The Trial

In this episode Caroline and Liz have the medical evidence which the jury were told were consistent with Preston Davey being bitten and sexually assaulted before he died. A pathologist with 40 years experience said she found evidence that he could have been smothered or he may have died from having something forced into his mouth. She also said he suffered bruises which were not accidental. Preston was 13 months old when he died within four months of being in the care of Jamie Varley and John McGowan Fazakerley who were in the process of adopting him. The prosecution say he was abused and murdered.

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Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
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Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Producer: Chelsey Ranore
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

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It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Caroline and Liz have the moment Jamie Varley was accused of the murder and sexual abuse of the baby he adopted - and he told police he would fight them to prove his innocence. In video footage shown in court he said he didn't believe Preston Davey, who was just 13 months old when he died, had injuries all over his body, and he said accusations of sexual assault were bullshit. He also said naked and explicit pictures of Preston on his phone were innocent and the police were "making a mountain out of a molehill."

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Subscribe via thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us [email protected]
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)


Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Producer: Chelsey Ranore
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have the words of Jamie Varley as he denied abusing and murdering the baby boy he adopted. In a series of police interviews we’re bringing you today he says photos and videos the prosecution say are cruel or indecent were “totally innocent.” He also denied having any sexual interest in Preston and he said he did not kill him. But the jury also heard evidence that Preston had 45 bruises on his body, and he did not die from drowning in a bath, as Jamie Varley claimed.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Subscribe via thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us [email protected]
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)


Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Richard Marsden
Actor: Sarah Gee
Producer: Chelsey Ranore
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this update episode Caroline and Liz have the moment 13-month-old Preston Davey was brought into A&E in the minutes before he died. CCTV footage was shown in court of Jamie Varley and John McGowan Fazakerley running into the hospital in Blackpool carrying the baby and the jury was told Jamie Varley repeatedly said: "It's my fault." He told doctors he'd left Preston in the bath alone for a few minutes and he'd started drowning. But the prosecution say he deliberately murdered him, after weeks of abuse. The men deny the charges.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Subscribe via thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us [email protected]
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Producer: Chelsey Ranore
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Caroline and Liz have the latest in the case of Preston Davey - a baby the prosecution say was abused and murdered after he was adopted by two men - Jamie Varley and John McGowan Fazakerly. Today we’ve got evidence of the videos and pictures from Jamie Varley’s mobile phone. In many of them Preston is naked and in some Jamie Varley appears to be naked too. The prosecution say the jury will have to decide if they are cruel and indecent. We’ve also got the evidence from Jamie Varley’s colleagues who say he gave different accounts of how Preston broke his arm in the weeks before he died. And we hear that at one point the hospital did report some of Preston’s injuries to the police but no investigation was launched.

Help shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.

Terms and conditions

Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusive
The Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).
There will be one (1) winner.
The winner will win £50 Amazon Voucher
Amazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/
Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.

Subscribe via thecrimedesk.com
Follow us on TikTok @DailyMailCrime
Email us [email protected]
WhatsApp us +447796657512 (start your message with ‘Trial’)

Presenter: Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull
Producer: Chelsey Ranore
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.
The Trial series uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.
It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

A Daily Mail production.
Seriously Popular.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.