JAY Slater’s devastated family paid tribute to him as a “loving and popular” 19-year-old who “had the world at his feet”.
They told how Jay was devoted to his family and friends, would always dance at events and had taken his mum to see Bob Marley film One Love before his tragic disappearance.
His mum Debbie Duncan and brother Zak, 24, told how they took comfort from the hundreds who attended his funeral on August 10 to celebrate his tragically short life.
And they rounded on critics of the teenager – found dead in a mountainous area of Tenerife after a 29-day search – who have trolled the family, claimed Jay was caught up in the drugs trade and brought up a previous violent disorder conviction.
Debbie, 56, said: “Jay was just a lovely boy with a massive personality.
“Everybody just loved Jay being in his company – family, friends and work.
“He was loving and popular, always full of fun and smiling – and the main guy in the group.”
Debbie and Zak – one of Jay’s pallbearers – were seen linking arms for support as they walked his coffin to its final resting place at Accrington Crematorium, Lancs surrounded by family and friends.
And heartbroken Debbie added: “He deserved every bit of what he had at his funeral, with people paying tribute – and none of the abuse he has had.
“I am still trying to process everything, really, and it’s hard to explain how I feel.
“Jay was 19 with the world at his feet.
“He was coming back to a good job and was about to take his driving test.
“He was a normal lad.”
The anguish of Debbie and Zak – and Jay’s dad, Warren Slater, 58 – has been heightened by vicious attacks by trolls and online smears.
After apprentice bricklayer Jay went missing on June 17, wild online stories swirled including that he had stolen a £12,000 watch from a gangster or fallen foul of a drug cartel on Tenerife.
But Debbie said the claims are nothing more than callous rumours.
In her first interview since Jay’s death, Debbie told The Sun…
She said: “He would never have been involved in anything like that.
“He had only been in Tenerife three days – and was at a festival with friends which had wristbands, security and an itinerary.
“I’ve no idea where these drug stories have come from and the stuff about him stealing a watch is nonsense.
“The people saying stuff about him didn’t know Jay and they don’t know us.
“He hasn’t been here to defend himself against all these horrible stories that were going on around the world about him.
“He worked hard, and then at weekends, he loved spending time with his friends.
“But he loved being at home as well.
“He liked cooking and was always in the kitchen with me every night.
“He liked making stir-fries; usually with chicken and he’d throw all sorts in.
“He always had to buy fresh veg and fresh baby sweetcorn and fresh peppers.
“If I bought frozen rubbish, he’d say, I’m not using that.”
Grief-stricken Mum Debbie showed us trophies, pictures and mementos of Jay – including a photo and hand-print of his first day at West End Primary School in 2009 – to illustrate his normal upbringing.
Debbie Duncan got a call from cops on the island on the morning of July 15, asking her, Jay’s dad Warren and brother Zak could go to the station.
And when they got there they were told – via a translator – that police had found human remains they believed to be Jay 29 days after he disappeared on June 17.
Bravely speaking to The Sun, Debbie recalled how she broke down and didn’t want to believe the body could be her beloved 19-year-old son’s
Debbie, 56, said: “We were all sat in a little room and I just screamed.
“I don’t really remember what they were saying.
“I wanted to see him but it wasn’t possible.
“I was just in a state. They hadn’t formally identified him, then.
“They just said human remains, and we believe it could be Jay.
“They said they had his bag, his trainers, his shorts, T-shirt.
“I had to see them to be 100 per cent sure it was him – because I couldn’t process it and was in denial.
“He had been taken to the mortuary up at Santa Cruz.”
Debbie told how she, Zak and Warren made the grave journey at hour’s drive away to the mortuary.
But they were heartbreakingly urged not to see Jay’s body, which was tragically found in a ravine in north west Tenerife.
Debbie said: “We went there and we just got taken into a room and it was just a casket.
“Just a casket with a single rose. And the rose was on top, what they had put there.
“And I just broke down again and screamed and cried.”
She proudly clutched a Players’ Player of the year award from his footie team – Huncoat United in Accrington – from 2015/2016.
And Debbie also showed us a trophy Jay received from employers, PH Build, for best apprentice in 2022.
She said: “Jay was a normal lad and went to a nice primary school.
“He was just so popular from a young age – and was always playing out on the front, in the front garden, with the neighbours. He was just brilliant.
“He was kicking a football as soon as he could walk.
“He played for Huncoat United from the age of five, and went through all the teams.
“He was a left-winger.
“Jay followed Liverpool when he was younger but not as much as as he got older and started working, started his apprenticeship.
“We went to one game together – when Liverpool played at Burnley in 2018.
“We were Liverpool fans in the Burnley end.
“He loved it – he bought a scarf – half of it was Burnley, half of it was Liverpool.
“But he wouldn’t wear it – he made me wear it on the train going home.
“As he got older he was into music and DJs, like Hannah Laing. He started going to more events, following DJs and the dance scene
“It was all work hard, play hard, really.
“Then his football kind of went on a back burner because it was early Saturday morning games, and he didn’t really want to get up on a Saturday morning to play football.
“Jay was due to come home, finish his apprenticeship and take his driving test.
“He was already working on big barn conversions and properties for the building firm and his bosses loved him.”
Zak, 24, said: “Jay was the best little brother anyone could ever wish for. Always smiling, always happy, just laughing, the life and soul of the party.”
Critics of Jay and his family have circulated online stories about how he was convicted of violent disorder over an attack on Tom Hilton in 2021.
He was left with a head wound after a group of youngsters attacked him with weapons, including a golf club and axe in Rishton, Lancs.
Tom spoke out while Jay was missing – urging trolls to leave his family alone and allow them to focus on the search.
Speaking about the incident for the first time, Debbie said he was “guilty by association”.
She said: “They used to go up to woods and into this old paper mill, five minutes away.
“This one night there was an incident where there were probably a couple of hundred people there.
“A lad, who was older, got attacked by what he described as 20 kids.
“They were appealing for witnesses, and I said to Jay, I think you should go and do a statement.
“So I took him myself to Blackburn, Greenbank Police Station.
“And he gave his version of events, which was that Tom was already on the ground when he saw it and he was at the back.
THE anguish of Debbie and Zak – and Jay’s dad, Warren Slater, 58 – has been heightened by vicious attacks by trolls and online smears.
After apprentice bricklayer Jay went missing, wild online stories swirled including that he had stolen a £12,000 watch from a gangster or fallen foul of a drug cartel in Tenerife.
But Debbie said: “He would never have been involved in anything like that.
“He had only been in Tenerife three days – and was at a festival with friends which had wristbands, security and an itinerary.
“I’ve no idea where these drug stories have come from and the stuff about him stealing a watch is nonsense.
“The people saying stuff about him didn’t know Jay and they don’t know us.
“He hasn’t been here to defend himself against all these horrible stories that were going on around the world about him.
“He worked hard, and then at weekends, he loved spending time with his friends.
“But he loved being at home as well.
“He liked cooking and was always in the kitchen with me every night.
“He liked making stir-fries; usually with chicken and he’d throw all sorts in.
“He always had to buy fresh veg and fresh baby sweetcorn and fresh peppers.
“If I bought frozen rubbish, he’d say, I’m not using that.”
“I didn’t think anything of it, but the following April, a letter came through saying that Jay was being charged with violent disorder.
“Jay attended the trial and Tom stood up in court and said that he didn’t remember much about it.
“But Jay was kind of found guilty by association, and I don’t think he struck a blow or harmed Tom.
“I would just say that loads of kids get into trouble when they’re younger.
“There’s grown men – dads, granddads, who get done for violent disorder for a fight that breaks out, say, outside a football stadium most weekends.
“But because Jay’s in the limelight, they just want to say every bad thing that they can say about him.
“But they don’t know Jay and are dragging up all things that they don’t even know about.
“They don’t know his background and his upbringing with a loving family.
“He was a lovely boy and wasn’t a bad person.
“I had Snapchat so I could communicate with him.
“He had a French bulldog, Buster, and he would be sending me Snaps when he was out with the dog.”
Earlier this year, Jay took his mum to Accrington cinema to see Bob Marley film One Love.
Debbie said: “Yeah he did enjoy it – it was more because I wanted to go.
“I said, are you going to come and see it with me? He went, ‘yeah, I will do, mother.’
“He was sending Snapchats to his friends because they all knew the special bond between us.
“At the end there was an advertisement for an Amy Winehouse movie.
“He said, I suppose we’ll be going to see that, won’t we?
“I said, ‘Of course we will.’
“That’s what he was like.
“So, to all the all people out there saying horrible things about him: he wasn’t that person.
“He loved being with his family.”
