A secondary school teacher from Blackpool has appeared in court accused of the sexual assault and murder of a 13-month-old baby boy he was in the process of adopting.
Jamie Varley, aged 36, a former head of year at South Shore Academy, faces a string of serious charges in connection with the death of Preston Davey, including manslaughter, sexual assault, child cruelty, and the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.
Varley appeared at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, alongside co-accused John McGowan-Fazakerley, 31, nearly two years after police were first called to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where baby Preston tragically died on 27 July 2023.
Baby Preston Died Three Months After Moving to Blackpool
Preston had been taken into care by Oldham Council just six days after his birth, according to reports from the Blackpool Gazette.
After a period in foster care, a court order placed him for adoption, and he was moved to Blackpool on 3 April 2023. He died less than four months later.
Varley, who was arrested in 2023, was working as a teacher at South Shore Academy, then under the management of Bright Futures Education Trust.
The teacher was immediately suspended from duties once the police investigation began, with his suspension continuing after the school transferred to the Cidari Multi Academy Trust.
Extensive List of Charges
During the short court hearing, Varley spoke only to confirm his name. He faces a total of 23 charges, including:
- One count of manslaughter
- Two counts of assault by penetration of a child
- One count of sexual assault of a child
- Five counts of child cruelty
- One count of inflicting grievous bodily harm
- Ten counts of taking indecent photographs of a child
- One count of distributing indecent photographs
- Two counts of possessing indecent pseudo-images
- One count of possessing an extreme pornographic image
- His co-accused, McGowan-Fazakerley, has been charged with:
- Allowing the death of a child
- Two counts of child cruelty
- One count of sexual assault of a child
Both men, who are from Grimsargh near Preston, were remanded in custody and are due to appear at Preston Crown Court on Monday. All charges relate to the period between March and July 2023.
School and Trust Respond
In a statement, Cidari Multi Academy Trust said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Preston Davey and all those affected by this case.”
The trust confirmed that Varley was not allowed on school grounds or in contact with staff or pupils during the investigation. It added that following the decision to charge him, his employment status is now under formal review in consultation with legal and statutory bodies.
On Friday, specialist support staff were deployed to South Shore Academy to assist pupils and staff in the wake of the court proceedings.
