Teacher denies sexual assault on child that led to his loss of life saying ‘he wasn’t abused’
Jamie Varley, a former high school teacher, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley are on trial accused of the murder and alleged sexual abuse of 13-month-old adopted baby Preston Davey in Blackpool
Jamie Varley, 37, assured officers “he has not been abused”(Image: X)
A teacher, under police questioning regarding the sudden death of his adopted baby, denied any abuse or sexual interest in the child, a court has been told.
Jamie Varley, 37, assured officers “he has not been abused” in a video presented to jurors at Preston Crown Court, which depicted the police interview following his arrest after the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey. In the footage, Varley is probed about worrying injuries and videos he had taken of the child.
The defendant, who was a high school teacher at the time, stands accused of the murder of the child, while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is charged with allowing the child’s death, with both facing accusations of sexual abuse.
During the four months Preston was under their adoption at their home in Blackpool, it is alleged he was regularly mistreated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, was sexually abused and physically assaulted.
Varley was interrogated by police about the numerous bruises or injuries on the child’s body, including on both arms, his legs, back, throat and bottom and 24 bruises to his head, including behind his ear.
“There’s a lot of injuries here,” the detective informs Varley, “we are not satisfied they are all accidental.” Varley responds: “I don’t believe he had that many bruises. He has not been abused. He hasn’t.”
He is also questioned about a Snapchat video taken approximately one hour and 45 minutes before he and his co-accused rushed Preston, who he had renamed Elijah, to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Varley alleges he momentarily left the child unattended in the bath and came back to find him partially submerged.
The video was recorded while Varley was home alone with Preston, and it shows the child lying on a bed struggling for breath in what officers labelled as a “distressing” video. The detective queries: “There’s some concern about the content of the video. Why did you not do anything about it?”
Varley stated he couldn’t remember filming the video and believed the child was having a seizure as he had experienced before. “He was fine in the bathtub,” Varley added. “He’s a long way from fine in that video,” the officer informs him, adding: “In my view it’s horrible.”
Varley is also informed that an initial post-mortem examination suggests the child didn’t drown in the bath and no water was found in his lungs. “Can you explain how else he might have died?” the detective enquires.
Varley said the child was “responsive” when he lifted him from the bath but that Preston was “not a well little boy”. “Was there any sexual motivation?” the detective questioned. Varley responds: “Absolutely not. No.”
The detective informs him that when Preston was adopted he was healthy with no injuries but while living with the defendants someone has caused the child’s death.
“We have not caused Elijah’s death. We would never do that,” Varley asserted. The accused had hurriedly taken the unconscious child from their home, following an alleged final sexual assault by Varley, to Blackpool hospital at around 6.20pm on July 27, 2023.
Medical staff battled for nearly an hour to revive the child until it was decided that further intervention would be in vain. Varley claimed he had left the child unattended in the bath for only three or four minutes before he returned.
Varley pleads not guilty to charges of 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 count of distributing an indecent photo of a child to his co-accused, and one count of creating an indecent photo.
McGowan-Fazakerley pleads not guilty to charges of allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child. The trial continues.
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