MISSING Jay Slater was ambushed by a gang and beaten up when he was just 12 years old.
The apprentice bricklayer, now 19, was left “shaken up” and with a “massive lump” on his head after being ambushed by three men.
Jay, Lancashire, and a friend were out together in the town of Oswaldtwistle in November 2017 when they were attacked by three Asian men.
The trio jumped out of a car and beat the youngsters up before a passerby intervened.
Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan said her son was “absolutely terrified” after the assault.
She told LancsLive: “He was absolutely terrified when he came home, he was really shook up and had a massive lump on his head.
“He said they were kicking them when they were on the ground.”
Jay managed to hide under a car before his attackers, understood to have been in their 20s, left – prompting Debbie to initially fear he had been taken.
She added: “They rang me to say Jay had been attacked and they think they’ve taken him in a car.
“I was hysterical on the end of the phone.
“People are saying there are gangs of youths in Oswaldtwistle, but I know Jay wasn’t involved in that. He had only been out of the house for about half an hour.”
Four years later in 2021, Jay was part of an eight-strong gang who attacked Tom Hilton with a machete, golf clubs and an axe.
Tom, then 17, was left with his skull exposed and wounds to his shoulders and legs.
Jay was handed an 18-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work.
But despite his ordeal, Tom has backed the search for Jay and slammed online trolls.
It comes as worried Debbie said she is withdrawing some of the £36,000 worth of donations raised amid the hunt for her son.
She said the cash will be used to fly out the “loved ones” of the “wonderful people” who are with her in Tenerife.
It comes as…
After going to a rave that finished in the early hours of June 17, Jay headed to Masca with two British men he had met that night.
He shared a final Snapchat from their Airbnb of a hand holding a cigarette at 7.30am.
Jay then tried to make his way back to his holiday accommodation – an 11 hour walk away.
But at around 8.50am he made a final frantic call to friend Lucy, telling her he was lost in the “middle of nowhere” with no water and had just one per cent battery on his phone.
It sparked a mammoth search operation involving helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs that has so far drawn blanks.
Rescue crews have been focusing their efforts on the 2,000ft Masca ravine in the north, where his phone last pinged a nearby cell tower.
Earlier this week, cops in Tenerife drafted in reinforcements from Madrid – including specialist sniffer dogs adept at searching vast areas.
Despite an apparent lack of progress in finding Jay, his mum has praised investigators and called on the public to pray for her son.
She told Sky News: “I have every faith in them down on the ground and the amazing searches they are carrying out along with more amazing guys up there.
“As a family we are in a living nightmare. We have no further updates other than Jay is still missing and we are just ignoring the social media side of things.”
Debbie was referring to warped conspiracy theorists and trolls plaguing social media with vile posts.
Mindless wannabe sleuths have also taken it upon themselves to attempt to investigate Jay’s disappearance.
Sat behind their computers 2,000 miles away in the UK, internet trolls are peddling wild conspiracy theories and baseless claims.
Many are using Google maps to scour the desolate Rural de Teno park to hunt for clues before plastering their wild thoughts over social media.
Thousands of keyboard bashers have joined pathetic Facebook groups, including one called Jay Slater Discussions and Theories.
Within the publicly visible groups are dozens of cruel, senseless posts spewing completely unfounded claims and vile comments.
Most are posted anonymously or by trolls using spurious names.
Warped memes about Jay’s disappearance have also been shared within the groups.
Far-fetched theories suggest Jay could have been kidnapped after crossing “Moroccan drugs gangs” or that the mafia is behind his disappearance.
Jay’s pal Megan Blair called out trolls and warned them to stop spreading ridiculous claims.
She said: “Can everyone stop believing everything they see on TikTok, the stories aren’t true and just things people are making up.
“I honestly think it’s disgusting, there are people going live with the caption “finding Jay”.
“If you are helping to find Jay then do it without using him as a way to gain followers.
“He isn’t just a pawn in your way to get fame. This is somebody’s son and friend and there are people who are genuinely worried.”
SUNDAY JUNE 16 – MONDAY 17
Jay goes to a rave at the 2024 NRG music festival in Tenerife, around Arona on the south of the island
8.35pm – Jay posts a smiling Snapchat video of him laughing with friends
He leaves the rave with two men he met that day and is driven back to their accommodation across the island
MONDAY 17
7.30am – Jay posts a Snapchat of a hand holding a cigarette in the area where the accommodation was – near the rural de Teno Park on the north of the island
8.30am – Jay calls his friend Lucy Law and tells her he missed a bus, had one per cent of battery left on his phone and was stuck in the “middle of nowhere”
9am – A missing persons report is filed and the search for Jay begins
TUESDAY 18
2am – Police knock on the door of Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan’s home and tell her to catch the first flight out to Tenerife
7am – She flies out from Manchester Airport alongside her son Zak to help with the search
Debbie is sent a Snapchat message saying “Kiss goodbye to your boy, you’re never going to see him again, he owes me a lot of money.”
WEDNESDAY 19
12.30pm – Police move the search to the south of the island briefly after a false sighting
Cops search his hotel room for clues as his mum says there was “nothing untoward there”
Debbie gives a heart-wrenching interview where she shares fears he has been “taken” and says “I just want my baby back”
THURSDAY 20
Cops begin day four of the massive search for Jay
FRIDAY 21
Lancashire cops offer to help with the search but Tenerife authorities say they are “satisfied that they have the resources they need”
Search turns to 22,000ft ravine in Masca – part of an area dubbed “the badlands” by locals
SATURDAY 22
The sixth day of the search begins with sniffer dogs, cops, mountain rescue and firefighters again taking to the hills in northern Tenerife
Possible new sighting of Jay places him near a church with two men at 6pm on Monday – although unconfirmed by police
Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak visit the search site in Tenerife
SUNDAY 23
Cops focus their search around small outbuildings in de Teno park near where Jay’s phone last pinged
Jay’s mum Debbie says trolls are comparing her to Karen Matthews
The GoFundMe set up by Jay’s friend Lucy surpasses £30,000 after just three days
Exclusive Sun footage shows Jay appearing to fall and stumble back up at a rave before he vanished
MONDAY 24
Search for Jay enters eighth day
Police expand search area north to parts of Buenavista del Norte
Jay’s dad says his family are in ‘a living hell’
TUESDAY 25
Brit hiker found by Jay search teams says he ‘didn’t need to be saved’
Madeleine McCann cop lands in Tenerife to join search
Tenerife cops call in reinforcements from Madrid – including specialist sniffer dogs
WEDNESDAY 26
Locals claim they have spotted Jay watching Euros
Investigator reveals descriptions of two men Jay partied with
Cops scour exact spot where ‘mystery grainy figure’ was seen
