Teacher said baby was 'dead meat', jury hears

A former teacher accused of sexually abusing and killing an adopted baby said the child was "dead meat" and that he had "murdered" him in the weeks before the infant died, a court heard.

Jamie Varley, 37, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, adopted 13-month-old Preston Davey, in April 2023, Preston Crown Court heard.

For just under four months after his adoption he was allegedly routinely ill-treated and suffered 40 traumatic injuries at the defendants' home in Blackpool, jurors were told.

He died in hospital on 27 July 2023. Varley denies murder and McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, as well as multiple other offences.

• Warning: The following court evidence contains information some readers may find distressing

After undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process Preston was adopted and began living with the defendants on 1 April 2023.

But just days later Varley, who took a year off work as head of year at 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 6 April, 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 went 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 went on to tell the friend: "Right now we are questioning every choice."

In other messages Varley said Preston is "crying all the time", and that they were "really struggling" as the lack of sleep was a "nightmare".

Foster parent Sandra Cooper looked after Preston for 10 months after his birth in June 2022. He had been taken into care by Oldham Council when he was five days old.

Mrs Cooper, in a statement read to the jury, said: "Preston was a very happy baby."

She said while he was "not a good sleeper" he quickly went back to sleep by having his head stroked.

Mrs Cooper said after Preston's dairy intolerance was identified and his milk changed, the child was "happy and content", adding: "Preston was a perfectly healthy baby."

Mrs Cooper handed Preston over to the defendants at the end of March 2023, but Preston was taken to hospital three times - once with a fractured left elbow - in the following months, the jury heard.

On 27 July 2023 the baby was rushed to hospital by the defendants, unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest, and medics could not revive him.

Varley told police the he had briefly left the child in the bath and when he returned he was drowning.

A post-mortem examination found multiple non-accidental, internal and external injuries, and a cause of death to be acute upper airways obstruction by either smothering or an object or objects inserted into his mouth.

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 the sexual assault of a child.

The trial continues.

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