Jay Slater 'admitted to pals he stole £12,000 Rolex watch and was trying to sell it' just hours before teenager went missing after he left remote Airbnb cottage

Jay Slater 'admitted to pals he stole £12,000 Rolex watch and was trying to sell it' just hours before teenager went missing after he left remote Airbnb cottage

Jay Slater admitted to his friends that he stole a £12,000 watch and was trying to sell it - just hours before the British teenager went missing after leaving a remote Airbnb cottage, an investigator has claimed. 

Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who probed the disappearance of Nicola Bulley, said the 19-year-old did not want to return to the holiday let near the Rural de Teno park in Masca, northwest Tenerife, despite having little phone battery. Apprentice bricklayer Jay, who had been partying on the final night of the three-day NRG festival in Tenerife's Playa de las Americas resort, travelled north to the Casa Abuela Tina Airbnb with two British men in the early hours of June 17. 

During the hour-long journey, Mr Williams-Thomas claims Jay posted a Snapchat saying he had taken a Rolex worth £12,000 from an unknown person.

Jay Slater admitted to his friends that he stole a £12,000 Rolex watch and was trying to sell it just hours before the British teenager went missing, a former detective investigating his disappearance has claimed.

Mark Williams-Thomas has spoken to friends of Jay's who say the 19-year-old sent them a Snapchat admitted to taking the luxury timepiece while in a Seat Leon hire car rented by the two British men whose Airbnb cottage he went back to.

Apprentice bricklayer Jay, who had been partying on the final night of the three-day NRG festival in Tenerife's Playa de las Americas resort, travelled north to the Casa Abuela Tina Airbnb with the two men in the early hours of June 17.

It comes as MailOnline today revealed one of those men, who used the name Ayub Abdul to book the £40-a-night holiday rental online. 

During the hour-long journey, Mr Williams-Thomas claims Jay posted a Snapchat saying he had taken a Rolex worth £12,000 from an unknown person. MailOnline has approached Jay's family about the claims.

Police previously said they were investigating a scuffle outside Papagayo Beach Club, where Jay was seen partying the night he went missing.

It is believed a fight - involving an Eastern European man who reportedly had his valuable Rolex stolen - broke out after the venue had closed.

One of Jay's friends, who had travelled to Tenerife to help in the search told detectives the alleged incident could have led to his disappearance.

Mr Williams-Thomas said he was 'unable to validate' Jay's claim on Snapchat 'in terms of reported theft'.

 He added: 'However friends of Jay said he would not make this up and the watch was subject of later conversation between the friends.'

Update: With so much speculation and inaccurate information and reporting - here is an update on our investigation into Jay Slater’s disappearance. Please listen carefully to my overview. We have had full access to witnesses and our investigation is evidence based and remains… pic.twitter.com/RuF47DIvTi

— Mark Williams-Thomas (@mwilliamsthomas) July 3, 2024