Just 22 days after 13-month-old Preston Davey died, Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley collected the keys to their new home. While detectives worked around the clock to establish what had happened to the abused toddler, the couple looked to start a new life together at their £449,995 detached family home.
The new build property on Chandlers Way, in Grimsargh, a quiet Lancashire village, appeared to offer that. Set among open fields, the spacious home featured a large driveway, double garage and neatly landscaped garden. To neighbours, it looked like the home of a successful professional couple putting down roots in a family-friendly community.
Horrific Truth Behind the Façade
What those residents could not have known was the horrific truth behind one of the most shocking child cruelty cases in the UK. Preston had died in hospital on July 27, 2023. Within hours, schoolteacher Varley was arrested on suspicion of murder, child cruelty and sexual offences involving a child. McGowan-Fazakerley, who worked in finance, was arrested on suspicion of causing or allowing the death of a child and neglect.
Yet, land registry documents show that on August 18, the couple completed the purchase of their new home and moved in shortly afterwards. For almost a year, they continued to live with each other among unsuspecting neighbours until they were re-arrested in 2025 and then both charged – with residents knowing them primarily for their elaborate holiday displays.
Neighbours Unaware of the Crimes
Neighbours recalled the couple decorating their home for Christmas, Halloween and Easter. One display featured a life-sized cardboard Easter bunny where local children could stop and pose for photographs, while the driveway was filled with Easter eggs and seasonal decorations. One resident said the house became something of a local landmark because of the effort the pair put into marking special occasions. Looking back, she said it was impossible to reconcile the friendly image they projected with the crimes later uncovered in court.
She told the Daily Mail: "We don't have kids but I remember thinking if we did, our children would have been involved in all of that. We would probably have gone inside. You would often see them out at the front of the house, especially during Christmas Easter and Halloween. They certainly did not behave as if they had something to hide."
Trial Reveals Extensive Abuse
The truth finally emerged when police executed a warrant at the property in June 2024 and charged both men. Following a horrific trial lasting more than seven weeks at Preston Crown Court, jurors heard how Preston had suffered extensive physical, emotional and sexual abuse after being placed with the couple as prospective adopters in March 2023. A post-mortem examination found the toddler had sustained around 40 injuries. Prosecutors described the case as one of the most shocking they had encountered, with him enduring a sustained campaign of abuse during the final months of his life.
Varley denied responsibility for the child's death, claiming Preston had accidentally drowned in the bath and later claiming that medical issues linked to reflux were to blame. McGowan-Fazakerley maintained he was unaware of any abuse and denied participating in sexual offences. The jury rejected those accounts. Varley was convicted of murder, sexual offences, causing grievous bodily harm, cruelty and indecent image offences. McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, cruelty and sexual assault.
Sentencing and Red Flags
Last week, Varley was sentenced to a whole-life order, meaning he will likely never be released from prison. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was sentenced to 25 years after being convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual abuse.
Tragically, there had been a string of red flags in the months leading up to Preston's death. In May, he was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital after becoming floppy and unresponsive. Medical staff noted bruising to his head and recorded concerns about unexplained injuries, although following discussions with clinicians the bruising was not ultimately treated as suspicious. A month later, on June 30, Preston returned to hospital with a rash, diarrhoea, vomiting and a high temperature. Staff again observed bruising to his head.
The couple showed medics a video of a toy box falling onto him while he played, explaining the injuries. It later emerged the footage had been recorded 12 days earlier. Days after that, on July 6, Preston was taken back to hospital with an injured arm. An X-ray revealed a fractured elbow and a cast was applied. The following day, an independent reviewer, Helen Magee, from Oldham social services visited Preston at home. Behind the scenes, Varley was telling others he was struggling. During the same week, he spoke to a colleague about having "dark thoughts" involving drowning or suffocating the child.
On July 23, Varley took a series of photographs over a period of just over three minutes. The images showed Preston in his cot with his head and arms over a horizontal rail, his neck resting on it.
Questions Over Professional Oversight
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme before the sentencing, the children's commissioner for England, Rachel De Souza, asked whether more attention was not paid because of Varley's profession as a teacher. "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."
