Spanish authorities are delving into the past of missing British tourist Jay Slater to determine if his criminal past is "relevant" to his sudden disappearance.
Slater, a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire, disappeared last Monday after attending a three-day rave in Tenerife.
Local detectives are now examining whether Jay's criminal history might be connected to his disappearance, following revelations from the Spanish press that he was previously involved in a violent attack, according to Mail Online.
Slater was part of an eight-member gang that attacked Tom Hilton in 2021, resulting in severe injuries that left Hilton fighting for his life. The brutal assault saw Hilton's skull fractured and his shoulders and legs wounded after being beaten with a machete, golf clubs and an axe.
During the trial, Hilton described the gang as a "pack of wolves," recounting how he had to flee for his life through nearby woods before being caught and assaulted.
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Judge Philip Parry, who sentenced Slater and his accomplices for the attack, criticised their lack of remorse and emphasised the severity of their actions. Slater received an 18-month community order with 25 days rehabilitation activities and 150 hours unpaid work for violent disorder, completed shortly before his trip to Tenerife.
Reports from the Spanish newspaper El Dia have highlighted Slater's past, suggesting it could be significant in the investigation. The troubling details of Slater's criminal past have circulated on social media, with some speculating that his disappearance is linked to his previous activities.
However, Hilton, the victim of the attack wrote in a Facebook message: "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."
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Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, is anxiously waiting for news, fearing her son might not return alive. The timeline of events leading to her son's disappearance is critical.
On Sunday, June 16, Slater and friends were at the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife. By early Monday, he was seen heading to an Airbnb with two men, sharing a photo on Snapchat hours later from Parque Rural de Teno.
The 19-year-old was last heard from at 8:50 AM on Monday when he called his friend, Lucy Mae Law, saying he was lost in the mountains. After leaving the festival afterparty around 5 AM, he sent pictures of a rural farmhouse in Masca and mentioned an 11-hour walk to catch a bus.
Despite extensive searches using drones, dogs, and a helicopter, there has been no sign of Slater. His mother Debbie flew to Tenerife, and local search efforts have intensified but yielded no results.
Adding to the family's distress, Slater's mother received a threatening Snapchat message suggesting he owed money to dangerous individuals. Despite these theories, Debbie maintains that her son’s past is irrelevant to his current situation, and has urged anyone with information leading to her son to reach out.
The two men who accompanied Slater to the Airbnb have been questioned but have since returned to the UK. Lucy Law, who organized a GoFundMe campaign for Slater, was also questioned by police but is not implicated in his disappearance.
Express.co.uk has contacted Spanish police for comment.
When asked about Jay Slater's case, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office simply said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities."