'Why's the baby crying so much' - Trial of ex Blackpool teacher accused of murdering baby hears from neighbour

A neighbour of a couple accused over the death of a 13-month-old boy they were in the process of adopting following months of alleged abuse has told a court she had thought: “Why is the baby crying so much?”

Jasmine Nuttall said the walls were “thin” between her house and that of neighbours Jamie Varley, 32, and John McGowan-Fazakerley, 37, who had been in the process of adopting Preston Davey in April 2023.

Varley, of Chandlers Way, Grimsargh and formerly of Staining Road, Staining, is accused of the murder of the child and McGowan-Fazakerley, also of Chandlers Way, Grimsargh and formerly of Staining Road, Staining, of allowing the death of the child, with both accused of sexual abuse.

Ms Nuttall said that after the child, who the couple named Elijah, moved in next door on Staining Road, Blackpool, she would hear “raised voices” between the couple and the child crying. In a statement read to jurors at Preston Crown Court, she said: “Elijah would cry a lot and to me and my family it was an unusual amount of crying. I would often think to myself, ‘Why is the baby crying so much?’”

Ms Nuttall said at one point McGowan-Fazakerley knocked on her door to apologise. On one occasion she thought she heard him raise his voice and say “Stop it now” out of frustration, which she thought “a bit short”, jurors heard.

She described their neighbours as “an ordinary, friendly couple” and had no concerns about them, adding: “They seemed happy to have him. It seemed like a really happy little family. “The news as to what has happened to Elijah has come as a complete shock to me.”

Her father, Michael Nuttall, described Varley as being the “more confident” of the two and “full of himself” and he had heard him raise his voice to his partner but never the other way round. He added: “Preston cried a lot. In fact, I think a one-year-old shouldn’t cry as much as that. The crying was high-pitched and he did seem distressed.”

Mr Nuttall said he did not say anything to them as he did not want to be an “interfering neighbour”.

Preston was born on June 16 2022, immediately taken into care by Oldham Council, and placed with foster parents at five days old. After undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process in early 2023 he was in the process of being adopted and began living with the defendants on April 1 at their home.

Varley took a year off work as head of year and as a design and technology teacher at a local high school, South Shore Academy, to look after the child, but struggled as a new parent with a baby who frequently woke during the night, the court heard.

Preston was allegedly routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, was sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries, jurors heard. Jurors were told about the first of Preston’s three visits to Blackpool Victoria Hospital before his alleged murder, during the four months he was living with the defendants.

On May 25, Varley rushed him to the accident and emergency department at around 11.10am, the court heard. Zoe Hellowell, a paediatric sister, said: “Jamie had hold of Preston, he was frantic and held him out to me and said, ‘He is not breathing!’”

Ms Hellowell said the child was breathing, ineffectively, but was unresponsive and floppy. She also noticed two bruises on either side of his forehead. Nurse Holly Edwards referred this to hospital safeguarding which was passed on to Lancashire Police.

A medical report shown to the jury stated Preston had “unexplained injuries, inconsistent with a version of events given…” Dr Anusree Satheesh, a senior house officer at the hospital, was bleeped to the emergency in the A&E department.

He said Varley told doctors Preston had earlier had a nosebleed and the child was given oxygen to help him breathe. He said the baby was in a “postictal state”, that is, coming round after a seizure.

Registrar Dr Siaw Sii Cheng said nurses would check on hospital records whether a child is known to social services but he did not recall any safeguarding issues and Preston appeared to be clinically stable.

Dr Cheng said he did remember bruises on the child’s forehead but this was “not unusual” and he was told Preston was learning to walk and had fallen. He said Varley was “upset and crying” and was being comforted by McGowan-Fazakerley.

Dr Ghada Tahraoui in a statement said social services staff had been asked to attend the hospital but following discussion with a medic there did not appear to be any concerns. Dr Tahraoui said another doctor spoke to hospital safeguarding staff who told them the child’s bruises were not regarded as suspicious and the behaviour of the parents had been appropriate.

Two months later he was informed Preston had died. He added: “Preston had made an impression on a lot of us because he was so sweet and bubbly.”

On July 27 2023 Preston was again brought in to the hospital by the defendants, unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest, and medics could not revive him. Varley told police the child accidentally drowned in a bath, but this was inconsistent with the post-mortem examination which discovered the child had suffered 40 injuries, the court heard.

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 Friday morning.