Family of baby weep in court as trial date set for alleged killer

The loved ones of a baby boy wept as his alleged killer appeared in court.
Former high school teacher Jamie Varley, 36, is accused of the murder and sexual assault of 13-month-old Preston Davey in 2023.
The 36-year-old was in the process of adopting the child along with co-accused John McGowan-Fazakerley, 31, who also appeared in the dock at Preston Crown Court on Monday.
Members of the child's family sat yards away in the public gallery alongside police officers, one woman in tears as she looked over at the defendants.
Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, at the beginning of the 30-minute hearing, dealing with administrative matters that cannot be reported yet, said: 'I gather there are members of Preston's family here. They are most welcome.'
Judge Altham set a date for the trial for both men of April 14, next year, estimated to last up to eight weeks.
He remanded both defendants, who spoke only to confirm their names, into custody to next appear for a plea hearing on October 13 later this year.
Varley is accused of murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration of a child, five counts of child cruelty, one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
He is further accused of 10 counts of taking indecent photographs of a child, one count of distributing indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing indecent pseudo images of a child, and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.
McGowan-Fazakerley is charged with allowing the death of a child, as well as two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child.
All the charges against both men, who lived in Grimsargh, near Preston, span between March and July of 2023, and relate to Preston Davey.
A police investigation first began after officers were called to Blackpool Victoria Hospital at 7.15pm on July 27 2023 after the baby was brought in unresponsive. Preston was pronounced dead a short time later.
Varley was suspended as teacher at South Shore Academy, Blackpool, when he was arrested in 2023, the Cidari Multi Academy Trust which now runs the school said.

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30 minutes ago

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RAF base's only defence against Palestine Action was 6ft wooden fence

For almost 80 years, RAF Brize Norton has been one of the country's most important military airfields, serving as an embarkation point for members of the Royal family and senior politicians as they fly around the globe. So one could be forgiven for expecting security around the Oxfordshire airbase to be watertight. In reality, however, things are a little more porous, with sections of the eight-mile perimeter protected only by a six-foot wooden fence that would not look out of place surrounding a suburban garden. In the early hours of Friday morning, two members of the protest group Palestine Action – which will now be proscribed as a terrorist organisation – took advantage of the seemingly lax defences to enter the airfield and attack two military aircraft. Video footage posted by the group showed two people using electric scooters to cross the base's runway. One can be seen approaching an aircraft and spray-painting its engine, before driving away down the empty airstrip. They were then able to disappear into the night, leaving the RAF red-faced and the Ministry of Defence to announce an urgent review of security. Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. It is also where the aircraft used by dignitaries, including the monarch and prime minister, are based. As would be expected, large parts of the base, especially near the gates, are surrounded by high metal fences topped with menacing-looking razor wire. The perimeter in these areas also bristles with security cameras and hi-tech CCTV to monitor the comings of goings of all personnel. Armed guards patrol the gates in a show of strength aimed at deterring anyone who has no lawful business. But just a short stroll along a grass verge, the barbed wire comes to an abrupt end, to be replaced by a panel fence that looks like it could have been purchased from a DIY store. The section in question is plain to see for anyone travelling the four miles between the villages of Carterton and Bampton along station road. Stretching for around 170 metres, it skirts along the end of the runway and is protected from the road by just a small line of wooden and concrete bollards. One resident said: 'I've lived in this area for years and every time I drive past the fence I think: 'That would be easy to break into'.' It is not topped with barbed wire or any other anti-climbing defences, and would provide little resistance to a determined terrorist with a spring in their step. There is even a hole in the fence at one point for anyone who cannot quite manage the climb. Red warning signs attached to the fence declare: 'No unauthorised access. Protected site under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Trespass on this site is a Criminal Offence. This site is also regulated by military bylaws.' At one end of the section, kennels belonging to the RAF Police's dog section are located. But, while a number of RAF Police vehicles were parked close by, there were no visible personnel patrols on Friday afternoon during the three hours that reporters from The Telegraph were at the site. On the other side of the fence, and just a short distance from the road, Airbus Voyager aircraft, the air-to-air refuellers targeted by Palestine Action, can be seen on the tarmac. Security for the Brize Norton airfield is the responsibility of the RAF Police and Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), which secures Army, Navy and RAF bases. But former members have suggested the unit is poorly funded and does not have the resources to effectively secure such large sites. One RAF source told The Telegraph the level of security across all military was not up to standard, and that 'more dogs, more coppers and more money' was needed to properly secure the sensitive sites. 'We have barbed wire around the bases and cameras, but is its perimeter fence completely covered for the miles it takes up?' the source said. 'No, because Brize Norton is f---ing huge.' He added: 'If we could have another 50 coppers and 50 dogs the security at Brize Norton would improve. But is the security as tight at a fast jet base? Not really. 'To have watertight security at a base like Brize Norton, you'd have to invest countless people and god knows the amount of money. But maybe that's what we have to do now if this is the way things are going.' The source added: 'MPGS are responsible for recruiting the right people and getting them in the right places, but they haven't done that. ' It's a symptom of a lack of investment on security. We don't have tens of millions of pounds to put up CCTV across all the bases.' Another former military source added: 'The security at these non-nuclear bases can be very patchy. The perimeter fences are too long to be able to have them under surveillance 24 hours a day. 'But when Glastonbury's fence is harder to breach than RAF Brize Norton, you know you have an issue. 'While it may be challenging to secure an entire eight-mile perimeter, you would think they ought to be able to protect aircraft sitting on the runway. Someone's head is going to have to roll over this.'

Daily Mail​

35 minutes ago

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Minnesota shooting suspect claims Tim Walz ordered political killing spree in wild letter to the FBI

Vance Boelter wrote a letter to the FBI wildly speculating that Tim Walz wanted to kill Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar so that he could steal her job. Boelter is accused of fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Before that, authorities say, he also shot and wounded another Democrat, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, who lived a few miles away. He surrendered Sunday night after what authorities have called the largest search in Minnesota history. In addition to the discovery of Boelter's hit list targeting several liberal politicians and celebrities, he also address a letter to the FBI that was described as 'rambling' and 'conspiratorial.' The letter was found in a Buick that Boelter left behind near his home and allegedly contains a confession to the Hortman murders and the attempted killing of the Hoffmans. The one and a half page letter is incoherent and difficult to read, two people who were familiar with told the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Boelter allegedly claims that the military had trained him to kill in secret and Walz asked him to kill Klobuchar, among several others, so that he could replace her in the Senate. Klobuchar's current term in the Senate runs until 2030 and Walz has never stated any intention to run for anything since his failed bid for the vice presidency on Kamala Harris' losing ticket. The junior Senator from Minnesota, fellow Democrat Tina Smith, was also named in the letter. A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty would only say that 'we have seen no evidence that the allegations regarding Governor Walz are based in fact.' 'Governor Walz is grateful to law enforcement who apprehended the shooter, and he's grateful to the prosecutors who will ensure justice is swiftly served,' spokesperson Teddy Tschann said. Tschann would only say of the later that 'this tragedy continues to be deeply disturbing for all Minnesotans.' Klobuchar, who herself ran for president in 2020, said in a statement: 'Boelter is a very dangerous man and I am deeply grateful that law enforcement got him behind bars before he killed other people.' Later Friday, it was revealed that Boelter is a doomsday prepper Boelter could face something that is a rarity for Minnesota but could become more common under the Trump administration: the death penalty. Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911, and the state's last execution was a botched hanging in 1906. But federal prosecutors announced charges against Vance Boelter on Monday that can carry the death penalty. Two of the six federal counts can carry the death penalty, something federal prosecutors have not sought in a Minnesota-based case since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. 'Will we seek the death penalty? It´s too early to tell. That is one of the options,' Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Monday at a news conference where he revealed new details of what he described as a meticulously planned attack. They included allegations that Boelter also stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers that night and had dozens of other Democrats as potential targets, including officials in other states . Boelter´s federal defenders have declined to comment on the case, and he has not entered a plea. The federal intervention in Boelter's case appeared to irritate Moriarty, the county's former chief public defender, who was elected on a police reform and racial justice platform in 2022 after the police killing of George Floyd . At a news conference Monday to announce the state charges, Moriarty gave only vague answers in response to questions about the interplay between the federal and state investigations. But she acknowledged 'there's a tension' and said federal officials 'can speak for themselves.' Moriarty said she intends to press forward in state court regardless and to seek an indictment for first-degree murder for the killings of the Hortmans, which would carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Thompson told reporters that the federal case 'does not nullify the state charges. They remain in place. ... My expectation based on prior cases is the federal case, the federal charges, will be litigated first, but the state charges won´t necessarily go anywhere.' On Wednesday, Moriarty said in an interview with The Associated Press that she told federal prosecutors that she wants her office to try Boelter first. But she said she came away with the impression that the U.S. Attorney´s Office intends to exercise its legal authority to go first. Moriarty said she wants the first chance 'because this horrific crime happened in our community' and the lawmakers represented parts of Hennepin County. And she pointed out that her office tries murder cases all the time, and that it is the largest prosecutors' office in the state. 'We have all the resources and experience to handle these cases because that´s what we do,' she said. 'We feel that we owe it to the community to prosecute this case, and we would like to go first.' Moriarty opposes the death penalty and hopes that the federal prosecutors decide not to seek it against Boelter, noting that she hopes to try him for first-degree murder, which would mean life without parole if he is convicted. 'I certainly hope they respect the fact that Minnesota hasn´t had a death penalty for decades, and that´s because of our values here,' Moriarty said. After his federal court appearance, Boelter was taken to the Sherburne County Jail in suburban Elk River, where federal prisoners are often held. His next federal court appearance is June 27. He does not have any further appearances scheduled in state court. Meanwhile, Boelter's wife has remained in hiding - as the accused assassin's defiant family were tight-lipped concerning her whereabouts, telling a reporter to 'piss off.' Shaken mom-of-five Jenny, 51, rang pals only to say she was in a 'safe' location but wouldn't reveal where she was. She fled the family's bucolic farmhouse home in Green Isle, Minnesota, last Saturday morning after Boelter hinted that he had done something monstrous in a 6.18am text. 'Dad went to war last night,' wrote of her 57-year-old husband. 'There's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger happy and I don't want you guys around.' As news broke that Boelter had allegedly gunned down two lawmakers and their spouses in Minneapolis, Jenny was pulled over driving through Onamia, 90 miles north. She had their youngest children in the car along with their passports, $10,000 in cash and two handguns, according to federal court filings. Jenny, president of the couple's private security firm, consented to a voluntary search of her electronic devices but wasn't arrested in the 10am traffic stop. There's nothing in her husband's charging documents to suggest she had advance knowledge of his alleged plot to slaughter dozens of Democrat lawmakers and pro-abortion activists. Jenny has not commented publicly since Boelter was captured Sunday evening and charged with multiple counts of murder and stalking. Her brother Jason Doskocil, 54, had a blunt message for when we asked about her whereabouts. 'I'm sorry, we are not going to talk to nobody - so piss off,' he replied. Boelter was captured Sunday evening following the biggest ever manhunt in the state of Minnesota. He had first dressed as a cop and donned a terrifying latex mask to shoot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette shortly before 2am Saturday. The pair were left in critical condition but are expected to survive the shooting on the doorstep of their Champlin, Minnesota home. Boelter then headed to a second lawmaker's residence in Brooklyn Park, pumping multiple bullets into former State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, killing both. The lunatic had drawn up a chilling assassination list of 45 targets including Democrat lawmakers, abortion providers and pro-choice activists, it's alleged. But his murder spree was halted in its tracks when police intercepted him leaving the Hortman's' home and engaged him in a firefight. The gunman fled on foot, leaving behind three AK-47 assault rifles and a 9mm handgun, triggering a massive hunt spanning multiple states and law enforcement agencies. The search narrowed Sunday night to woodland and swampy farmland one mile away from the Boelter residence. Officers first found an abandoned Buick that he had bought off a stranger he met in the street in a madcap scheme to escape. When the fugitive was spotted on a trail cam cops set up a square-mile perimeter deploying drones, dogs and helicopters to flush him out. Neighbor Wendy Thomas eventually spotted Boelter ducking down beside a culvert and flagged SWAT teams who took the alleged shooter alive.

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Colorado husband Barry Morphew seen in new mug shot after DA reveals shocking evidence in wife's murder

Colorado husband Barry Morphew was pictured in a new mugshot taken by officials in Arizona after he was indicted for the murder of his wife Suzanne. The 43-year-old mother of two vanished from the couple's stunning $1.5 million home in Marysville, 150 miles from Denver, in May 2020. Barry, 53, was charged on Friday. Barry Morphew was arrested in Cave Creek, Arizona on Friday and has been charged with first-degree murder. He was seen disheveled and bleary-eyed in a new mugshot by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office following his arrest. The landscaper's bail was set at $3 million, as investigators held a press conference Friday evening to release further details about the case. An indictment seen by revealed that Suzanne died with the presence of a powerful animal tranquilizer called butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM) in her body. The charging document released Friday delivered an apparent smoking gun in theatrical style. 'Ultimately, the prescription records show that when Suzanne Morphew disappeared, only one private citizen living in that entire area of the state had access to BAM: Barry Morphew,' it said. A tranquilizer needle cap, darts and a tranquillizer gun were found in the couple's home during a law enforcement search conducted shortly after Suzanne vanished. Barry used BAM to hunt deer while in the couple's native Indiana. They moved to Colorado from the Hoosier State in 2018 and were having severe marital difficulties at the time of Suzanne's disappearance. The much-loved mom vanished while the younger of the couple's two daughter's Macy was away from the family home for a few days. Cops allege Barry killed Suzanne on the morning of May 9 2020, the day before her disappearance was reported. At a press conference on Friday night, District Attorney Anne Kelly declined to elaborate beyond what was contained in the indictment. She said only that her office never gave up on getting justice for Suzanne, adding: 'We have worked very hard to move forward in this case.' Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared, and his attorney David Beller blasted the new indictment. He said: 'Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence. Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either.' Barry was first charged with murdering his wife in 2021, in the absence of his wife's body. But the case collapsed amid prosecutorial misconduct, with Macy and the couple's other daughter Mallory both standing by their father throughout. A new team of prosecutors began probing Barry again after Suzanne's body was discovered dumped along the side of a rural road in Saguache County, Colorado in September 2023 in a patch of wasteland known as 'The Boneyard.' That is about an hour's drive south of the Morphew residence. And more dramatic evidence revealed for the first time Friday revealed that Suzanne did not die where her body was found. Forensic experts said the lack of animal activity on Suzanne's body combined with the lack of decomposure of the cycling clothes she was wearing mean 'it was unlikely Suzanne decomposed from a fresh body to a skeleton at this location.' The charging document did not offer any further theories or evidence as to where investigators believe Suzanne was killed or where her body was initially concealed. No cause of death has been given because of how badly Suzanne had decomposed, but a coroner's report said she'd died with the BAM tranquilizer in her system. Suzanne was reported missing by her neighbor on Mother's Day 2020 after Mallory and Macy were unable to reach her on the phone. Her last communication with a friend was on May 9, the day investigators believe Barry killed her. Barry and Suzanne were alone at their home at the time of the disappearance. On May 6, Suzanne texted Barry saying: 'I'm done. I could (sic) care less what you're up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.' Barry claimed he left home early on the morning of May 10 to go to work in the Colorado city of Broomfield, three hours from their home. He said that Suzanne was asleep in their bed, having told him she was planning a bike ride for her day. Investigators insist Suzanne had already been dead for hours at that point. Barry's phone entered and exited airplane mode several times over the next 24 hours, authorities said. The door of his truck was opened numerous times between 3.25am and 5am and was backed up into the home's garage at least once. Further arousing suspicion was Barry's activity in Broomfield. He claimed to have been on a landscaping job but spent a total of just 90 minutes on site and the rest in a cheap hotel room that cleaners reported stank of chlorine after he checked out. Barry was captured on surveillance making several trash runs at numerous locations around town, but appeared to be doing little work, police noted. Suzanne's disappearance was reported to police on the evening of May 10 - Mothering Sunday - after Macy and Mallory said they had been unable to contact their mother. Barry asked a neighbor to check on the house and then asked them to call the sheriff when the neighbor saw no trace of Suzanne. During a subsequent police interview, Barry claimed the couple's marriage was 'the best' and that they'd just had a 'wonderful weekend together.' But that was a lie; Suzanne had been having a two year affair with an old school friend called Jeff Libler and despised her husband, it is alleged. After cops began to search the property, they found Suzanne's bike abandoned down a steep embankment close to the family home. Police believe that scene was staged. Her helmet was discovered days later, roughly a mile away, at the side of a highway. The disappearance of an attractive, wealthy mother soon sparked a nationwide media frenzy. A tearful Barry even released a brief video appeal to the public asking for information. 'Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this that has you, please, we'll do whatever it takes to bring you back,' Barry said. Meanwhile, a huge manhunt was launched, with authorities scouring rural terrain, diving in lakes, and deploying K9 units to find Suzanne - but there was no trace. When Barry was questioned by police two days after Suzanne disappeared, officers noted he had scratches on his hands and arms. A search of the Morphew home found a live .22 caliber bullet by Suzanne's bed, and a needle cap from a tranquilizer dart was found in the dryer, tangled up among washed bed sheets. Investigators also recovered empty tranquilizer darts, a needle used to inject tranquilizer chemicals into the darts, and a dart gun. Barry Morphew admitted to using a tranquilizer gun to shoot deer so he could harvest their horns, but said he was unsure how the cap got in the dryer, court records show. Barry, who owned a scruffy trailer park in Cave Creek, will now be extradited to the San Luis Valley in Colorado to face charges. His 'Stardust Trailer Park' billed itself a 'boutique community' offering short and long-term rentals, but had a dilapidated and depressing air when visited by in 2024. His daughters have yet to comment on the charges brought against their father. Suzanne's loved ones including her sister Melinda had previously condemned Barry over his alleged treatment of his wife and claimed Suzanne had feared for her safety. A friend called Sheila Oliver claimed Suzanne had complained of Barry shoving her into a closet and putting a gun to his head while screaming: 'Is this what you want?' 'Federal, State and local law enforcement have never stopped working toward justice for Suzanne,' Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly said Friday.