A secondary school teacher has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual abuse and murder of the baby boy he was in the process of adopting with his partner. Jamie Varley, 37, received a whole-life order on Thursday for abusing and killing 13-month-old Preston Davey. Justice Mr. Turner stated that Varley will remain incarcerated for the remainder of his life, with no eligibility for parole.
Partner's Sentence
His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexual abuse, child cruelty, and allowing the death of a child.
Background of the Case
Preston was removed from his biological mother, a convicted murderer, and placed with foster parents five days after birth. At nine months old, he was placed with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley by an adoption agency. The court heard that the adopting parents treated the baby as a "plaything." Prosecutor Peter Wright KC stated that during his time at the couple's home in Staining, near Blackpool, the infant was "routinely ill-treated, sexually abused, and physically assaulted." Evidence revealed that the baby sustained 40 traumatic injuries.
Fatal Incident
On July 27, 2023, the couple brought an unresponsive Preston to the hospital, where medical staff worked for 50 minutes to revive him, but were unsuccessful. Varley, described in court as overly dramatic, gave a "performance" of a grieving parent that one senior doctor described as unlike anything she had witnessed before.
Jurors heard that Varley claimed to have left the baby in the bath for a few minutes and returned to find him submerged. However, medical evidence contradicted this story: Preston's hair was dry, he had a nappy on, and he showed no signs of swallowing water. A pathologist determined the cause of death to be acute upper airways obstruction, either by smothering or by the insertion of objects into the baby's mouth.
Investigation Findings
A lengthy police investigation uncovered disturbing images and videos on Varley's phone, which served as evidence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of the child. The case has raised questions about whether authorities missed opportunities to save Preston. The eight-week trial revealed that Preston was seen by a "battery of professionals," including social workers, doctors, and nurses, in the final weeks of his life.
Preston was taken to the hospital three times by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley, once with a broken arm. Each time, he was returned home to their care. No concerns were raised, and explanations for the injuries provided by Varley, a head of year at a Blackpool secondary school, and McGowan-Fazakerley, a sales manager for an asset finance company, were accepted.
Safeguarding Review
A child safeguarding practice review initiated by Oldham Council after Preston's death was paused during the criminal proceedings and has now resumed. The independent review will examine the handling of Preston's safeguarding and the involvement of agencies responsible for his welfare before his death.
Family Impact
Preston was born four weeks early to Sarah Davey, who was on the mother and baby unit at HMP Styal. Davey was jailed at age 14, along with a teenage friend, for the murder of a pensioner who had befriended them. The baby's maternal grandmother, Debbie Davey from Oldham, expressed her desire to care for Preston but was unable due to a breast cancer diagnosis.
Preston spent his first nine months with experienced foster parents Sandra and Paul Cooper, where he lived happily. In a victim impact statement, Sarah Davey said Preston's death "should never have been allowed to happen" and that she carries "grief, guilt, and heartbreak" every day. "He was defenceless," she stated. "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." Davey sobbed uncontrollably in the public gallery as her statement was read.
Preston's foster parents also read impact statements. Sandra Cooper said they often watch videos of Preston when he was with them, showing him happy, laughing, and giggling. "Preston's face would light up when we looked at him," she said. "He was joyful, so content and happy, with sparkly smiling eyes. That is how we want to remember him."
Official Reactions
The children's commissioner for England, Rachel De Souza, described Preston's murder as a "massive safeguarding failure." Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme before sentencing, she questioned whether Varley's profession as a teacher led to less scrutiny. "Did that evil abuser hoodwink people under that professional guise?" she asked. "The social worker saw [Preston] 20 days before he died. I want to know whether the correct level of professional curiosity was there. I have huge numbers of questions and I'm not going to let go until I have the answers."
DCI Andy Fallows of Lancashire Police, the senior investigating officer, stated that Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley made Preston's life one of harrowing misery and pain. "It is not often in this job that you encounter pure evil," he said. "Anybody who has followed this trial will no doubt understand why I place Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley in that category." Both men had denied all charges.
Karen Tonge of the Crown Prosecution Service remarked: "This has been one of the most shocking and horrific cases I have dealt with in my career. It is difficult to comprehend how the very people who should have loved him could inflict such sickening physical and sexual harm on an innocent child."
