'Making mountain out of molehill' Man accused of murder and sexual abuse of baby Preston Davey told police

A teacher accused of murder angrily denied harming and sexually abusing his adopted baby when confronted by police, a court heard.

Jamie Varley, 37, told officers: “I have not done it. I will fight you ’til the day I die,” as he was questioned over the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey.

“I know you are wrong. I have not done it,” Varley told officers in the video interview with detectives shown to the jury at Preston Crown Court.

The defendant, at the time a high school teacher, is accused of the murder of the child, while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of allowing the death of the child, with both accused of sexual abuse. During the four months Preston was under their adoption at their home in Blackpool, it is alleged he was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, was sexually abused and physically assaulted.

Both men deny all charges.

The defendants, who most recently lived in Grimsargh, had rushed the unconscious baby from their then Blackpool home, after an alleged final sexual assault by Varley, to Blackpool hospital at around 6.20pm on July 27, 2023.

Medics worked for nearly an hour to resuscitate the child but could not save him.

Varley said he had left the child alone in the bath for three or four minutes before he returned and the baby had drowned. But in the police interview officers put it to him the post-mortem examination findings of Home Office pathologist Dr Alison Armour. Dr Armour concluded Preston had not drowned but was the victim of “abusive trauma, non-accidental injuries and sexual abuse”.

The detective puts to Varley that the pathologist also found the injuries to the baby suggest he was sexually assaulted shortly before his death.

“You are absolutely wrong,” Varley replies.

“Preston was in your care,” the officer continues, “what did you do to him?”

“Nothing,” the defendant replies.

The post-mortem examination also found bruises to Preston’s forehead, back of throat, mouth and bottom and bleeding in the lungs.

His cause of death was given as an upper airway obstruction, leading to his collapse by a deliberate act of smothering, or an object or objects inserted into his mouth.

The officer asks Varley: “How do you explain that level of bruising? How does he have so many bruises?”

“No comment,” Varley said.

“By prodding him? By poking him?” the officer continues.

“No,” the defendant said.

The officer adds: “Preston lived for one year, one month and 11 days. He was only in your care just less than four months before he was killed. There is no evidence of natural disease. I’m going to suggest you have killed Preston.”

The defendant, raising his voice and clearly angry, replies: “I have not done it. I will fight you ’til the day I die. I know you are wrong. I have not done it.”

Earlier, the officer put to Varley the series of images and videos taken of Preston which were evidence of alleged cruelty or indecency.

They include one video lasting 14 minutes and 31 seconds where Preston is left alone in a bath.

Varley said he set his phone up to record and was on the landing out of sight “to see how he reacts to his own company”.

The officer asks Varley: “How do you explain that, Jamie? He’s slipped, whimpering, I would describe him as distressed. Why not go to comfort him?

“Have you left him in the bath because you are fed up with him?”

Varley replies: “I was keeping an eye on him. He’s not distressed. There was no intent to hurt him.”

Varley was also asked about intimate videos and photos of the child found on his phone, prosecutors allege are indecent images.

He told the officers they were attempts at “capturing” his child’s life.

Angrily, the defendant told officers: “Unlike you, I don’t think about his genitals 24/7. You are making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s totally innocent, it’s ridiculous. You have got it now as if I’m a bloody pervert. That’s your job I guess.”

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 was adjourned until Wednesday morning.