A teacher accused of murdering his adopted son has told a jury that he never hurt or sexually abused the child. Jamie Varley's voice cracked with emotion as he gave evidence from the witness box regarding the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey in July 2023.
Varley denied taking indecent photos of the toddler as 'trophies' or 'mementos' of sexual assaults but admitted feeling 'really ashamed' and 'disappointed' at some of the images on his phone. He is alleged to have routinely sexually, physically, and emotionally abused the baby he adopted with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, Preston Crown Court has heard. Both men deny all charges.
Court Proceedings
Moments after stepping into the witness box, his barrister Nick Johnson KC began by asking: 'On July 27, 2023, did you kill Preston Davey by deliberately blocking his airway?' Varley replied, 'No, I did not.' Mr Johnson continued: 'Did you sexually assault that child in any way? Did you ever wilfully harm Preston physically or psychologically?' Varley replied: 'Absolutely not, our son has never been sexually abused. No.'
Adoption and Early Challenges
After assessment and familiarisation, Preston was adopted and began living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley at their home in Blackpool on April 1, 2023. However, it is alleged that over the next four months, he was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images taken, and was sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries found at post-mortem.
The court heard Varley, who said he has severe dyslexia, became a design and technology teacher and head of year at a local high school. He said: 'I had always thought about having kids, I wanted to be a teacher, a daddy, just never thought it was possible once I realised I was a gay man.' He described meeting his partner John as life-changing.
Varley said the early stages of adoption were an 'eye opener' and that Preston was not a good sleeper. He added: 'It was challenging in the sense it was new to us. I felt because I had more experience than John, I felt it was going to be a breeze, but it wasn't.'
Text Messages and Photos
Varley was asked to explain a text to his sister saying 'He's dead meat' after a sleepless night. He said: 'It was just language that I use. In social settings I'm dramatic. Sassy. I just easily throw words about.' He told jurors he bonded with the baby better than expected, loving him more than his dog.
Mr Johnson asked about photos of bruises on Preston, including a 'cluster' on his forehead described as a 'red flag' by an expert. Varley said the baby, learning to crawl, would often bang his head and have mishaps but denied deliberately bruising him.
A photo of Preston playing naked in a paddling pool showed a mark resembling a bite mark on his bottom. Varley denied biting him, saying: 'Absolutely not. Could not be more wrong.'
Four days before his death, photos showed Preston in his cot with his neck resting on the bar, in an apparently dangerous position. Varley said the baby often slept in funny positions and he just 'snapped away'. He denied these were trophies of a sexual encounter, adding: 'I did not even recognise at the moment, it was inappropriate. I'm disappointed. I feel really ashamed.'
Death and Charges
Four days later, on July 27, 2023, Preston was rushed to hospital after suffering a collapse and cardiac arrest, allegedly following a sexual assault by Varley. Varley told police he briefly left the child in the bath and returned to find him submerged. However, a post-mortem ruled out drowning and found multiple non-accidental injuries. The cause of death was acute upper airways obstruction by smothering or objects inserted into his mouth.
Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of child cruelty, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, 13 counts of taking indecent images, one of distributing an indecent photo, 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 sexual assault. The trial continues.
