A teacher facing allegations of sexually abusing and causing the death of an adopted infant reportedly shared troubling thoughts with a coworker, a court revealed. Janet Gee testified that Jamie Varley, 37, her colleague at a high school, expressed difficulties in caring for 13-month-old Preston Davey, whom he had adopted with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32.
Varley claimed the child drowned accidentally in a bath, but a post-mortem examination showed the infant had suffered 40 injuries, contradicting his explanation, as disclosed in Preston Crown Court. Both defendants also stand accused of sexual offenses against the baby.
Mrs. Gee recounted an incident where Varley arrived at her home with Preston, visibly anxious, and with the baby wearing a blue cast on his arm. She testified that Varley confessed to having harmful thoughts about drowning or suffocating the baby but assured her he had no intention of acting on these thoughts. Varley allegedly informed his employer about his concerns, leading to welfare visits being arranged by the school.
Mrs. Gee described working with Varley at South Shore Academy in Blackpool, where he held various roles, including a design and technology technician and a designated safeguarding lead. Preston, born on June 16, 2022, was adopted by the defendants on April 1, 2023, following a period in foster care.
Varley, who took a year off from teaching to care for the child, reportedly struggled with parenthood, especially with the baby’s sleep disruptions. In the months preceding Preston’s death, the infant allegedly endured mistreatment, including physical and sexual abuse, resulting in numerous injuries.
The court heard that Preston had been hospitalized multiple times before his death, once for a fractured elbow. Varley provided conflicting explanations for the injury, initially claiming he accidentally dropped the baby and later suggesting a different scenario.
On July 27, 2023, the defendants rushed Preston to the hospital after finding him unconscious and in cardiac arrest. Despite Varley’s account of an accident in the bath, medical findings indicated no evidence of drowning. The post-mortem examination revealed multiple non-accidental injuries, with the cause of death attributed to airway obstruction from smothering or foreign objects.
Varley denies charges including murder, assault, cruelty to a child, and indecent image offenses, while McGowan-Fazakerley denies charges related to child cruelty and sexual assault.
