A teacher accused of murdering his adopted baby son told police he “could not recall” filming a Snapchat video of the child struggling to breathe, a court has heard.
Snapchat video shown in court
Jurors at Preston Crown Court were shown footage of Jamie Varley being questioned by detectives about the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in July 2023. In the recording, when pressed about the baby’s injuries, Varley replied: “I don’t believe he had that many bruises.”
The 37-year-old faces a charge of murder, while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is charged with allowing the child’s death. Both men also face accusations of sexual abuse.
Prosecutors allege that during the four months Preston was in the couple’s care at their Blackpool home, he was routinely mistreated, subjected to indecent images and videos, and sexually and physically assaulted.
Video recorded before hospital dash
The court heard Varley was questioned about a Snapchat video recorded approximately one hour and 45 minutes before he and his co-accused rushed Preston, whom he had renamed Elijah, to hospital. The video was taken while Varley was home alone with Preston, and in it the child is lying on a bed struggling to breathe in what officers described as a “distressing” video.
“There’s some concern about the content of the video. Why did you not do anything about it?” the detective asked. Varley said he could not recall taking the video and thought the child was having a seizure as he had done before. “He was fine in the bathtub,” Varley added. “He’s a long way from fine in that video,” the officer told him, adding: “In my view it’s horrible.”
Multiple injuries on baby’s body
Varley was also questioned about the multiple bruises or injuries on the child’s body, including to both arms, his legs, back, throat, bottom, and 24 bruises to his head, including behind his ear. “There’s a lot of injuries here,” the detective said. “We are not satisfied they are all accidental.” Varley replied: “I don’t believe he had that many bruises. He has not been abused. He hasn’t.”
Varley was told an initial post-mortem investigation indicated the child did not drown in the bath and no water was found in his lungs. “Can you explain how else he might have died?” the detective asked. Varley said the child was “responsive” when he pulled him from the bath but that Preston was “not a well little boy.”
Sexual assault allegations
“Was there any sexual motivation?” the detective asked. Varley replied: “Absolutely not. No.” The detective told him that when Preston was adopted he was healthy with no injuries but while living with the defendants someone had caused the child’s death. “We have not caused Elijah’s death. We would never do that,” Varley said.
The defendants had rushed the unconscious child from their 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 until a decision was made that further intervention was futile. Varley said he had left the child alone in the bath for only three or four minutes before he returned.
Charges denied by both defendants
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 sexual assault of a child.
