In a harrowing moment captured on video and shown to jurors at Preston Crown Court, 36-year-old teacher Jamie Varley collapsed to the ground in tears, repeatedly wailing that the death of his 13-month-old adopted son Preston Davey was entirely his fault. The footage, presented during the ongoing murder trial, depicts a distraught Varley in a red Jurᴀssic Park T-shirt and tartan pyjama bottoms, sobbing uncontrollably in the hospital as medical staff and police officers attempted to comfort him following the child’s tragic pᴀssing on July 27, 2023.

Varley, who had been in the process of formally adopting the toddler along with his boyfriend John McGowan-Fazakerley, allegedly Sєxually ᴀssaulted and then smothered the young boy, leading to cardiac arrest. The court heard emotional testimony detailing Varley’s pleas to doctors, begging them to “kill me” as he cried out, “It’s all my fault… I can’t, no, I have done this.” Hospital staff could be seen trying to console the man as he continued to sob, at one point responding to a nurse who told him that Preston needed him by saying, “He doesn’t need me, it’s my fault… please get my mum… this is not happening… please kill me, please kill me.”

The trial has laid bare a series of shocking allegations surrounding the short time Preston spent in the couple’s care in their Blackpool home. According to evidence presented, the baby had only begun living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley in April 2023 after completing an ᴀssessment and familiarisation process. Varley, who worked as head of year at a high school, had taken a full year off work specifically to help care for the child during the adoption. Yet, jurors heard that just days into this new chapter, Varley expressed struggles with the demands of parenting, texting his sister—a baby sleep trainer—on April 6 with the message: “He’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every one and a half hours.”

Prosecutors allege that Preston suffered routine ill-treatment while in the couple’s home, including Sєxual abuse, physical ᴀssaults, and the taking of indecent pH๏τographs. The child was reportedly taken to the hospital on three separate occasions during his brief time with the pair, including once for a fractured left elbow. A post-mortem examination later revealed multiple non-accidental internal and external injuries, with the cause of death determined to be an acute obstruction of the upper airway. Medical experts indicated this could have resulted from smothering with a hand or fabric, or from an object being inserted into the baby’s mouth.

On the day of the tragedy, Varley told doctors he had left Preston in the bath while he took a shower, returning three to four minutes later to find the child unresponsive. However, senior anaesthetist Dr. Wendy Aubrey testified that there was no water found in Preston’s lungs, casting doubt on the bath-related explanation. Medical teams worked desperately for nearly an hour to resuscitate the infant before determining that further efforts would be futile. Even after this, Varley reportedly attempted to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the child, despite the breathing tube still being in place, prompting Dr. Aubrey to intervene firmly and instruct him to stop.

The video shown in court captured the raw aftermath as Varley eventually went to see and cradle his deceased son. In a moment that deeply affected those present, he was heard saying, “I probably won’t see you again, I’m definitely going to hell.” Described by witnesses as hysterical, Varley continued to express overwhelming guilt throughout the ordeal at the hospital.

Both Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Varley denies murder, manslaughter, Sєxual ᴀssault of a child under 13, two counts of ᴀssault by penetration, grievous bodily harm, five counts of child cruelty, and additional counts related to making, taking, and distributing indecent images. McGowan-Fazakerley has pleaded not guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty, and Sєxual ᴀssault of a child under 13.

The case has drawn significant attention as it highlights the vulnerabilities faced by children in the adoption system and the immense pressures that can accompany new parenthood. Preston Davey, a vulnerable toddler who had been placed with the couple after careful ᴀssessments, had his life cut tragically short just four months into his new living arrangement. The trial continues to examine the circumstances leading up to his death, with jurors carefully weighing the evidence presented by medical professionals, family members, and investigators.

As proceedings unfold at Preston Crown Court, the focus remains on seeking justice for young Preston and understanding how a process designed to provide a loving home could end in such profound tragedy. The emotional weight of the hospital footage has underscored the human impact of these allegations, leaving many in the courtroom and beyond reflecting on the responsibilities entrusted to those caring for the most vulnerable members of society. The outcome of the trial is expected to bring some measure of closure for Preston’s biological family and all those affected by this deeply disturbing case.