Baby ‘sexually assaulted and filmed fighting for life’ by teacher adopting him

Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of murdering Preston Davey, one, along with 25 other charges.

A baby was sexually assaulted by a teacher who then filmed him fighting for his life, a murder trial has heard. Preston Davey, 13 months, died after being taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in July 2023.

Preston Crown Court heard today that Jamie Varley, 37, was alleged to have “routinely ill-treated” Preston just weeks after adopting him. Varley was said to have taken indecent pictures and videos of the 13-month-old.

Varley is accused of killing Preston along with 25 other charges while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of causing or allowing the death of the child and four other offences. Both men deny all the charges against them, reports the Mirror.

Both accused sat in the dock just yards from Preston’s mother in the public gallery.

Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court that Varley sexually assaulted Preston on the day he died and shortly before, causing serious internal injuries. He then failed to seek medical help causing further harm.

Footage of Preston, recorded by Varley, was found on Varley’s phone which showed the child lying on a bed that day. The court heard that Preston was showing physical signs of respiratory arrest, and his lips were blue.

The prosecution say Varley just carried on recording and did not attempt to help Preston.

Preston’s short life had “more than its share of misfortune”, the court was told. He had been a “perfectly healthy boy” before he was adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley in April 2023 despite being put in emergency foster care after his birth

Following his adoption, Preston was admitted to hospital with injuries three times in just under four months before he died on July 27.

Mr Wright told the jury: “This is inevitably a highly emotionally charged case. It’s a terrible case because it involves the death of a very, very young child. It is inevitable that it will provoke strong feelings in anyone who hears the details of this case.”

Preston was born on June 16, 2022 before he was placed with the defendants for them to adopt in April 2023, living at their home on Staining Road, Blackpool.

Mr Wright told the court that Preston was taken to A&E at Blackpool Victoria Hospital at around 6.30pm on July 27 by the defendants. He was unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest.

Despite the best efforts of doctors, Preston was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Preston had died as a result of an acute upper airways obstruction which was caused by smothering most likely with a hand or soft fabric or by the insertion of an object or objects into his mouth.

Mr Wright said: “As terrible as it is, this tragedy was not the result of some dreadful yet unforeseen accident, or natural phenomenon. The evidence gathered during the investigation into his untimely death revealed a much more sinister pathology.

“We say the evidence demonstrates that he was murdered by one of the people entrusted with his wellbeing; one of his proposed adoptive parents.

“We say the person responsible for killing Preston Davey was the defendant, Jamie Varley. But that was not the only tragedy to befall him when in the care of these defendants.

“In the final months of his brief life, we say he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted.”

Preston had sustained around 40 injuries over the course of the four months he had been in the defendant’s care according to the post-mortem. These included 30 external bruises, a fracture to his upper left arm and internal bruising to his mouth, throat and other parts of his body.

Mr Wright said that Varley was mostly responsible for Preston’s injuries but evidence recovered by detectives implicates both men in sexual assault.

On the day he died at the time of or shortly before the final fatal assault, Varley had sexually assaulted the baby causing internal injuries, while home alone with the child and his co-accused out at work, it was alleged.

After Varley’s arrest and the seizure of his mobile phone, the footage was found that he had recorded earlier that day of the little boy lying on a bed with physical and obvious signs of respiratory arrest, but the defendant did not attempt recovery or seek medical help.

It was only later that both defendants took Preston to hospital, by which time it was too late to save him. While McGowan-Fazakerley was out at work when Varley fatally assaulted him, he had joint responsibility for caring for the child, had daily contact and should have been aware of what was going on and protected the youngster.

But not only was he aware of the abuse, he participated in it, Mr Wright said. The prosecutor warned jurors to “steel themselves” as images of the child were shown on screen, the prosecution said, after he had been sexually assaulted.

Varley had also taken a number of images and videos of the abuse, but these were not “happy snaps of family life” – but indecent images, the jury was told. The defendants appeared to be a happy, stable couple, but that was far from the truth, Mr Wright said.

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 denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday morning.

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