An adopted baby boy who died aged 13 months was not a “plaything”, a teacher has told a murder trial in Lancashire. Jamie Varley, 37, is alleged to have regularly sexually , physically and emotionally abused Preston Davey, 13 months, whom he had adopted with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley. Baby Preston had been described previously as happy, healthy and “bubbly” before he began living with the defendants at their home in Blackpool, Lancashire, on April 1, 2023, Preston Crown Court has heard. But the Crown
say that in the next four months before his death on July 27 he was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, and was sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries found at a post-mortem examination. In cross-examination on Wednesday, prosecutor Peter Wright KC said to Varley: “This little boy was your plaything, wasn’t he?” Varley replied: “You are wrong.” Mr Wright said: “And you routinely abused him.” Varley repeated: “You are wrong.” Mr Wright said: “For your own amusement
and gratification.” “Incorrect,” said Varley. The prosecutor went on: “All of this in a space of less than four months. It went from him coming into your home and leaving it dead, didn’t it?” The defendant said: “He did pass away in our care, yes.” Preston was taken to hospital having suffered a collapse and cardiac arrest , allegedly after a sexual assault by Varley. Varley told police he had briefly left the child in the bath and when he returned he was off his
bath seat and submerged. But a post-mortem examination ruled out drowning and found multiple non-accidental, internal and external injuries. The cause of Preston’s death was found to be acute upper airways obstruction by either smothering or an object or objects inserted into his mouth. Parts of his anatomy were described as “abnormal”, with some injuries consistent with “forcible penetration” and clinical signs of sexual abuse. Varley said he had never sexually assaulted Preston and he denied Mr Wright’s suggestion that he had blocked Preston’s airways
more than once. Mr Wright said: “And on the day he died such was the obstruction of his upper airways, caused by you, that he perished. You killed him.” Varley said: “I have not.” He then accused the defendant of giving a “wholly false account” about finding him in the bath and fearing he had drowned. Mr Wright said: “I am going to suggest this is all rehearsed. It is all made up by you to conceal what you really did.” Varley said: “That’s incorrect.”
The prosecutor said: “You thought you would be able to cover it up as a drowning.” Varley said: “I would be more intelligent, sir, if that was the case. I genuinely thought he had drowned.” In suggesting to Varley there were numerous inconsistencies in the accounts he gave at the hospital and to police, Mr Wright said: “You have been making it up from the start to the end, haven’t you?” Varley said: “I would say it was a very traumatic day, sir. It was
the worst day of our lives. “I could hardly speak that day. I was all over.” Mr Wright said: “I am going to suggest that when you got to the hospital, your apparent state of distress was a complete charade.” Varley replied: “That’s not true.” Mr Wright said: “And your inability then to be able to settle and answer questions was because you were working overtime to come up with an explanation for what you had done to him?” “That is not true,” said Varley.
Mr Wright said: “Buying time to try to think of a way out.” Varley said: “That’s not correct.” Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of
child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child. Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here .
Preston Davey, Jamie Varley, John McGowan-Fazakerley, Preston Crown Court, Blackpool, Lancashire murder trial, adopted baby, plaything, acute upper airways obstruction, indecent images, sexual abuse, cruelty to a child