The boyfriend of a teacher accused of abusing and murdering a baby boy they were adopting today insisted he never hurt or sexually assaulted him.
Preston Davey died four months after being placed in the care of John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, and Jamie Varley, 37, in July 2023.
The couple are on trial accused of ‘routinely’ ill-treating, sexually abusing and physically assaulting the 13-month-old infant, who was taken from his birth mother and put into foster care aged five days.
Varley, a secondary school textiles teacher who was known as Jae, is also charged with murder, while McGowan-Fazakerley, a sales representative, is accused of allowing Preston’s death.
Today a jury at Preston Crown Court were shown video interviews of McGowan-Fazakerley being quizzed by detectives in June 2025, almost two years after Preston died.
In the clips officers from Lancashire Constabulary explain that an expert pathologist, who carried out a post-mortem on the infant, found 20 external bruises to his head and body, as well as serious internal injuries.
Pathologist Dr Alison Armour has told the court that bruising to Preston’s bladder and the back of his throat was consistent with him being sexually assaulted before he died.
However, when officers confronted McGowan-Fazakerley with her findings, he appeared agitated, asked to stand up and said he could not explain such injuries.
He insisted: ‘There’s no account for those injuries whatsoever.
‘I’ve not witnessed Jae or anybody else hurt, harm, abuse or neglect him (Preston). I most certainly have never.’
Preston Davey pictured by his adoptive father, Jamie Varley, 37, the morning after his first sleep over at his new 'daddies' home. Varley is accused of sexually abusing and murdering Preston
Varley's partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, has pleaded not guilty to five charges
Former secondary school teacher Jamie Varley, 37, denies a total of 25 charges
McGowan-Fazakerley told the officers that bruises on Preston’s knees and shins could have been caused accidentally, because he had started to learn to crawl, while another on his back had come from a baby swing during a trip to the park.
He said he could not explain the rest but added: ‘I’ve never caused any injury to Preston.
'I’ve never been made aware or seen anybody else cause injuries to him. I’ve never seen Jamie cause any injury to him.’
Varley told police he ‘didn’t believe’ Preston, who was taken to hospital three times before he died, including with a fractured elbow, had that many bruises or that the pathologist’s report was ‘accurate.’
Detectives also asked McGowan-Fazakerley about a series of videos and photographs taken by Varley, which appeared to focus on Preston’s genitals.
One of the videos showed Varley and Preston laughing while naked in the bath together, another showed Preston in a paddling pool with the camera zoomed in on the baby’s private parts.
McGowan-Fazakerley claimed there was ‘nothing sinister’ in the pictures and footage, although he accepted he would not have taken some of them because they were ‘inappropriate.’
‘I would take a picture or a video of Elijah with nothing on, like any parent would do,’ he said.
‘I wouldn’t take a picture focusing on any area, in my opinion that’s not appropriate.’
Preston Davey died after suffering abuse and was found to have 40 injuries, a jury was told
A court sketch of Jamie Varley (left) and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley (right)
Earlier in the interview detectives also quizzed McGowan-Fazakerley about text messages the couple exchanged that hinted at problems in their relationship.
The jury has been told Preston, who the couple named Elijah, was a poor sleeper and Varley, who had taken a year off his job to be his main carer, was struggling with sleep deprivation and looking after him on his own while McGowan-Fazakerley was at work.
In a message sent to McGowan-Fazakerley, on June 11, seven weeks before Preston’s death, Varley wrote: ‘I’m going to stop trying now, I love you very much and our beautiful little family, I just need some space’
McGowan-Fazakerley replied: ‘I need you to try.’
Varley said: ‘I’m upset with my actions as a dad.’
McGowan-Fazakerley admitted the couple, who lived in Blackpool, had been ‘bickering’ but said they later apologised to one another, ‘hugged’ it out and patched up their differences.
Varley, who was head of Year 11 at a comprehensive school in the Lancashire seaside resort, 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.