Jay Slater gang beating emerges after he was attacked by 3 mystery men who jumped him & pal from car when he was just 12

MISSING Jay Slater was ambushed by a gang and beaten up when he was just 12 years old.

The apprentice bricklayer, now 19, was left “shaken up” and with a “massive lump” on his head after being ambushed by three men.

Ian Whittaker

Jay Slater has been missing since last Monday[/caption]

Ian Whittaker

Jay pictured with mum Debbie Duncan[/caption]

Jay, Lancashire, and a friend were out together in the town of Oswaldtwistle in November 2017 when they were attacked by three Asian men.

The trio jumped out of a car and beat the youngsters up before a passerby intervened.

Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan said her son was “absolutely terrified” after the assault.

She told LancsLive: “He was absolutely terrified when he came home, he was really shook up and had a massive lump on his head.

“He said they were kicking them when they were on the ground.”

Jay managed to hide under a car before his attackers, understood to have been in their 20s, left – prompting Debbie to initially fear he had been taken.

She added: “They rang me to say Jay had been attacked and they think they’ve taken him in a car.

“I was hysterical on the end of the phone.

“People are saying there are gangs of youths in Oswaldtwistle, but I know Jay wasn’t involved in that. He had only been out of the house for about half an hour.”

Four years later in 2021, Jay was part of an eight-strong gang who attacked Tom Hilton with a machete, golf clubs and an axe.

Tom, then 17, was left with his skull exposed and wounds to his shoulders and legs.

Jay was handed an 18-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work.

But despite his ordeal, Tom has backed the search for Jay and slammed online trolls.

It comes as worried Debbie said she is withdrawing some of the £36,000 worth of donations raised amid the hunt for her son.

She said the cash will be used to fly out the “loved ones” of the “wonderful people” who are with her in Tenerife.

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It comes as…

• New pics of Jay emerge at a pool party two days before he vanished
• Cops quiz locals who ‘saw Jay watching Euros’
• Investigator reveals descriptions of two men who partied with teen
• Crews scour exact spot where mystery ‘grainy figure’ was seen
• Tenerife cops plan TV appeal as they hunt for clues
• Pals blast conspiracy theorists and TikTok sleuths
• Jay’s mum says she’s ‘barely slept’

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After going to a rave that finished in the early hours of June 17, Jay headed to Masca with two British men he had met that night.

He shared a final Snapchat from their Airbnb of a hand holding a cigarette at 7.30am.

Jay then tried to make his way back to his holiday accommodation – an 11 hour walk away.

But at around 8.50am he made a final frantic call to friend Lucy, telling her he was lost in the “middle of nowhere” with no water and had just one per cent battery on his phone.

It sparked a mammoth search operation involving helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs that has so far drawn blanks.

Rescue crews have been focusing their efforts on the 2,000ft Masca ravine in the north, where his phone last pinged a nearby cell tower.

Earlier this week, cops in Tenerife drafted in reinforcements from Madrid – including specialist sniffer dogs adept at searching vast areas.

Despite an apparent lack of progress in finding Jay, his mum has praised investigators and called on the public to pray for her son.

She told Sky News: “I have every faith in them down on the ground and the amazing searches they are carrying out along with more amazing guys up there.

“As a family we are in a living nightmare. We have no further updates other than Jay is still missing and we are just ignoring the social media side of things.”

Facebook

New pics show Jay at a pool party in Tenerife two days before he vanished[/caption]

Ian Whittaker

Missing person posters have been put up in Tenerife[/caption]

Reuters

Investigators are using drones to aid their search[/caption]

Debbie was referring to warped conspiracy theorists and trolls plaguing social media with vile posts.

Mindless wannabe sleuths have also taken it upon themselves to attempt to investigate Jay’s disappearance.

Sat behind their computers 2,000 miles away in the UK, internet trolls are peddling wild conspiracy theories and baseless claims.

Many are using Google maps to scour the desolate Rural de Teno park to hunt for clues before plastering their wild thoughts over social media.

Thousands of keyboard bashers have joined pathetic Facebook groups, including one called Jay Slater Discussions and Theories.

Within the publicly visible groups are dozens of cruel, senseless posts spewing completely unfounded claims and vile comments.

Most are posted anonymously or by trolls using spurious names.

Warped memes about Jay’s disappearance have also been shared within the groups.

Far-fetched theories suggest Jay could have been kidnapped after crossing “Moroccan drugs gangs” or that the mafia is behind his disappearance.

Jay’s pal Megan Blair called out trolls and warned them to stop spreading ridiculous claims.

She said: “Can everyone stop believing everything they see on TikTok, the stories aren’t true and just things people are making up.

“I honestly think it’s disgusting, there are people going live with the caption “finding Jay”.

“If you are helping to find Jay then do it without using him as a way to gain followers.

“He isn’t just a pawn in your way to get fame. This is somebody’s son and friend and there are people who are genuinely worried.”

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Jay Slater was attacked by a gang when he was 12[/caption]

Debbie is in Tenerife as the search continues

Ian Whittaker

Search crews have drafted in specialist sniffer dogs[/caption]

Ian Whittaker

Cops are scouring mountainous terrain on the island[/caption]