Jay Slater's mum breaks silence on claim teen 'stole £12k Rolex watch' before going missing in Tenerife

Jay Slater's heartbroken mum Debbie Duncan has broken her silence on claims her son had 'stolen a £12,000 Rolex watch' before his disappearance in Tenerife.

The Lancashire teenager vanished on the Spanish island on June 17 while on holiday with his friends. The 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer's body was tragically found in a ravine near the village of Masca after a month-long search.

A post-mortem examination found he died of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a fall from height. Before his remains were uncovered, a number of shameless accusations circulated online about the teenager including one theory that he had 'stolen a £12,000 Rolex watch from a gangster' on a night out before he vanished.

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Rumours online suggested he had become embroiled with a drug cartel on the island. Debbie, 56, has now spoken out on these claims in an interview with The Sun.

She rubbished them as 'nonsense'. 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."

Jay attended the NRG music festival with two friends before his disappearance, and his last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the Canary Island, which was about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation. He had travelled to an Airbnb in Masca after a night out but the two men said to have rented the property were later ruled 'not relevant' to the case.

The Spanish Civil Guard said Mr Slater