A BRITISH walking police officer claimed he rescued him while searching for Jay Slater in Tenerife and insisted he did not need saving.
David Larkin, 51, was detained by search teams searching a deserted park near where the teenager was last seen.
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Local police officers bragged about how they saved a “tired and disoriented” David from the mountainous terrain on Friday while searching for Jay.
But David – who calls himself an “experienced” hiker – dismissed their version of the story and said he knew what he was doing.
David, who lives in Scotland, said The mail: “I can tell you now; I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t disoriented, and I didn’t need rescuing.
“I think a lot got lost in translation when they saw him and I explained that I had water, I was wearing layers, I had my backpack with food and I was an experienced hiker.
“I think they want to show how good they are, but I certainly didn’t hold back.
“I’m sorry for the boy’s family and I hope he is found soon.”
David, originally from Northern Ireland, said he felt “embarrassed” as he knows the trails well and doesn’t need help.
He arrived on the island earlier this month and is staying in a remote one-bedroom cabin on the edge of a cliff.
David added: “I went into the canyon and saw the helicopters looking and I thought they were looking for the lad, but I didn’t think for a minute that they would end up catching me.
“I don’t want to seem ungrateful and I appreciated their concern, but I was fine.”
Police claimed David entered a “difficult” area that was not “suitable for travel” on Friday.
After he failed to return to his starting point after several hours, residents alerted teams who were already searching the area for Jay.
The police stated: “Tired and disoriented, he was located by agents and the rescue team who helped him get out of the ravine.”
Drones, sniffer dogs and helicopters have been scouring Teno National Rural Park and its surrounding area in northern Tenerife since Jay disappeared more than a week ago.
Much of the hunting was concentrated in the unforgiving 2,000-foot Masca ravine.
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That’s where his phone last signaled a nearby cell tower at 8:50 a.m. on June 17.
Apprentice bricklayer Jay, from Lancashire, headed to Masca with two Brits at the end of a three-day rave he flew to Tenerife to attend.
Jay stayed in the rented Airbnb for a few hours before trying to return to his vacation accommodation.
He had made one last frantic call to friend Lucy Law last Monday morning.
Jay told his friend that he was lost in the middle of nowhere, with no water and that he only had 1% battery on his phone.
It turns out like today – nine days after the hunt for Jay began – Tenerife police recruited as reinforcements with specialist teams of sniffer dogs.
Units of search dogs specially trained to search large areas are being sent from Madrid, around 2,100 kilometers away.
Officers were already using dogs to comb the “huge” search area around the arid area where Jay was last seen.
But search officers say the new dogs are much better trained to deal with the vast landscape.
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Police also released new images from today’s search operation, which included the dogs brought in to work in the mountainous terrain.
Meanwhile, The Sun revealed today that British cops are yet to question two mystery friends Jay went home with before he disappeared last week.
The tourists were questioned by local police officers in the small cabin before returning to Luton Airport.
Both men are said to be from Luton, Bedfordshire. One of them has the nickname ‘Johnny Vegas’.
Police officers in the UK have revealed they have no intention of speaking to the men, despite growing concerns about Jay.
Lancashire Constabulary, whose offer of assistance was refused by local police, said it will not pursue tourists.
Bedfordshire Police, which runs Luton Airport, will not attempt to speak to the men, along with the London Met.
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Timeline of Jay Slater’s Disappearance
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
SUNDAY, JUNE 16 – MONDAY, 17
Jay goes to a rave at the NRG 2024 music festival in Tenerife, near Arona in 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 taken back to his accommodations on the other side of the island.
MONDAY 17
7:30 am – Jay posts a Snapchat of a hand holding a cigarette in the area where the accommodation was located – near the Teno rural park, in the north of the island
8:30 am – Jay calls his friend Lucy Law and says he missed a bus, still had one percent battery left on his phone and got stuck in the “middle of nowhere”
9am – A missing persons report is filed and the search for Jay begins
TUESDAY 18
2am – The police knock on the door of Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan’s house and tell her to catch the first flight to Tenerife
7am – She leaves Manchester airport alongside her son Zak to help with the search
Debbie receives a Snapchat message saying “Kiss your boy goodbye, you’ll never see him again, he owes me a lot of money.”
WEDNESDAY 19
12:30 pm – Police briefly move the search to the south of the island after a false sighting
Cops search his hotel room for clues as his mother says “there was nothing untoward there”
Debbie gives a moving interview where she shares her fear that he was “taken” and says “I just want my baby back”
THURSDAY 20
Police begin fourth day of massive search for Jay
FRIDAY THE 21ST
Lancashire Police offer to help with the search, but Tenerife authorities say they are “pleased to have the resources they need”
The search turns to a 22,000-foot ravine in Masca – part of an area nicknamed the “badlands” by locals
SATURDAY 22
Day six of the search begins with sniffer dogs, police, mountain rescue and firefighters again heading to the hills of northern Tenerife
Possible new sighting of Jay puts him near a church with two men at 6pm on Monday – although not confirmed by police
Jay’s father Warren and brother Zak visit the search site in Tenerife
SUNDAY 23
Officers focus their search on small outbuildings in Teno Park, near where Jay’s phone last rang.
Jay’s mom Debbie says trolls are comparing her to Karen Matthews
GoFundMe set up by Jay’s friend Lucy surpasses £30,000 after just three days
Exclusive Sun footage shows Jay appearing to fall and trip at a rave before disappearing
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 is in ‘hell’
TUESDAY 25
Jay’s machete victim supports search for missing teenager
Police in Tenerife recruit reinforcements from Madrid, including specialized sniffer dogs
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
