The 13-month-old boy, whom the pair had not finished adopting, died in 2023

British secondary school teacher Jamie Varley has been charged with the murder and sexual assault of a 13-month-old boy that he and his boyfriend John McGowan-Fazakerley were in the process of adopting.

The couple appeared in Preston Crown Court on Monday, nearly two years after the baby boy, Preston Davey, was pronounced dead at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 2023. Both defendants were initially arrested, but later released on bail.

Lancashire Police later re-arrested and charged Varley with a slew of offenses including murder, two counts of assault by penetration of a male child under 13 and five counts of child cruelty. He also stands accused of multiple counts of taking indecent photographs, distributing an image and possession of an extreme pornographic image of the victim, as well as other offenses.

His co-defendant McGowan-Fazakerley has been charged with causing and allowing the death of a child, sexual assault of a child, and two counts of cruelty to a child, the police said.

The authorities noted that all of the charges were related to the 13-month-old victim.

Judge Robert Altham, who presided at Monday's brief hearing, set the trial date for April 14, 2026. Both defendants were remanded into custody and will remain in prison awaiting a plea hearing in October, according to local daily The Blackpool Gazette.

The judge noted that while he regretted the delay, it would ensure that all expert witnesses were ready for future proceedings, the newspaper wrote on Monday.

Varley has been suspended from work since 2023, according to the Cidari Multi Academy Trust, which now runs the school where he was employed at the time of the alleged crime. "He has not been permitted onto, or attended school premises, or been permitted to contact pupils or colleagues," the organization told the Blackpool Gazette in a statement.

The trust is reportedly "considering its position in relation" to Varley's employment. "Jamie was suspended on full pay as we are legally obliged to do," Cidari told the local newspaper when asked whether Varley has been receiving a salary since his 2023 arrest.