A teacher accused of sexually abusing and murdering his adopted baby son told detectives 'one day you guys will be in trouble' as he angrily denied the allegations, jurors heard today. Jamie Varley, 37, vowed to 'fight you to the day I die' while being questioned over the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey.
'I don't know how to prove it, but you are wrong because I haven't done it,' Varley told officers in the video interview shown to the jury at Preston Crown Court. Varley, at the time a high school teacher, is accused of Preston's murder, while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of allowing the death of the child, with both accused of sexual abuse.
During the four months Preston was under their adoption at their home in Blackpool, jurors have heard he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering dozens of injuries. Both men deny all charges.
The couple had rushed the unconscious baby from their home, after an alleged final sexual assault by Varley, to Blackpool hospital at around 6.20pm on July 27, 2023. Medics worked for nearly an hour to resuscitate the toddler but could not save him.
Varley said he had left Preston alone in the bath for three or four minutes before he returned to discover he had drowned. But in his final police interview, detectives confronted him with the post-mortem examination findings of Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour.
Jurors were shown a video of the interview, in which Varley was told Dr Armour concluded Preston had not drowned but was the victim of 'abusive trauma, non-accidental injuries and sexual abuse'. One of the detectives told him Preston 'just hasn't drowned' before adding: 'The post-mortem identified no evidence of natural disease to account for the death of baby Preston – how do you explain that?' Varley replied: 'No comment.'
Challenged about findings suggesting Preston was 'very recently' the victim of sexual abuse involving 'the forcible penetration of his anus' by a penis-shaped object, he said: 'It's bullshit.' Jurors saw him give the same answer to questions in a previous interview about 'tear' injuries to Preston's bottom.
The court heard Dr Armour concluded the cause of Preston's collapse and subsequent death to have been an upper airway obstruction, either by 'a deliberate act of smothering' or 'by inserting an object or objects into his mouth'. 'You are wrong,' Varley replied.
The officer then asked: 'Is that what you did to Preston on July 27?' 'No,' Varley replied. The officer added: 'Preston lived for one year, one month and 11 days. He was only in your care just less than four months before he was killed. There is no evidence of natural disease. I'm going to suggest you have killed Preston.'
Varley, raising his voice and clearly angry, replied: 'I have not done it. I will fight you 'til the day I die. I know you are wrong. I have not done it.' Earlier, the officer put to Varley the series of images and videos taken of Preston which were evidence of alleged cruelty or indecency.
They include one video where Preston is left alone in a bath for more than 14 minutes. Varley said he set his phone up to record and was on the landing out of sight 'to see how he reacts to his own company'. The officer asked Varley: 'How do you explain that, Jamie? He's slipped, whimpering, I would describe him as distressed. Why not go to comfort him? Have you left him in the bath because you are fed up with him?'
Varley replied: 'I was keeping an eye on him. He's not distressed. There was no intent to hurt him.' He was also asked about intimate videos and photos of the child found on his phone, prosecutors allege are indecent images. Varley told the officers they were attempts at 'capturing' his child's life.
Angrily, the defendant told officers: 'Unlike you, I don't think about his genitals 24/7. You are making a mountain out of a molehill. It's totally innocent, it's ridiculous. You have got it now as if I'm a bloody pervert. That's your job I guess.'
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 continues on Wednesday morning.
