A teacher charged with 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.
Jamie Varley, 37, was questioned by detectives about the circumstances surrounding the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in July 2023. In the police interview, played to jurors at Preston Crown Court, Varley denied abusing the child and said he did not believe the baby had many bruises.
The court heard that Varley recorded a Snapchat video approximately one hour and 45 minutes before he and his partner, John McGowan-Fazackerley, 32, rushed Preston – whom they had renamed Elijah – to hospital. In the video, the child is seen lying on a bed struggling to breathe. A detective described the footage as 'horrible' and asked Varley why he did not intervene. Varley replied that he could not recall taking the video and thought the child was having a seizure.
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. Varley faces a charge of murder, while McGowan-Fazackerley is charged with allowing the child's death. Both men also face accusations of sexual abuse.
Varley denies murder, manslaughter, and multiple other charges including assault by penetration, child cruelty, and taking indecent images. McGowan-Fazackerley denies allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault. The trial continues.
