Preston Davey's mother broke down in tears during the sentencing hearing of his two adoptive fathers. Jamie Varley, 37, was convicted of murdering the 13-month-old during a sexual assault on July 27, 2023. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also convicted for his role in Preston's death, as well as a joint sex attack on the child four days earlier. The pair are being sentenced today at Preston Crown Court.
Preston was born to convicted killer Sarah Davey. Davey, now aged 43, was 14 when she and her 15-year-old friend Lisa Healey befriended vulnerable grandmother Lily Lilley, who lived alone, before inviting themselves into her home on West Street, Failsworth, in 1998. The pair then brutally tortured Lily before choking her to death. Davey was handed a life sentence for the offence in 1999.
Appearing in the dock, Varley wore faded black jeans and a dark polo shirt, while McGowan-Fazakerley wore a navy suit. Sarah Davey was in court with her mother Debbie, Preston's grandmother. Prosecution KC Simon Driver read out a victim impact statement from Sarah to the court.
Sarah cried as the statement was read. Sharing her early memories, she wrote: "Preston Paul Arlo Davey was perfect from the moment he was born. The second he was placed in my arms, I fell completely in love with him. He was my baby, my only son, and from that day on I never wanted to let him go."
She described the first seven months of his life as precious, but those memories are now mixed with pain. Turning to when Preston was taken from her care, she wrote: "The day he was taken from me was one of the worst days of my life. I had no choice in that decision. I tried to take some comfort in believing he would be safe, loved, and protected, and he was with his foster parents, Sandra and Paul, I trusted them, they and the system trusted you, that trust was completely and unforgivably broken."
She continued: "Preston was innocent. He was defenceless. He relied entirely on you—the adults responsible for him—to love him, care for him, and keep him safe. Instead, you caused him suffering. You took away his chance to grow up, to go to school, to make friends, to live a full life. You took everything from him."
She added: "There are no words that can truly describe the moment I was told my son had died. My world ended. A part of me died with him. But what makes it even more unbearable is knowing that his death was not an accident—it was something cruel, something he did not deserve, something that should never have been allowed to happen."
Davey finished her statement by saying Preston's death was something she would never recover from. She wrote: "Preston should be here today. He would be four years old. He should be getting ready to start school, learning, laughing, and living his life. Instead, he is forever thirteen months old."
She said: "I am left trying to live a life that no longer makes sense. I carry grief, guilt, and heartbreak every single day. I try to be strong for my daughter, but part of me is broken forever. This is not something I will ever recover from."
Davey concluded: "To my beautiful blue-eyed boy, Preston you were, and always will be, loved beyond words. I wanted you with me every single day. We all did. Your Nanna fought so hard for you, and you deserved to be with the people who loved you."
She added: "You were failed by the very people who were supposed to protect you. All I can ask now is that the seriousness of what has been done to my son is fully recognised. No sentence will ever bring him back or take away the pain, but it must reflect the life that was taken, the suffering he endured, and the lifelong impact this has had on our family."
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley will be handed their sentences later today.
