A British couple have denied responsibility for the death of their adopted son as they stand trial in England.
Warning: This story contains serious allegations of child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of causing or allowing the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey. His 37-year-old partner, Jamie Varley, is accused of murdering the baby boy in July 2023, as well as multiple offences of cruelty and child sexual abuse.
The couple are currently on trial at Preston Crown Court in Lancashire.
Preston was born in June 2022 and was taken into care by Oldham Council. He spent the first ten months of his life in foster care before being adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.
The court heard that the child was admitted to hospital three times in the four months after his adoption. He died in hospital on 27 July 2023.
Prosecutors allege the child’s injuries were caused by sexual assault perpetrated by Varley.
Jurors were shown a police interview in which McGowan-Fazakerley was asked to account for the child’s multiple injuries. The court had previously heard from a child sexual abuse expert, who identified that the baby had around 40 trauma injuries and more than 30 bruises across his body.
Asked by police to explain the injuries, McGowan-Fazakerley said he had no knowledge of how they occurred.
“I’ve never caused any injuries to him ever. I’ve never hurt him, never done anything to him,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anybody hurt him, and I would never allow anybody to hurt him.”
Varley allegedly told hospital staff that he had briefly left the child unsupervised in a bath, where he slipped from a bath seat and became momentarily submerged underwater.
A post-mortem examination ruled out drowning and found multiple non-accidental internal and external injuries. Medical experts told the court that the cause of death was acute upper airways obstruction, most likely caused by smothering or by an object, or objects, being inserted into the boy’s mouth.
Last week, jurors were shown footage of Varley telling police that he had not hurt the child.
Varley denies charges of 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 photographs or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent image to his co-accused, and one count of making an indecent image.
McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
The prosecution has now closed its case. Varley’s barrister is expected to begin presenting the defence on Thursday.
