Preston Davey: Teacher accused of sexual abuse and murder of adopted baby denies making up ‘drowning’ story

A teacher accused of sexually abusing and murdering an adopted baby has denied making up a story about the child drowning in the bath.

Jamie Varley, 37, left the boy, whom he named Elijah, in the bathroom for just a few minutes but returned to find him underwater, a jury at Preston Crown Court heard.

Varley was questioned about the day Preston Davey died, aged 13 months, after he and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, took him to hospital.

A Home Office pathologist later ruled out strangulation.

The pathologist found the child suffered 40 traumatic injuries, which jurors were told were consistent with sexual and physical abuse.

Both men deny all charges.

Nick Johnson KC, defending Varley, concluded his questions by asking the defendant: “Mr Varley, what do you think now about the death of Preston Elijah?”

Varley replied: “I feel like we haven’t been given time to grieve. I feel like we’re still searching for our answers.”

“I think our pathologist, Professor Jack Crane, was closer to what I experienced that day.

“I know that their claims, their views, their perspectives are 100 percent false, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I’m lost for words.”

Mr Johnson said: “What would you say if we were told that the bathhouse incident was a complete fabrication?” he said.

Varley replied: “It’s not like that. There’s no point in making things up like that.”

Described as a happy, healthy and “baby” baby, Preston was adopted on April 1, 2023 and began living with the defendants at their home in Blackpool.

But on July 27, four months after his death, it is alleged that he was routinely mistreated, indecently photographed and videotaped, sexually harassed and physically assaulted.

Varley, who was taking parental leave from her job as class president at a local high school, said that on the afternoon of the day Preston died, her child wasn’t taking his usual nap, so she tucked him into her own bed and rocked him.

After waking up, she realized Preston was not well.

“What have you done?” Mr Johnson asked.

Varley responded: “I opened Snapchat and filmed him having what I believe was a seizure.”

The defendant said it was similar to previous seizures and filmed it so he could show medical staff the symptoms and did not think Preston needed medical attention at the time.

Later, while calming the recovering Preston, he said he browsed his phone, discussed selling a canoe online, looked at social media and checked his emails.

Then there were two phone “activity gaps” lasting about half an hour.

Varley said she gave the baby a bath, the water was about two inches deep, and she sat the child in the bath seat while she went into the shower stall next to her.

She said that after a quick shower, she left the bathroom to get a towel and clothes, but when she returned a minute or two later, Preston had risen from his seat and was in the water.

Varley said: “When I got into the bathroom my legs felt like jelly. I picked him up as quickly as I could and he was out of breath.”

The defendant said that he initially saw this as a “stupid rapprochement”, but then the child started vomiting very violently and his condition worsened.

Varley told the court that he put his fingers in the child’s mouth because he thought he might be choking, and said, “That’s when the panic started to take effect.”

Meanwhile, McGowan-Fazakerley returned home from work and Preston lost consciousness, so they took him to hospital, Varley said.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the baby for an hour, but they told Varley they could not save his life.

Varley continued: “I remember running through them through the corridors to see Preston.

“I remember seeing a cross in the hospital at one point, I remember grabbing that cross and asking God not to take it away.

“I believe it was my fault for leaving the bathroom.

“I didn’t know he wasn’t drowning at that point.”

Varley denied sexually or physically abusing the baby.

Previously, Dr. who conducted the autopsy examination. Alison Armor found that there were non-accidental internal and external injuries.

He stated that the cause of death was asphyxiation or acute obstruction of the upper respiratory tract due to an object or objects being inserted into the mouth.

The jury heard Preston suffered internal injuries to his deep throat, bladder and hip, as well as more than 30 bruises and a human bite mark on his right hip.

Some parts of its anatomy have been described as “abnormal”; some injuries were consistent with clinical signs of “break-in” and sexual abuse.

Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, causing grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking an indecent photograph or video of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child to other defendants and one count of taking an indecent photograph.

McGowan-Fazakerley denies authorizing the death of a child, three counts of cruelty to children and one count of sexual assault on a child.

The hearing was postponed to next Tuesday.