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A UK teacher accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a baby he was adopting messaged his boyfriend saying, “Your son’s in hospital, I strangled him”, a court heard.
Preston Davey was allegedly routinely ill-treated, sexually abused, physically assaulted and had indecent photos taken of him.
The 13-month-old had been adopted by Jamie Varley, 37, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, in April 2023.
Jurors heard just four months later, Preston died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The baby, who had 40 traumatic injuries, had allegedly been sexually assaulted by Varley before he died, Preston Crown Court was told.
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley both deny sexually assaulting Preston, who they were in the process of formally adopting.
Jurors heard on Friday how Varley had messaged his partner on July 8, 2023, just weeks before the baby died, saying, “Your son’s in hospital, I strangled him.”
The teacher followed up the text with, “Jokes, just give me a call when done.”
At the time, Preston had been admitted to hospital with an elbow fracture allegedly caused by Varley’s abuse.
The court heard Preston began living with the couple in their Blackpool home, in northwest England, in April 2023 after undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process.
But just days later Varley, who took a year off work as head of year at a high school to adopt a child, confessed he was struggling with a lack of sleep due to the baby constantly waking in the night, a jury heard.
On April 6, he texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer, “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every, one and a half hours.”
Four days later, Varley sent his mother Karen Graham, a video of Preston in his walker, and she replied, “Clever boy xxx.”
Varley then replied, “This was before he was murdered and put to bed.”
He texted his friend, “First sleep over. I wanted to put him in the field with the cows,” but goes on to describe Preston as a “ray of sunshine”.
Varley said the child was “refusing” to go to sleep, is “very needy” and texted another friend, “He’s just annoying. Lol.”
He goes on to tell the friend, “Right now we are questioning every choice.”
In other messages Varley says Preston is “crying all the time”, and that they are “really struggling” as the lack of sleep is a “nightmare”.
Foster parent Sandra Cooper, who looked after Preston for 10 months after his birth in June 2022, said the baby was “very happy”.
She said while he was “not a good sleeper” he quickly went back to sleep by having his head stroked.
Jurors heard once in the defendant’s care, Preston was taken to hospital three times — once with a fractured left elbow.
On July 27, 2023, the baby was rushed to hospital unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest.
Varley told police he had briefly left Preston in the bath and when he returned he was drowning.
But jurors heard a post mortem found multiple non-accidental, internal and external injuries.
Preston’s cause of death was given as an acute obstruction of his upper airway.
The court was told this was caused either a smothering with a hand or fabric or the insertion of an object into Preston’s mouth.
Varley denies murder, manslaughter, sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of assault by penetration, 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, three counts of child cruelty and sexual assault of a child under 13.
The trial continues.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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