Jamie Varley, 37, who is accused of the sexual abuse and murder of his adopted baby son Preston Davey, sent a text to his partner reading: ‘Your son’s in hospital. I strangled him. Jokes,’ a court heard
16:39, 01 May 2026Updated 16:57, 01 May 2026
Thirteen-month-old Preston Davey died in July 2023
A teacher accused of the sexual abuse and murder of a 13-month-old baby he was in the process of adopting sent a text message to his partner reading: “I strangled him”, a court has heard.
Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of killing and abusing Preston Davey, while his partner, John McGowan-Fazackerley, 32, is alleged to have allowed the child’s death. Preston died at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in July 2023 after suffering 40 injuries in just four months while in the care of the couple, prosecutors allege.
The two men are on trial at Preston Crown Court charged with a string of offences against the baby. Both, of Grimsargh, Preston, deny all charges.
On Friday, the jury was shown a text message sent from Varley’s phone to McGowan-Fazackerley on July 10, 2023. It read: “Your son’s in hospital. I strangled him. Jokes, just give me a call when done”.
Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of killing baby Preston(Image: X)
Earlier this week, the court heard that Varley told a friend shortly after the baby was moved to the defendants’ home in Blackpool on April 1, 2023, that he was struggling with a lack of sleep due to the baby constantly waking up in the night.
The jury heard that, on April 6, he texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer, saying: “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every, one and a half hours.”
Four days later, the court heard, Varley sent his mum, Karen Graham, a video of Preston in his walker, and she replied: “Clever boy xxx”. Varley then replied: “This was before he was murdered and put to bed.”
He also texted a friend: “First sleep over. I wanted to put him in the field with the cows,” before going on to describe Preston as a “ray of sunshine”, the court was told.
Jamie Varley (left), 37, sits in the dock at Preston Crown Court alongside co-accused John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32(Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)
In other messages, Varley is said to have described Preston is “crying all the time” and said they were “really struggling” as his lack of sleep was a “nightmare”.
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.
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 will continue on May 5.