A teacher accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a baby he was adopting texted his partner saying: ‘Your son’s in hospital, I strangled him’, a court heard.
Jamie Varley, 37, allegedly sent the message to John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, with whom he was adopting Preston Davey, who died aged 13 months in July 2023.
The message was sent on the afternoon of July 8, 2023 two days after Preston’s admission to hospital for an elbow fracture and three weeks before he died, the court heard.
Prosecutor Peter Wright KC said Varley – head of year at a secondary school, then wrote a second text adding: ‘Jokes, just give me a call when done’.
Jurors at Preston Crown Court also heard details of an exchange of messages the previous evening between Varley and a colleague Rachel Alty, in which Varley worried he was a ‘shit dad’ and didn’t want ‘to be here’.
He said: ‘I haven’t seen anyone or left the house in weeks. I’ve felt the worst I’ve ever felt and not wanted to be here.
‘At best, I’ve just felt emotionless and upset, like I’m a s*** dad.’
The court also heard how he told another friend, Tanga Tingle, he was responsible for breaking Preston’s elbow – but that it was an accident.
Secondary school head of year and textiles teacher Jamie Varley, 37, who denies murder
He said: ‘We did it, we think, not on purpose but caught him when falling. Poor little mite, yes we’re feeling the blame’.
Ms Tingle replied: ‘Accidents happen, you can’t blame yourself about it.’
Varley had told hospital staff Preston had kicked out when he was pulling him by the arms and fallen back into his cot, the court heard.
The elbow fracture, which happened on July 5 and was treated at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on July 6 – with Preston receiving a plaster cast – led to contact with agency Adoption Now and then with Oldham Council, which was in charge of Preston’s care, the court heard.
Preston Davey was taken to hospital on three occasions prior to his death in 2023
The incident – for which Varley is charged with causing grievous bodily harm – followed two earlier hospital visits.
Oldham Council social worker Helen Magee visited the couple’s home in Blackpool on July 7, where she spoke to both men as Preston was ‘merrily chewing on toys’.
Ms Magee said in her notes of the visit: ‘I did watch your (Preston’s) responses to your daddies quite carefully as I’m aware that you had a few hospital admissions of late and this made me ponder a little bit as to whether there was a problem I could see. I decided there wasn’t.’
The couple claimed Preston ‘could be quite clumsy when moving around’.
The previous day, in a WhatsApp group chat between Varley, McGowan-Fazakerley and agency Adoption Now, case worker Amie Shepherdson said she had been informed of the broken elbow by hospital paediatric sister Zoe Hellowell but told the couple: ‘Just to reassure you, she said they have absolutely no concerns’.
Ms Shepherdson wrote that the couple ‘did absolutely the right thing’ by taking Preston to hospital in a message followed by three hearts.
Varley took Preston to hospital at 10.36am on July 6, after calling McGowan-Fazakerley and having a video call with Ms Shepherdson.
He took a video which showed Preston attempting to move across a play mat towards his breakfast but crying in pain when putting weight on his left arm, which was shown to the jury.
The court also heard of a further message sent by Varley to a friend on July 12 saying: ‘Can’t cope with any more hospital visits and social workers’.
Meanwhile, on July 13, a welfare meeting took place between Varley and his employers, where he revealed ‘concerns’ about legal proceedings from Preston’s biological mum, his partner facing redundancy and the prospect of moving house.
But a report noted he was ‘in good spirit under the circumstances [with] no immediate concern about his welfare’.
The court heard Varley’s meeting at the textiles teacher’s school, South Shore Academy, Blackpool, was with headteacher Rebecca Warhurst and another senior staff member.
The court heard that while at the hospital for Preston’s broken arm, Varley encountered Angela Mason, emergency department paediatric nursing manager, who recalled him from previous visits.
Ms Mason, who said she met Varley by chance while walking through the department, recalled: ‘I asked why they were there. Jamie explained that Preston had hurt his elbow and talked me through how that had happened.
Jamie Varley, left, and John McGowan-Fazakerley in the dock at Preston Crown Court
John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, denies charges including causing or allowing Preston’s death
Varley claimed he had ‘pulled (Preston’s) elbow when putting him down’.
Ms Mason said: ‘I did tell Jamie we would have to let his social worker know he was here.’
Asked by the prosecution whether there were ‘any safeguarding concerns’, she replied ‘no’.
But Ms Mason revealed that on a previous visit on June 30, when Preston was given antibiotics for breathing difficulties, Varley was ‘angry because we rang the police the last time’.
The court heard this was a reference to Preston having been taken to hospital on May 25 when he was not breathing and had a suspected seizure.
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Ms Mason said: ‘I apologised that we’d upset him but I also explained we have a duty of care to safeguard any children’.
On the June 30 hospital visit, Ms Mason had noticed bruising to Preston’s forehead, which Varley and Fazakerley explained as having been caused by a toybox falling on top of him, the court heard.
Varley offered to play a video showing the incident, but Ms Mason said her focus was on triaging Preston and a staff member ‘would look at the video at a later point’.
In the earlier admission on the morning of May 25, Varley alone had taken Preston to Victoria Hospital and reported the infant was ‘having a seizure’, the court heard. McGowan-Fazakerley was in Manchester at work.
Preston was ‘unresponsive, floppy, breathing was ineffective and in need of resuscitation’, medical notes said.
Separately, jurors heard details of notes written by Preston’s GP, on July 14, who said the infant had an injury to his elbow ‘which as not a non-accidental injury’ – but that he was otherwise a ‘delightful, happy, sociable little boy’.
Jurors were shown videos taken by Varley on July 19 showing Preston in a child’s teacup playground amusement ride, where he was spun around ‘excessively fast’.
The footage, set to ‘You Spin Me Round’, by Dead or Alive, and ‘Spinning Around’ by Kylie Minogue, was sent to McGowan-Fazakerley and to Varley’s mother, Karen Graham, the court heard.
Then the jury was shown a number of distressing pictures taken on July 23, showing a sleeping Preston positioned against the bars of his cot leaning forward and arms supporting him.
The prosecution has earlier said the images – taken on Varley’s phone – show evidence of him having been sexually abused, corroborated by DNA material found on the cot.
Mobile phone data showed McGowan-Fazakerley’s phone was in the couple’s home at the time.
There was a further material on Varley’s phone – an intimate image of Preston’s body, and a video on July 24 showing Preston unattended in the bath for 14 minutes, making ‘fussing’ noises. At that time, co-accused McGowan-Fazakerley’s phone showed he was not at home, with Varley in sole care of Preston.
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.
The trial, set to last eight weeks, was adjourned until Tuesday.
