The sickening abuse that baby Preston Davey endured at the hands of his foster parents, described as "pure evil," has been laid out in court. The toddler suffered months of physical and sexual mistreatment, resulting in 40 traumatic injuries.
Details of the Abuse
Jamie Varley, 37, and his boyfriend, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, treated Preston as their personal "plaything," according to prosecutors. Over a four-month period, they subjected the vulnerable child to physical, sexual, and psychological torment, even filming their actions. Despite multiple hospital visits and social worker check-ins, Preston remained in their care.
Timeline of Events
Preston, whose birth mother was jailed for murder, was adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley in March 2023 after a brief stint with foster carers. Days later, Varley texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer, calling the baby "dead meat." He wrote: "He's dead meat today. Didn't sleep last night after 11.30pm. Up every one and a half hours."
By May 12, Preston's health declined. McGowan-Fazakerley called 999 about breathing problems but abandoned the call, dialing 111 instead. A doctor's return call went unanswered.
On May 25, Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, floppy and unresponsive. Varley claimed a nosebleed and possible seizure. A medical report noted "unexplained injuries, inconsistent with version given," but these were attributed to crawling, and Preston was discharged after two days.
Filmed Abuse
The couple filmed much of the abuse, sharing videos with crude comments. On June 15, Varley sent a photo showing a bite mark on Preston. Other images showed "bruising to his head, indicating physical cruelty." Videos revealed Varley sleep-depriving Preston by playing loud music and shouting "boo," and the infant suffering an apparent seizure linked to sexual assault.
On June 30, the couple took Preston to A&E again for fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. Staff noticed new bruises, which Varley explained with a 12-day-old video of a toy box falling on the child. He even joked about being suspected of abuse.
On July 6, Preston was hospitalized for the third time with a fractured arm. Different accounts were given to staff, social workers, and friends. Varley told A&E there was "an incident in Preston's cot."
A video from July 24 showed Preston left alone in a bath for over 14 minutes, not in his bath seat, in distress. Three days later, Varley filmed Preston struggling to breathe, believed to be from sexual assault causing airway obstruction. Hours later, the couple arrived at the hospital with an unconscious Preston in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 7.20pm.
Postmortem Findings
A postmortem revealed 40 traumatic injuries, including at least 30 external bruises and internal injuries to his mouth, throat, bowel, and bladder, plus a healing fractured arm.
If you suspect child abuse, contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or visit nspcc.org.uk. In immediate danger, call 999.
