A white teacher sexually assaulted a baby boy he was adopting then filmed him as he lay dying on the bed, a murder trial heard today.
Little Preston Davey was “routinely ill-treated” by Jamie Varley, who took indecent pictures and videos of the 13-month-old.
Jurors heard Varley, 37, filmed Preston being spun so fast in a saucer at a play area on one occasion that his eyes appeared to go in different directions.
He also forced the tot to stay awake and filmed himself deliberately startling the baby.
Varley and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley are both accused of sexually assaulting Preston, who they were in the process of formally adopting.
Preston Crown Court heard McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was aware of the psychological and physical abuse Varley was inflicting but “wilfully neglected to protect Preston”.
The youngster was rushed to hospital on three occasions before his death suffering from breathing difficulties, seizures, a nose bleed and a fracture to his arm.
Staff noticed facial bruising but it was explained sufficiently by the defendants and he recovered quickly, the court heard.
In July last year, Varley caused Preston serious internal injuries after he sexually assaulted at home in Blackpool, Lancashire.
Jurors heard he then failed to call for help and instead caused the tot further harm.
A video later found on his phone showed Preston lying on a bed in respiratory arrest with his lips blue, it was said.
The court heard McGowan-Fazackerly had been at work and Varley was the sole carer for Preston that day.
He was eventually rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where he died from an acute obstruction of his upper airway.
Jurors were told this was caused either a smothering with a hand or fabric or the insertion of an object into Preston’s mouth.
The baby also had 40 other traumatic injuries – including 30 external bruises, a fracture to his upper left arm and internal bruising to his mouth, throat and other parts of his body.
Prosecutor Peter Wright KC said: “As terrible as it is, this was not the result of some dreadful yet unforeseen accident or natural phenomenon.
“The evidence gathered during the investigation into his untimely death revealed a much more sinister pathology.
“We say the evidence demonstrates that he was murdered by one of the people entrusted with his well-being, one of his proposed adoptive parents, Jamie Varley.
“But this was not the only tragedy to befall him when in the care of these defendants. In the final moments of his short life, he was routinely ill treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted.”
Jurors heard Varley recorded some of the diabolical abuse on his phone and shared it with McGowan-Fazackerly.
Mr Wright said this included a video of Preston “slithering and sliding in a bath” for 14 minutes while Varley failed to help him.
The prosecutor continued: “These are not happy snaps of a normal family life . They are indecent images.
“It is not difficult to distinguish between happy snaps and indecent images.”
The court heard Preston was born four weeks early and taken into local authority care at birth.
He lived happily with foster carers for the first nine months of his life while suitable adoptive parents were found.
Both Varley and McGowan-Fazackerly were both in a stable relationship and were keen to adopt a child, jurors were told.
They went through the adoption process from December 2021 to March 2022 and had been vetted well before Preston was born.
The couple visited Preston in February 2023 and he was assessed as “fit and healthy” with no underlying conditions, the court heard.
In March 2023, a proposed adoption was approved by the panel and he went to live with Varley and McGowan-Fazackerly the following month.
Varley denies murder, sexual assault of a child under 13, inflicting grievous bodily harm, five counts of child cruelty and further counts of making, taking and distributing indecent images.
McGowan-Fazakerley pleaded not guilty to causing and allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and sexual assault of a child under 13.
The trial continues.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/38876106/teacher-sexual-assualt-baby-murder-injuries/
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