Preston Davey's adoptive father chillingly remarked, 'I'm definitely going to hell,' before being found guilty of the child's murder and sexual abuse. Jamie Varley, 37, adopted Preston Davey at nine months old alongside his partner, ex-public schoolboy and financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32. The couple adopted the 'sweet and bubbly' baby in 2023, but tragically, he died just four months later at the age of 13 months.
Court Proceedings
During the trial at Preston Crown Court, the jury viewed footage from body-worn cameras captured at the hospital following Preston's death. The court heard that after the baby died, the parents and grandmother were invited into the bereavement room to spend time with him. Varley initially refused but was later persuaded by hospital staff. In a video clip played in court, he was seen holding the baby, saying: 'I can't do with people moaning out there because I'm broken in half. I don't think I can do this John.' McGowan-Fazackerley replied: 'We are going to be okay. This is going to be the hardest thing that we're ever going to do in our lives, but we've got each other.' Varley then said: 'I'm so angry at him. He hasn't got anybody up there. I probably won't see you again, I'm definitely going to Hell.'
Verdict and Charges
Varley was subsequently found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photo of a child to his co-accused, and one count of making an indecent photo. McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
Post-Mortem Findings
A Home Office post-mortem ruled out drowning as the cause of death and revealed approximately 40 non-accidental internal and external injuries. These included multiple clusters of 'finger tip' bruises on his head, face, and limbs, slap marks on his leg, and a human bite mark on the baby's right buttock. Preston also had injuries to his mouth, throat, and bottom, with parts of his anatomy described as 'abnormal' and consistent with 'forcible penetration' and sexual abuse. The cause of death was determined to be acute upper airways obstruction by an object or objects inserted into his mouth.
