A baby died after being 'smothered' and suffering 'non-accidental trauma and sexual abuse' by a teacher who was adopting him, a court heard today. But jurors were told that when the accusations were put to murder accused Jamie Varley in a police interview, he replied: 'Bulls***. It's a load of rubbish.'
Pathologist Dr Alison Armour found an 'acute upper airway obstruction' caused the death of Preston Davey, 'by a deliberate act of smothering with a hand or soft fabric, or by insertion of an object or objects into his mouth'. The medical expert found the 13-month-old sustained serious 'internal injuries' from being 'sexually assaulted' hours before his death.
The pathologist said there was no evidence to support the claim by murder accused Jamie Varley that Preston drowned when left alone in the bath for 'two or three minutes'. The infant was also repeatedly bruised, including suffering a slap to the thigh, Preston Crown Court was told.
Preston's lungs showed he breathed in blood both from the fateful incident and on previous occasions, while there was bruising at the back of his mouth and in his throat, jurors heard. Textiles teacher Varley, 37, incorrectly referring to the pathologist as male, said: 'He needs to lose his job and be doing something else because he's absolutely wrong.'
Police Interview
During the interview in June last year, a police officer said to Varley: 'Preston had only reached the age of one year, one month and 11 days. He was only in your care for four months before he died. There is no evidence of natural causes. Acute upper airways obstruction caused his death and he's been sexually assaulted. You've videoed him having a seizure one hour and 45 minutes before taking him to hospital. What have you done to him? I am going to suggest you have killed him.'
Varley - who had been at home alone in Blackpool, Lancashire, on the day of Preston's death while partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was at work - replied: 'You make that suggestion and I'll fight you to the day I die. One day you guys are going to be in trouble. You are absolutely wrong because I have not done it.'
Defence Claims
The defendant, a head of year in a secondary school, claimed bruising to Preston's throat may have been caused when tubes were inserted during efforts to save him at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. 'They were rough with him', he said, adding he had noticed 'two cuts' to Preston's mouth when seeing his body after death. Asked about Preston's bruising, Varley said: 'I don't believe it. If there's bruises, there's got to be another answer.'
During another police interview, Varley was confronted about images and videos of naked Preston - including of him with the baby in the bath. He likened one image to the work of renowned photographer Anne Geddes - and said he allowed Preston to play naked because it was 'natural'. Asked to explain the difference between two photographs on his phone - one with a towel around Preston and the other showing it moved to expose the infant's body - Varley replied: 'Whatever'.
Varley told the officers: 'Not like you, I don't think about genitalia 24/7. He's my son and I'm safeguard (trained). My intentions were innocent. Those pictures haven't been on the internet, they haven't been sent to strangers. You are making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm just catching him in life. It's not like there aren't 20,000 others on my phone. You are just picking the odd little one and putting them together and of course, it looks s***. You are going on as if I'm a perv and this is why I'm doing it. It's ridiculous.'
Asked why he had videoed a naked Preston on a playmat, Varley answered: 'Give over. No comment.' Varley accused the police of 'just asking questions to fit your narrative', adding: 'It's ridiculous'. The defendant claimed a video of Preston having the seizure an hour and three quarters before he was taken to hospital and died on July 27, 2023, was to 'record it' to show medical staff.
He also claimed pictures of a sleeping Preston stood leaning over the bars of his cot - at the time the baby was allegedly abused by McGowan-Fazakerley four days before he died - were taken because he was 'in a bizarre position'. Varley added that another video of a naked Preston was filmed because 'it would be funny to show him when he's 18 or 21'.
Varley denies murder, sexual assault, cruelty and making and sharing indecent images. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, denies causing or allowing the death of a child, sexual assault and cruelty. The trial continues.
