A 13-month-old baby was placed at the 'mercy' of his adoptive parents before his death, a prosecutor told Preston Crown Court in a murder trial's closing speech. Preston Davey's death, which occurred just under four months after he was placed for adoption, was described as a 'tragedy waiting to happen'.
Jamie Varley, 37, a high school head of year and Preston's adoptive father, is accused of murder and 25 other charges, including sexual and physical abuse. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, faces charges of causing or allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault. Both men deny all charges and any sexual interest in the child.
Peter Wright KC, in his closing address during the seventh week of the trial, stated that Preston was nine months old when he was placed with the defendants in April 2023. He highlighted that shortly after moving into their Blackpool home, Preston began to suffer non-accidental 'cluster' injuries, including bruising, seizures, and respiratory failures, alongside evidence of anatomical abnormalities. Wright suggested that Varley's alleged sexual interest in Preston became evident 'within weeks' of the placement, an interest he claimed was 'shared' by McGowan-Fazakerley, evidenced by alleged indecent images and videos of the child.
The court heard that the cause of Preston's death was acute upper airways obstruction, potentially from smothering or objects inserted into his mouth. A post-mortem examination revealed 40 external and internal trauma injuries, consistent with 'forcible penetration' and sexual abuse, ruling out drowning as the cause. Varley had told medical staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where Preston was rushed on 27 July 2023, that he found the child submerged after leaving him in the bath for a few minutes.
However, Wright challenged this account, noting that Preston's hair was dry, he was wearing a nappy, the bath was empty of water, and no water was found in his lungs. He also reminded jurors of a witness, Janet Gee, a colleague of Varley's, who testified that Varley had spoken of 'dark thoughts' regarding drowning or suffocating the child. The prosecutor concluded by stating, 'Preston was at the mercy of Jamie Varley on the 27th of July, and paid for it with his life.'
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 is ongoing.