Preston Davey's foster dad has not 'gone a week without crying' after the baby's cruel death. The foster family who cared for Preston Davey before he was adopted by the evil couple who subjected him to cruelty before his death have both personally read their statements to Preston Crown Court.
Heartbreaking Statements in Court
Sandra and Paul Cooper, who cared for Preston from him being five-days-old, both read out their statements to Preston Crown Court in front of Jamie Varley and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley. Varley was convicted of murdering the 13-month-old during a sexual assault on July 27, 2023. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, will also be jailed for his role in Preston's death, as well as a joint sex attack on the helpless child four days earlier.
Preston was born to convicted killer Sarah Davey, who was forced to give up the child. Paul and Sandra were given Preston after he was taken into the care of Oldham council. But at around nine months old, the foster couple had to hand him over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley, who had been approved to adopt a child.
Paul Cooper's Emotional Testimony
Paul Cooper read an emotional statement to the court over how Preston's cruel death continues to live with him. He told the court sometimes wakes up three to four times thinking of Preston and regularly breaks down in tears to this day. He also told the court, in front of the evil couple, that he wished the couple could have kept him as Preston's death felt 'like I have lost my own child'.
Paul told the court: 'We fostered Preston until he was nine, nearly 10 months old. By this time he had developed his little personality and was thriving. Saying goodbye to him and handing him over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley was extremely difficult. However, we believed at the time that this was the best thing for Preston and he was going to a loving family. What happened to him after this I still cannot bear to think about.'
'In 2023 we found out about Preston’s death via a social worker. This was less than four months after he had left us. Since this over the past few years we have had to find out what really happened to Preston in ‘dribs and drabs’. This has devastated me - fostering Preston felt like he was my own child and to hear the cruel things that happened to him in such a short space of time has emotionally and physically drained me.'
'Even to this day I tell myself this is not real or possible, then reality hits and it breaks me again to think about the suffering Preston went through. I have found that this has affected me personally - since this I find myself waking up three or four times during the night thinking about Preston. Sometimes I can be awake for hours thinking about it.'
'I never thought I was an emotional person, however, these past three years I haven’t gone through a week without crying, sometimes it might not be anything to do with Preston or this case however, I just become upset over little things.'
'I feel like a totally different person. I even get anxious when the children leave my sight within my own home. I think about the world and the people out there and if these so called ‘respectable’ person/s can do this then anyone could - I do not trust anybody anymore. There hasn’t been a day go by that I haven’t thought about Preston and what he went through. I just wish we could have kept him.'
Sandra Cooper's Statement
The couple were due to retire from fostering after Preston went to live with the couple but after his cruel death, they decided to continue to help care for children who are in need. Sandra told the court: 'Preston’s death has had a huge impact upon our lives. Preston was going to be the last child we fostered; however, we could not retire after Preston died. We felt we had a duty to other children and could not sit back and enjoy ourselves knowing that other children were being abused, mistreated and could die.'
'My husband Paul and I have continued to foster children to protect them. We are doing this for Preston, in his memory. Preston’s death has changed my perspective on life; things I once felt were important I now feel are not. I realise that life is too short.'
'Paul and I have previously felt that the best option for all our foster children was to leave us happy and healthy to go and live with a new permanent adoptive family. We now struggle with this, and I will feel mistrustful and anxious about any of our children leaving our care to live with strangers.'
