A judge has sentenced Jamie Varley, the former school teacher who sexually abused and murdered the baby he was adopting, to a rare whole life term, meaning he will never be eligible for parole. The sentencing took place at Preston Crown Court on Thursday.
Judge's Statement
Mr Justice Turner told Varley: "This is a case of the utmost gravity. You will stay in prison for the whole of your life. You will never be released." The judge described the abuse inflicted on 13-month-old Preston Davey as "unremitting."
Details of the Case
Varley, 37, a former head of year at a high school, was adopting Preston with his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, who was also sentenced to 25 years in prison. Following an eight-week trial, Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of child cruelty, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, and multiple counts of taking and distributing indecent images of a child.
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.
Police Reaction
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, who led the murder investigation for Lancashire Police, said: "Jamie Varley is an evil and monstrous individual who sexually, physically, and mentally abused a vulnerable baby for his own sadistic pleasure. I struggle to imagine the horror that Preston endured in his short life. This has been one of the most challenging investigations our force major investigation team has ever undertaken, and the most extreme example of sordid and wicked behaviour by two completely remorseless human beings. This is a case which has truly shocked the nation."
Preston's Suffering
Preston began living with the couple when he was nine months old in April 2023 and died in July 2023. During the nearly four months he was in their care, Preston was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, and was sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries.
The jury heard that Preston was treated as a "plaything." He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times in the months before his death. On July 27, 2023, Varley rushed Preston to hospital unresponsive, claiming he had left the child in the bath for a few minutes and found him submerged. However, a Home Office post-mortem examination ruled out drowning and found around 40 non-accidental injuries, including fingertip bruises, slap marks, a human bite mark on his buttock, and injuries consistent with forcible penetration and sexual abuse. The cause of death was acute upper airway obstruction by an object or objects inserted into his mouth.
Systemic Failures
A social services investigation is underway. Dame Rachel de Souza, Children's Commissioner for England, described the case as a "harrowing" failure of state safeguarding. A Government spokesperson called Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley "evil abusers" who exploited a vulnerable child, adding: "The public rightly demand answers about what went wrong and we can assure them we will make sure anyone responsible for negligence faces consequences."
As a "looked after" child, Preston was seen by multiple professionals, including social workers, health visitors, and hospital medics. A child safeguarding practice review, paused during the criminal proceedings, will be relaunched by Oldham Council.
