A former inmate believes Jamie Varley, the man convicted of murdering his adopted 13-month-old son Preston Davey, will serve his life sentence in HMP Wakefield, a category A prison known as 'Monster Mansion', where he will 'almost certainly die prematurely'.
Details of the Crime
Varley, a 37-year-old former high school teacher from Blackpool, regularly sexually abused, physically assaulted, and took indecent pictures of Preston, whom he had adopted just four months before smothering him to death. He was found guilty of murder at Preston Crown Court, where he vomited in the dock. He was also convicted of cruelty to a child, assault by penetration, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, taking indecent photos or videos of a child, and distributing an indecent photo of a child.
His boyfriend, John McGowan-Fazakerley, was convicted of two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child, receiving a 25-year sentence for allowing the death of a child.
Former Inmate's Predictions
David Shipley, a former inmate at HMP Wandsworth who served time for fraud between 2020 and 2021, wrote a piece for The Spectator outlining what Varley can expect. Shipley argued Varley should have faced the gallows but instead will likely begin his sentence at HMP Wakefield, where paedophile Ian Watkins, the disgraced Lost Prophets singer, was stabbed to death in October 2024.
Shipley wrote: 'Wakefield, and jails like it, are full of very violent men who often feel they have nothing to lose. These prisons are increasingly dangerous places. Even surrounded by other paedophiles and child killers, Varley will be at risk.' He noted a recent influx of postcode gang inmates who 'particularly loathe the child killers and abusers'. Shipley predicted Varley 'will almost certainly die prematurely, either by his own hands or another prisoner's'.
Prison Conditions and Safety Concerns
Inspections in June found 'insufficient progress' in addressing inmate safety and violence at HMP Wakefield since the murders of Ian Watkins and child killer Kyle Bevan. An earlier inspection showed a 72% increase in serious assaults. Shipley criticized 'prison justice' as unfair to staff, who face injury or death in such hostile environments.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson responded: 'Inspectors recognised early signs of improvement at HMP Wakefield, including reduced levels of violence. But the prison continues to operate under immense pressure after this Government inherited a system at the peak of its crisis, and we are continuing work to drive forward improvements in key areas like healthcare and infrastructure.'
About HMP Wakefield
HMP Wakefield, a maximum-security prison in West Yorkshire, houses up to 600 dangerous criminals, including serial killers and child murderers. It was once home to Harold Shipman, one of the UK's most despised prisoners. After sentencing Varley to a whole life order, Mr Justice Turner stated: 'It was you who did this. You murdered him. A whole life order is a sentence of last resort for cases of the most extreme gravity. This is a case of the most extreme gravity. You must stay in prison for the rest of your life. You will never be eligible for parole.'
