located before today’s proceedings.
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On Wednesday, the hearing, scheduled to last one day, was told extensive efforts including summonses had been issued for several witnesses who were in contact with Mr Slater before he disappeared.
However a number of witnesses had failed to respond and so would not be giving evidence. These included Bradley, who also uses surname Geoghegan, Brandon Hodgson and Lucy Law, Mr Slater’s friends, who were out with him at the music festival.
Alice Swarbrick, a coroner’s officer, stated that police had tried to serve a witness summons on Lucy, a friend who was with Jay in Tenerife, but she couldn’t be found.
It is believed that Lucy is currently in Tenerife. Brad, another friend who was with Jay in Tenerife before his death, is thought to be on a holiday booked last October, added Ms Swarbrick.
Neither could be found by police prior to today’s hearing, according to senior coroner Dr James Adeley, reports the Manchester Evening News.
However, just hours ahead of the inquest, Brad took to Instagram Stories, where he posted a full-length mirror selfie, covering his face with an emoji. He posed with his hand in his pocket, dressed in all black.
The post featured a time stamp which read ’07:29′.
Lucy and Brad previously spoke of how they chatted with Jay as he attempted to walk back to their accommodation from the remote Airbnb, a journey that would have taken him 11 hours on foot. Tragically, he never made it.
Appearing on This Morning on June 28, just two days before Spanish police called off the official search, Brad opened up about his own final conversation with Jay, who’d promised to video call him back after hanging up, as “someone else was ringing him”.
Showing emotion as he recalled Jay’s “zest for life”, Brad shared that Jay hadn’t initially been worried about finding his way back to his friends. He revealed that he could hear Jay’s feet sliding on the rocks indicating that he had “went off the road”. He explained: “That’s how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you can… you know what I mean, stones.”
A third key witness – Ayub Qassim, who rented out the Airbnb in Masca where Jay stayed after the festival – is listed to appear at the inquest.
Despite efforts by the Metropolitan Police to find him, officers were unsuccessful, the inquest heard. However, just after noon, the coroner paused the proceedings briefly as it was reported that one of the three absent witnesses had been contacted.
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