Preston Davey Trial

[catsandsoup]

I’ve always wondered how Scott Castle got away with that charge. He knew that his wife was beating Leiland-James (he encouraged it), he joined in with the name-calling in text messages, and he reassured his wife that she was doing amazing and the baby was the problem.

I suppose in this case he was causing or allowing the abuse of a child, not the death. But he was far from innocent and must have known that the risk of his wife snapping and causing serious harm to the boy was high - she admitted as much herself.

Some parents have gotten away with blaming the partner at home, but then I remember the girl who's parents neglected her over lockdown, Kaylea Titford. Dad tried for the 'I'm just a bloke' card, saying he did 'nothing' at home and was 'lazy' but that as a man he wouldn't do personal care for his daughter, and got an extra year on his sentence for not pleading guilty like the Mum.
Personally, I'd charge the other parent generally, same as Sara Sharif's uncle. In this case, there's clear proof he was aware of and encouraged Leiland-James abuse, even if he didn't personally inflict the blows.

 

[Itchy of Itchington]

Thank you for your thoughtful and informative poster @Emsie it's really useful to hear from someone who has become a parent through adoption.

I was quite surprised by how fast they went from initially meeting him to having him stay with them. I've read that 1 to 2 weeks is usual from initial meeting but he seemed to have gone there in about 3 days. I don't think that is due to them being gay and prioritised though. Just bad practice.
I believe that when preparing for adoption the prospective adopters are asked if they would consider a child that may have had exposure to drugs and alcohol in utero as well as disabled children or sibling groups. There's so many things that would have been covered in their adoption assessment that would have explained Jamie's "complaints" about Preston. I wonder if Jamie gave textbook answers from being a safeguarding lead rather than listening to the reality of what being an adoptive parent can be like.

I just finished the podcasts that are covering this case and two things really struck me. Jamie just sits and watches Preston on multiple occasions when the baby has fallen over or is being bothered by their dog or is unable to sit up in the bath. Sometimes he films it.
The other thing is under a spoiler as it's disturbing


Preston was diagnosed with chest infections twice in about 4 weeks. Was this as a result of aspirating liquid? I can't even type the rest of this. But aspiration bronchitis and pneumonia does happen. It's just usually food or inhaled drinks

 

[PaddyDomino]

Is it safe to assume that previous episodes of breathing difficulty are likely to have been due to sexual abuse, and as Preston had recovered in the past, Varley assumed he was going to recover from this one? Except he went into respiratory arrest and then cardiac arrest?

Yes, I think the previous assaults had blocked his upper airways, nearly suffocating him each time, and also caused his chest infections and seizures
But poor Preston had always managed to recover up to that point

 

[nothinonyou]

I think a whole life order requires a level of sadism if I am correct, I think this case does meet that threshold

 

[JarvisCockerSpaniel]

I don't think he's an angel by any means but it sounds like he's a very meek, mild -mannered man living with a narcissistic lunatic

I wouldn’t assume that at all, although it might be a handy defence if he’s prepared to throw JV under the bus and get away with far lesser charges. It’s happened plenty of times before in these sorts of situations. They’ll want as much info on JV as they can possibly get, and I’m sure he has plenty. In my view he is completely complicit in the abuse, even if he didn’t participate in the final, fateful act.

 

[Moronic]

The way he talks about Preston is with total contempt. You’d think he was training a dog. And even a dog wouldn’t be worthy of such treatment. I think it reveals a lot.

 

[DipsyDoodle]

I feel for the poor jury, I imagine at the end the judge will tell them they are excused for life, but it's bad enough for us reading about it, I can't imagine how horrifying it must be to sit there and see those two perverted monsters while hearing about all the hideous abuse they subjected poor little Preston to

 

[Boogs]

Varley is 100% guilty but I'm with you on M-F. I'm curious what theyll have on him. Its just so awful. There are no words to describe it. My heart breaks for that poor baby. Thank god he had great months with his foster parents who sound like absolute angels.

I agree Varley sounds like he was the main abuser and I’m not sure about M-F based on the evidence presented so far. At best he sounds naive and easily manipulated by Varley who sounds like a master manipulator who had many people fooled. That monster videoed that poor baby as he was dying and did nothing to get him help until M-F came home, saw how bad he was and drove him straight to the hospital where it became another opportunity for Varley to be dramatic. I think his mum saying what she said was probably based on his bullshit story of leaving him alone in the bath.

I feel sick every time I see photos of that gorgeous, happy baby knowing how much he suffered

To have several professionals with experience of grieving parents describe someone in that situation as overly dramatic is a massive tell.

Exactly. It’s seems like Varley was quite histrionic and seemed to always be playing a role. A psychopath acting having human emotions.

 

[Jayneh2020]

I thought that was very strange too, surely you would be leaning on and consoling your partner in this situation. It seems like they are both overcome with panic about what this means for them. It makes me sick.

I keep thinking about JV's Mum saying that it wouldn't have happened if Preston had been with her, its a very strange thing to say at thia point, I might be reading too much into it but it seems like she had an inkling something was not right - surely with the amount of bruises on his tiny little body she must have noticed something that gave her concern. Sorry to keep going on about the same point.

Thats exactly what I thought if preston was with her that morning then surely she would have noticed all these bruises and damage to his bum when changing his nappy? I hope the mum has made a statement of some sort, she spent time with preston and made comments like that surely she should have been questioned?

 

[Lynn’ssnazzycardigan]

Another small point. I thought it was generally agreed that bath seats are dangerous and shouldn’t be used? Surely they would have been pulled up on this by the social worker when they were inspecting the house? My mum was a kinship carer and she had to get smoke alarms fitted, buy a first aid kit and was made to throw out her chip pan, they are very thorough about safety in the home. If the adoption order hadn’t gone through then do social services retain parental responsibility at that time? If so they would have to follow the same rules as foster carers with such things. I really get the impression the SW was more concerned about the wellbeing of the parents and being their pal than she was about the safety of Preston.

 

[thegirlscout]

As an aside does anyone else think the social media trend of complaining about kids and taking and sharing pictures of everything could normalise some abusive behaviours? A school friend of mine once put a photo online of her baby in a state of "poonami" if that wasnt bad enough baby was holding a sign that said something like "I've done a massive shit" i was honestly disgusted by it, who leaves their baby like that to go and make a sign and then post it all online?

So much is shared online it’s scary. Ashley Graham shared a photo of her changing her son’s nappy on the floor of a shop, I’ve seen so many mum’s refer to their children as ‘crotch goblins’ (which I’ve never found funny), others posting videos of their children dancing around and you can clearly see their underwear, Carrie Johnson (Boris Johnson’s wife) posted a photo of her baby daughter and you could see her genital area. It’s like being a child isn’t a private moment anymore, it all has to be documented for people to see. I mean my Mum took funny photos of myself and my siblings in the bath when we were little but if she allowed any odd bod to see them I’d be mortified!

 

[TheMiceInTheShed]

I'd like to know why they've both denied the charges. Was it their joint decision or were they advised?

They might be going for a "cut-throat" defence, with each blaming the other.

It was suggested upthread that like many sexual perverts - especially when they know they're going to be convicted because the evidence is overwhelming - that want to re-live their most delicious moments by having them read out at the trial, and enjoying the horror of the jury, lawyers and any observers.

They will live off those moments In jail for a very long time if they get the chance. It will be all they have left. I just want every day of the rest of their foul lives to be lived in pain and terror, looking over their shoulder severy minute of every day. They don't deserve a single uninterrupted night's sleep from now until they either die naturally or another inmate ends them. And I hope that it is agonising.

 

[nothinonyou]

Another thing that confused me is that when they contacted 111 about breathing difficulties, they were waiting for a callback. Surely any breathing concerns in a baby should be dealt with immediately. I don't understand why an ambulance wasn't sent or at the very least they were advised to take him to A&E.

What @Ghostranch says. Usually at worst - if there was no ambulance available 111 would say to take the baby to A&E straight away! Many years ago something similar happened with the son of a friend (he was older) - about 6 IIRC) and they were told A&E immediately because an ambulance might be too late. As It happened they ended up with a police escort as the dad was speeding and they were pulled over by the polis who saw mam in the back with a gasping child and drove ahead of them at umpteen mph with the siren and the flashing lights to clear the road.

The fact he even says "everything is absolutely fine we just have an 11 month old breathing very rapidly", so everything is not absolutely fine! The warning signs were all there that baby Preston's life was in serious danger and so many people failed him or turned a blind eye

 

[maytoseptember]

I find it interesting that they were taking him so much… Now I may have missed bits due to the paper I was initially following but like the runny eye he had they were straight onto the social worker asking if he needed to go to the drs etc. I do agree with whoever said ‘jay’ wanted/liked the attention of it all.

My guess is Varley was consulting with professionals so often to disguise the abuse - never being reluctant to visit A&E, always with a story or photo/video evidence to explain injuries. It’s the oldest trick in the book and everyone should have been wise to it. I can’t think of many child abuse deaths that didn’t involve the abusers taking the child to A&E.

'I strangled him', baby murder accused 'told partner', court

A teacher accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a baby he was adopting texted his partner saying: 'Your son's in hospital, I strangled him', a court heard.

www.dailymail.com

This article mentions that they were at Blackpool hospital so often a senior nurse recognised them. Also alerting the adoption agency and Oldham social services. What strikes me is how quick the professionals were to reassure them that they had no concerns. Like the quote from @PaddyDomino above says, I get the impression that their status as adoptive parents (and also, I suspect, that they were men) made people eager to overlook red flags, not to mention patronise and coddle them. I mean the adoption case worker messaging “You did the right thing ”… well I don’t think she would have taken the same tone with a straight couple. I wonder if there was a temptation to think of them as slightly inept and with a lot to learn, because they were men.

 

[TheMiceInTheShed]

I don’t know how much longer I can keep reading about this case that poor gorgeous baby boy

Same. I keep thinking "that's it - I can't read any more", but then being drawn back because I want to make sure that there is enough evidence to send both of these filthy paedos down for the rest of their foul lives!

 

[Mysteryy]

I thought that when you're on hold with 111 there is actually an automated message that says any significant chest pain or breathing difficulties should hang up, call 999 or visit A&E asap.

I'm horrified by all aspects of this case but especially how quickly the placement with them happened. They seemed to think they were going to get an accessory rather than a human being, as JV seemed to be aggrieved that Preston wasn't perfect from day 1. I couldn't understand that thought process at all. Not comparing animals to children, but when adopting a cat or dog, it says it can take them months to decompress and adjust to a new home. Imagine then a child who has been in foster care since birth, bonded to a family and has had a very experienced and knowledgeable caregiver to then go to two strangers with seemingly no paternal instincts.

 

[owen2110]

The video was recorded 1hr 45 mins before that poor baby was taken to hospital

 

[PaddyDomino]

That sprang out at me, too - she's not a 14 year old writing to her celebrity crush FFS!

I've worked in the NHS - every e-mail, every letter, is a legal document. Phone calls have to be logged and a note kept. One of the surgeons I worked with would tell his student doctors - "Don't put ANYTHING in writing that you wouldn't be happy to see projected in letters a foot high onto a courtroom wall - because one day it WILL happen. Keep it short, keep it accurate, keep it professional." I would imagine SWs are under the same constraints.

Emojis of any type are a total No-No.

She sounded like she was very very much on the adoptive parents' side, like a cheerleader.
She just wanted that adoption to go through and to work.
I posted an article about the Elsie Scully Hicks case a few pages back that talked about "positive bias" in social workers.
This is a prime example, and no lessons were learnt after the Elsie/Shayla case, it seems to me

 

[Tofino]

Does anyone get the photo of preston leaning on the cot... is he standing up with his arms and head resting on the bars or is he bent over in a sexual position and left dangling. I dont get the reasoning behind this if preston is standing up asleep resting his head on the bars then why would this account to anything sinister?

They haven’t described it in much detail but they are saying he was deliberately positioned and there’s more to come on this.

Spoiler: From reporting

 

[PaddyDomino]

The nerve of Varley, blaming the foster parents, saying they spoilt Preston
The foster parents had 25 years of experience and McGowan had none and Varley only had experience of his sister's children.