Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley appeared at Preston Crown Court in a hearing on Monday charged with a series of alleged offences following the death of Preston Davey
The loved ones of a one-year-old boy wept as two men accused of sexually abusing and killing him appeared in court.
Jamie Varley, a former high school teacher, and John McGowan-Fazakerley have been accused of committing a series of offences against 13-month-old Preston Davey while in the process of adopting the tot in 2023. Varley, 36, is accused of sexually abusing and killing the child, while 31-year-old McGowan-Fazakerley is accused of child cruelty and allowing baby Preston’s death. The two appeared in the dock at Preston Crown Court today, metres away from the child’s bereaved family members.
One woman in the group could be seen weeping as the judge noted their presence and welcomed the family members to the court earlier today.
Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, said at the start of the hearing that members of the family were “most welcome” at proceedings. He said: “I gather there are members of Preston’s family here. They are most welcome.”
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley appeared to confirm their name to the court, with their charges read out during the hearing.
Varley’s full charges include murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration of a child, five counts of child cruelty, one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
The 36-year-old further accused of 10 counts of taking indecent photographs of a child, one count of distributing indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing indecent pseudo images of a child, and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
McGowan-Fazakerley is charged with allowing the death of a child, as well as two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child.
All the charges against both men, who lived in Grimsargh, near Preston, span between March and July of 2023, and relate to Preston Davey.
An investigation into the tot’s treatment started after he was brought to Blackpool Victoria hospital on the evening of July 27, 2023, where he had been brought unresponsive.
Preston was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, with Varley suspended as teacher at South Shore Academy, Blackpool, when he was arrested later that year, the Cidari Multi Academy Trust which now runs the school said.
Judge Altham set a date for the trial for both men of April 14, next year, estimated to last up to eight weeks.
He remanded both defendants, who spoke only to confirm their names, into custody to next appear for a plea hearing on October 13 later this year.