Blackpool teacher said baby was 'dead meat', jury hears

A former teacher accused of sexually abusing and killing an adopted baby said the child was "dead meat" and that he had "murdered" him in the weeks before the infant died, a court heard. Jamie Varley, 37, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, adopted 13-month-old Preston Davey, in April 2023, Preston Crown Court heard. For just under four months after his adoption he was allegedly routinely ill-treated and suffered 40 traumatic injuries at the defendants' home in Blackpool, jurors were told. He died in hospital on 27 July 2023. Varley denies murder and McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, as well as multiple other offences. After undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process Preston was adopted and began living with the defendants on 1 April 2023. But just days later Varley, who took a year off work as head of year at high school to adopt a child, confessed he was struggling with a lack of sleep due to the baby constantly waking in the night, a jury heard. On 6 April, he texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer: "He's dead meat today. Didn't sleep last night after 11.30. Up every, one and a half hours." Four days later, Varley sent his mother Karen