There was no water in his lungs. I would have expected water.
In a courtroom in Preston, England, a jury is being asked to reckon with one of the most troubling failures of care imaginable: the death of a 13-month-old child, Preston Davey, who died on July 27, 2023, after four months in the home of his adoptive parents. Jamie Varley, a high school teacher, stands accused of murder, while his partner faces charges of allowing the child's death — both men denying allegations that include sustained physical cruelty and sexual abuse. The case asks not only what happened in that home, but how the most vulnerable among us are protected by those entrusted with their care.
- A 13-month-old boy arrived at a Blackpool hospital unconscious and limp in his adoptive father's arms — doctors worked for nearly an hour before pronouncing him dead at 7:18 p.m. on July 27, 2023.
- The man carrying him, teacher Jamie Varley, told a paramedic the child had been pulled unresponsive from a bath — yet doctors found the boy completely dry, his nappy undisturbed, and no water in his lungs or airways.
- During the failed resuscitation, Varley shouted 'I effing killed him' before attempting to perform CPR on the child even after the medical team had stopped, with a breathing tube still in place.
- A post-mortem examination revealed 40 injuries on Preston's body, and prosecutors allege he was routinely beaten, sexually assaulted, and filmed during the four months he lived in the defendants' home.
- Just hours before his death, footage showed Preston smiling and clapping on his grandmother's knee — prosecutors allege he was subjected to a final assault on the journey home.
On the evening of July 27, 2023, Jamie Varley ran through the doors of Blackpool Victoria Hospital carrying his 13-month-old adopted son Preston Davey, limp and unconscious. A crash team worked for nearly an hour — chest compressions, oxygen, intubation — before pronouncing the child dead at 7:18 p.m.
Varley, a high school teacher, now faces trial at Preston Crown Court charged with murder. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is charged with allowing the child's death. Both deny all allegations, which include physical cruelty, sexual abuse, and the creation of indecent images. A post-mortem found 40 injuries on Preston's body, and prosecutors allege the harm was systematic across the four months he lived in their Blackpool home.
The account Varley gave that night — that he had left Preston in the bath briefly and returned to find him unresponsive — has been challenged by the medical evidence. The anaesthetist who intubated the child found no water in his mouth, airways, or lungs. The lead A&E consultant, told to expect a drowning, found the boy completely dry, his nappy properly in place.
During the resuscitation, Varley was described as hysterical and inconsolable — shouting 'Don't let him die' before saying 'I effing killed him.' When the medical team ended their efforts, he attempted to perform CPR on the child himself, despite the breathing tube still being in place, and had to be firmly stopped.
Hours earlier, video footage had captured Preston smiling and clapping along to a song on his grandmother's knee — a moment of ordinary childhood joy. Prosecutors allege that on the journey back to Blackpool that followed, he was subjected to a final assault. The trial continues.
Jamie Varley burst through the doors of Blackpool Victoria Hospital on the evening of July 27, 2023, carrying his 13-month-old adopted son Preston Davey limp in his arms. The child was unconscious. A paramedic standing outside the ambulance bay watched Varley run toward him, the baby's body slack. Within minutes, a crash team was scrambled. For nearly an hour, doctors worked to revive the boy—chest compressions, oxygen, a breathing tube threaded down his throat. At 7:18 p.m., they stopped. Preston was pronounced dead.
Varley, a high school teacher, now stands accused of murdering the child. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, faces charges of allowing the death. Both men deny the allegations against them, including sexual abuse of the child and cruelty. But the evidence presented to the jury at Preston Crown Court paints a picture of systematic harm inflicted over the four months Preston lived in their home in Blackpool. A post-mortem examination identified 40 injuries on the child's body. Prosecutors allege that during those months, Preston was routinely ill-treated, physically assaulted, and sexually abused. Indecent images and videos were taken of him.
The hospital records offer a window into the chaos of that final evening. Paramedic Simon Crabb was outside the A&E department when he saw Varley running with the baby. He told Varley the child was not breathing and took Preston from his arms, beginning mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as he ran inside. McGowan-Fazakerley was also present, Crabb recalled, but remained calmer—though his eyes held what the paramedic described as terror. Varley, by contrast, was hysterical. He told Crabb that he had left Preston in the bath while he showered and returned three to four minutes later to find the child unresponsive.
But the medical evidence raises questions about that account. Dr. Wendy Aubrey, a senior anaesthetist, intubated Preston to deliver oxygen to his lungs. She told the jury she found no water in the child's mouth or airways. "There was no water in his lungs," she said. "I would have expected water in his lungs." Dr. Anthony Kearns, the lead consultant in the accident and emergency department, was told the child had been pulled from water. Yet when he examined Preston, the boy was completely dry. The nappy was in place and appeared properly positioned.
During the resuscitation effort, both men and Varley's mother were invited into the room to see Preston. Aubrey observed them closely. One father was subdued. The other—Varley—was what she described as "very dramatic," more so than she had witnessed in other parents. He would not stand still, would not listen to what was being said. He was shouting, "Don't let him die." Then he said, "I effing killed him." After the medical team had ended their efforts to revive Preston, Varley attempted to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the child despite the breathing tube still being in place. Aubrey had to firmly tell him to stop.
Hours before the hospital visit, Varley had taken Preston to his mother's house. Video footage shown to the jury captured a moment of ordinary childhood: Preston being bounced on his grandmother's knee while she sang to him. He was smiling, clapping his hands along to the song. Prosecutors allege that after leaving his mother's home to return to Blackpool, Varley subjected Preston to a final sexual assault.
Varley denies all charges: murder, manslaughter, assault by penetration, cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, and 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, among others. McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault. The trial continues, with the jury tasked with determining what happened to Preston Davey in those four months and on the evening he died.
Notable Quotes
There was no water in his lungs. I would have expected water in his lungs.— Dr. Wendy Aubrey, senior anaesthetist
The child was completely dry. They had a nappy in situ, which appeared to be appropriately placed.— Dr. Anthony Kearns, lead consultant in accident and emergency
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
The medical evidence seems to contradict the drowning story almost immediately. Why would the prosecution present that contradiction so directly?
Because it's the truth. The doctors found no water in his lungs, no water in his airways. If you're going to claim a child drowned, the evidence has to match. It didn't.
The statement "I effing killed him"—how much weight does that carry in a courtroom?
It's powerful, but it's also complicated. A man in panic, watching his child die, might say almost anything. The jury has to decide whether it's a confession or the desperate words of someone in shock. The medical evidence matters more.
Four months. That's how long Preston was in their care before he died.
Yes. Four months to cause 40 injuries. The post-mortem tells a story of sustained harm, not a single accident.
The video of Preston singing with his grandmother—why include that detail?
Because it shows what normal looked like. A smiling child, a moment of joy. And then, hours later, he was dead. That contrast is what the jury has to hold.
What does the behavior in the hospital room tell us?
One man was subdued. The other was chaotic, dramatic, wouldn't stand still, wouldn't listen. The anaesthetist had to physically stop him from continuing resuscitation after the child was already gone. That's not the behavior of someone grieving a tragic accident.
Do we know what happens next?
The trial continues. The jury will hear more evidence, more testimony. They'll have to decide whether these two men are guilty of murder, or manslaughter, or something else entirely. And they'll have to live with whatever they decide.