One of the mysterious and unknown figures involved in the Jay Slater disappearance case has finally revealed his identity, as well as some of his recollection of what transpired before Jay Slater left the AirBnB where he was last seen.
Hours before the 19-year-old Brit went missing in the Masca area of Tenerife, 31-year-old Ayub Qassim had invited him back to the holiday rental where he was staying with another man, only known by the pseudonym ‘Johnny Vegas’, reports the Daily Mail.
Qassim, who has previously served nine years in prison for dealing Class A drugs, shed light on one of the key mysteries in the case – Why did Jay end up so far from his friends and where he was staying in Tenerife?
Jay accompanied the two men back to their £40-a-night AirBnB because “he had nowhere else to go”, Qassim told MailOnline. Adding to confusion over Jay’s motivation on the day he went missing, June 17, said he put the 19-year-old up after “his friends had all left him.”
Responding to questions from reporters, Qassim said: “The only comment I have to make is that Jay came to the house alive, and he left the house alive.
“I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him.”
Following questions over why Jay left with the pair, the 31-year-old said they were old acquaintances. Continuing: “I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
“I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
Now back in the UK, Qassim also said that the he had left on good terms with the apprentice bricklayer. Jay is thought to have left the AirBnB at 7.30am to catch a bus back to his accommodation, but set-off on foot, later having a desperate phonecall with a friend as he attempted to negotiate the difficult terrain on the 11-hour walk back to his hotel.
Spanish Police have said that both Qassim and “Johnny Vegas” are not persons of interest in their ongoing investigations, which moved into a new stage on Sunday when authorities called off the official search in the rugged terrain around where Jay was last seen.
However, Jay Slater’s family have vowed to continue the search. This week, Jay’s brother and father have continued to search the cacti-filled and rubble-strewn area where the 19-year-old is thought to have gone missing for any sign of the missing teen.
