The jury in the trial of a British teacher and his boyfriend, accused of sexually abusing and murdering the infant boy they were adopting, was suddenly discharged on Thursday.
Jamie Varley, 37, and John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, were on trial for their alleged crimes against 13-month-old Preston Davey when the judge, Justice Mark Turner, discharged the six men and six women of the jury, the Manchester Evening News reported.
The reasons for the jury’s discharge were not immediately given.
“Circumstances have arisen which make it impossible for this trial to continue,” Turner told the jury at Preston Crown Court in northwest England.
“I commend your obvious attention and concentration you’ve exercised over the last few days, and you’ve performed your duty — this isn’t any criticism of you,” he added.
“I’m afraid I’m left with no reasonable alternative … with a heavy heart I discharge you from this trial,” the judge said.
The jury previously heard how Davey was allegedly suffocated by Varley, just four months after he was placed in the couple’s care.
The tot was “routinely ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted” by Varley, a school teacher, and his boyfriend, prosecuting lawyer Peter Wright told the jury.
On three separate occasions, he was taken to the hospital, including once with a fractured arm, before he died on July 27, 2023.
