Accused Blackpool teacher Jamie Varley denies using baby as 'plaything' during Preston Davey murder trial

A teacher accused of the murder and sexual abuse of a baby boy he was trying to adopt has denied he used him as a “plaything” for his “own amusement and gratification”.

Jamie Varley, 37, of Grimsargh, is alleged to have regularly sexually, physically and emotionally abused Preston Davey, 13 months, whom he had adopted with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley.

Preston, described previously as happy, healthy and “bubbly”, 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.”

The defendant denied that later police examination of images on his phone demonstrated he had repeatedly ill-treated the child,

Mr Wright suggested that Varley recorded Preston playing with his genitals for “your own sexual gratification”.

Varley said: “You are 100% wrong. I found it to be funny. At the time I felt it was fine.”

Mr Wright put it to Varley that by July 2023 his partner also had a sexual interest in Preston.

Varley said: “John and I don’t have a sexual interest in children.”

Mr Wright said: “That little boy was the plaything of both of you, wasn’t he?”

“No,” he said.

Mr Wright said: “And you each ill-treated him, didn’t you?”

Varley said: “No we did not.”

Mr Wright said: “You were obsessed with this boy in a sexual nature, weren’t you?”

The defendant replied: “You are wrong.”

Varley denied he was “struggling to cope” with Preston, would “lose his temper” and had physically abused the boy.

He said: “I would give anything for that boy.”

Mr Wright said: “You were abusing this boy, weren’t you?”

Varley said: “No, we were not. I just know he was in a safe and loving home.

“He loved us and we loved him.”

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.