Brit hiker ‘rescued’ by Jay Slater search team insists he DIDN’T need saving amid chaotic hunt for missing teen
A BRITISH hiker found by cops searching for Jay Slater in Tenerife has insisted he “did not need rescuing”.
David Larkin, 51, was picked up by search crews scouring a desolate park close to where the teen was last seen.
Local cops boasted how they saved a “tired and disorientated” David from the mountainous terrain on Friday while looking for Jay.
But David – who calls himself an “experienced” hiker – has rubbished their side of the story and said he knew what he was doing.
David, who lives in Scotland, told The Mail: “I can tell you now; I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t disoriented, and I didn’t need rescuing.
“I think there was a lot lost in translation when they saw him and I explained to them I had water, I was wearing layers, I had my rucksack with food and I’m an experienced hiker.
“I think they want to show how good they are, but I certainly didn’t saving. I feel so sorry for the boy’s family and hope he’s found soon.”
David, originally from Northern Ireland, said he felt “embarrassed” as he knows the trails well and did not need help.
He arrived on the island earlier this month and has been staying at a remote one-bedroom hut on the edge of a cliff.
David added: “I went into the canyon and I saw the helicopters looking and thought they were looking for the lad but I didn’t for one minute think they would end up picking me up.
“I don’t want to appear ungrateful, and I thanked them for their concern but I was fine.”
Cops had claimed David went into a “difficult” area that not “suitable for travel” on Friday.
After he failed to return to the start point after several hours, locals alerted teams already combing the area for Jay.
Police claimed: “Tired and disoriented, he was located by the agents and the rescue team who helped him get out of the ravine.”
Drones, sniffers dogs and helicopters have been searching the Rural de Teno National Park and its surroundings in northern Tenerife since Jay vanished more than a week ago.
Much of the hunt has been focussed on the unforgiving 2,000ft “badlands” Masca ravine.
It comes as…
- Brit cops have not questioned Jay’s mystery pals
- Vile trolls share fake death posts on social media
- Cops hunting for Jay rescue lost Brit hiker in area teen vanished
- Jay’s mum slams trolls questioning what £33k GoFundMe will be used for
- Teen’s family share CCTV image they believe could be Jay
- Footage obtained by The Sun shows Jay appearing to stagger back to his feet at a club
- Owner of Airbnb where Jay stayed saw him “walking fast” up a dangerous ravine
- Brit cops offered to fly out and help but Spanish officials said no
- Jay’s mum slammed the Tenerife police investigation
- The missing teen’s dad and brother visited the search site
It is where his phone last pinged a nearby cell tower at 8.50am on June 17.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, from Lancashire, headed to Masca with two British men at the end of a three-day rave he flew to Tenerife to attend.
Jay stayed at their rented Airbnb for a couple of hours before trying to make his way back to his holiday accommodation.
He had made a final frantic call to friend Lucy Law last Monday morning.
Jay told his pal he was lost in the middle of nowhere with no water and had just one per cent battery on his phone.
It comes as today – nine days into the hunt for Jay – Tenerife cops drafted in reinforcements with specialist sniffer dog teams.
Search dog units trained specially to comb large areas are being flown in from Madrid some 1,300 miles away.
Officers had already been using dogs to comb the “immense” search area around the barren area where Jay was last seen.
But search cops say the new dogs are much better trained to handle the vast landscape
Cops also released new footage of today’s search operation which included the dogs brought in at work on the mountainous terrain.
Meanwhile, The Sun today revealed Brit cops still have not quizzed two mystery pals Jay went home with before he vanished last week.
The holidaymakers were quizzed by local cops at the small cottage before they travelled back to Luton Airport.
Both men are said to hail from Luton, Bedfordshire. One has the nickname ‘Johnny Vegas’.
Cops in the UK revealed they have no intention of speaking with the men, despite growing concerns over Jay.
Lancashire Constabulary, whose offer of assistance was refused by local cops, said it will not pursue the tourists.
Bedfordshire Police, which looks after Luton Airport, will not seek to speak with the men, alongside London’s Met.
Timeline of Jay Slater’s disappearance
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
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
Jay’s machete victim backs search for missing teen
Cops in Tenerife draft in reinforcements from Madrid including specialist sniffer dogs