Overview
- The defence phase began on Thursday when Jamie Varley gave evidence denying murder, sexual assault and cruelty and saying he feels ashamed of some photos but did not harm Preston.
- Prosecutors have relied on a post-mortem that recorded about 40 internal and external injuries and found the cause of death was acute upper-airways obstruction consistent with smothering or insertion of an object.
- Jurors have been shown photos and videos from the defendants’ phones that the prosecution says show unsafe positions, naked images and possible signs of sexual abuse while the defence says the images were innocent or taken in poor judgment.
- Preston was placed with Varley and his partner after adoption assessments on April 1, 2023, and he collapsed and died on July 27, 2023, events the court has heard are central to the timeline of alleged abuse.
- The trial will continue with further defence evidence and raises wider questions about early safeguarding after placement and how medical and digital evidence should be interpreted in child-abuse cases.