Jury discharged in adopted baby murder trial

The jury has been discharged in the trial of a former high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting and killing a baby boy he adopted with his partner.

Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of murdering 13-month-old Preston Davey in July 2023, and faces 25 other charges relating to his sexual and physical mistreatment.

His partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of causing or allowing the death of the child and four other offences. Both men deny all charges.

Judge Mr Justice Turner discharged the jury after a week of evidence at Preston Crown Court. The reason for discharging the jury is not reportable and a new jury will be selected on Monday.

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

The judge told jurors: "I regret to say the reason for the delay in starting today is that circumstances have arisen which make it impossible for this trial to continue now.

"I commend the obvious attention and concentration you have exercised over the last few days and you have performed your duty without any sort of criticism of any of you at all.

"I am afraid I have been left with no reasonable alternative but to discharge you from this trial.

"You are not permitted to discuss this case with anyone or post on social media or be in any communication about what happened during your time together, now and forever.

"Thank you very much again but with a heavy heart, I discharge you."

Preston had been taken into care by Oldham Council shortly after his birth in June 2022 and lived with foster parents until April 2023, when he was adopted by the defendants, living at their home on Staining Road, Blackpool.

Earlier in the trial, which began on Monday, Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, said in the just under four months the child was in the defendants' care he had been routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, had been sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries.

On 27 July 2023 Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by the defendants, unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest and died shortly afterwards.

Varley told police he had left the child in the bath and minutes later returned to find him drowning, Preston Crown Court heard.

Wright said this explanation was inconsistent with the evidence from the post-mortem, which found multiple non-accidental, internal and external injuries and gave a cause of death as either smothering or the insertion of an object or objects into the youngster's 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.