A teacher accused of murdering a baby he was adopting has described how he grabbed a cross from a hospital windowsill and 'begged the Lord not to take him' upon learning of the infant's death.
Courtroom Testimony
Jamie Varley, 37, told Preston Crown Court that medical staff initially said 13-month-old Preston Davey had been placed on a ventilator, but within minutes they returned to inform the family that the baby had passed away.
Varley said he ran from the relatives' room at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and down a corridor in search of the infant. 'I remember seeing a cross on the windowsill. I remember grabbing that cross, asking the Lord not to take him, begging him,' he testified.
Police bodycam footage captured Varley repeatedly saying at the hospital that the death was 'my fault'.
Prosecution's Allegations
The prosecution alleges that Preston died after his airways were blocked during a serious sexual assault on the afternoon of July 27, 2023. However, Varley maintains that the baby drowned after falling from his bathchair into the water while Varley was showering and then left the room to get dressed.
Varley, who was home alone at the time while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley was returning from work, stated: 'I believed it was my fault through walking out of the bathroom. I felt it was my fault, I caused it.'
Defendant's Emotional Response
Asked by his barrister, Nicholas Johnson K.C., how he now feels about Preston's death, the secondary school head of year said: 'I feel we've not been given time to grieve. I feel we're still looking for our answers. I know their (the prosecution's) accusations and view is wrong. It couldn't be further from the truth.'
Breaking down, Varley paused and added: 'I'm lost for words.'
Medical Evidence
The prosecution has stated that an autopsy showed no evidence of drowning, but rather that Preston died from being 'smothered' and also suffered serious internal injuries.
Mr Johnson asked Varley: 'What would you say to the suggestion the bath event is made up?' Varley replied: 'Absolutely not. It's ridiculous that conclusion would be drawn. There'd be no reason to make such things up.'
Timeline of Events
The court heard Varley's account of July 27, 2023, the day Preston died. Preston was taken to his mother Karen Graham's house while Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley met with a mortgage adviser. Varley then collected Preston, who had been repeatedly vomiting throughout the day.
'He threw up all down my mum and down myself,' Varley said. After his mother cleaned up, Varley took Preston back to the home he shared with McGowan-Fazakerley in Blackpool.
Arriving home around 3pm, Varley initially placed Preston on a playmat while preparing a bottle of formula milk. He also cleaned up after the couple's dog, which had been left alone for several hours. Varley noted that 'fifteen towels' had been put down due to recently installed new flooring.
Preston struggled to sleep, so Varley put him on the couple's bed, where Varley also sat using his mobile phone. At one point, he played a three-minute song to 'relax' Preston.
Activity Gaps
Mr Johnson asked Varley to explain the first of three 'activity gaps' when he was not on his phone – lasting seven minutes and 51 seconds, shortly after 4:30pm. The barrister asked: 'Did you abuse, physically or sexually, Preston during those seven minutes?' Varley replied 'no', explaining that he 'nodded off' and was woken when the dog licked his face. 'I noticed Preston having a seizure on the bed when I woke up,' he said.
Varley stated it 'felt like less than a minute' and he took a SnapChat video of the poorly baby to send to a friend for advice. Earlier, a paediatrician told the court that Preston appeared in a 'critical' condition in the video and needed resuscitation. But Varley said: 'If I felt he was going to deteriorate, there would have been no question in my mind, I would have taken him to hospital.'
At about 4:50pm, Varley exchanged messages with his partner about a kayak sale before going on SnapChat again at 5:03pm. There were two further 'activity gaps' totalling almost half an hour, with only brief activity on an email app at 5:17pm. Varley claimed he 'sang Preston a couple of songs' and was 'pottering around'. 'There wasn't much distinctive that I was doing. Preston was alright, he was improving,' he said.
Bath Incident
Varley then described the incident where Preston allegedly fell from his bath chair into the water. He said he had put 2-2.5 inches of water in the bath and took a shower in an adjacent glass cubicle. After briefly going to his bedroom to put on a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, Varley returned to find Preston lying on his side in the water. 'My legs felt like jelly,' he said.
Varley 'scooped' Preston out as he 'gasped for air'. He rubbed the baby's stomach and tapped his back, after which Preston repeatedly vomited. When asked why no water was found in the bath during a later examination, Varley said he may have 'panicked' and opened the plug.
He changed Preston into a new nappy and fresh babygrow, tried to get his attention by clicking noises and moving a chandelier, but had to change the nappy again as Preston 'threw up'. Varley said he put Preston on the floor, and 'there was so much sick he couldn't catch his breath'. He was 'hitting his back' to help him recover.
The dog's barking alerted Varley to McGowan-Fazakerley's return just before 6:30pm. Varley had to leave Preston to 'run downstairs' and let him in as he had left a key in the door lock. He 'screamed to John for help'. His partner wanted to call an ambulance, but Varley said it would be quicker to go by car. McGowan-Fazakerley drove as barefooted Varley attempted CPR 'three or four times'. Varley described Preston as 'very floppy' and 'really hard to hold'.
Charges
Varley, a secondary school head of year and textiles teacher, denies charges of murder, manslaughter, indecent assault, grievous bodily harm by breaking Preston's elbow, cruelty, and making and sharing indecent images. McGowan-Fazakerley, a sales rep, denies causing or allowing the death of a child, indecent assault, and cruelty.
The trial continues.
