WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. From the outside, Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley seemed like the perfect adoptive parents for baby Preston Davey. Their social media pages were filled with photos of the adorable tot, with his sweet curls and beautiful smile. But the 'Instagram-ready' image of family life turned out to be a sick facade.
Behind the doors of their semi-detached home in Blackpool, baby Preston was subjected to physical, sexual, and emotional torture. After months of abuse, the tragic tot died on July 27, 2023, at just 13 months old.
The Couple Behind the Facade
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were quite different in background and temperament. They met in a bar in Manchester's Gay Village and seemed like an unlikely pairing, but they turned out to be a match made in hell.
Varley grew up in a poor area of Blackpool, one of five children in a working-class family. McGowan-Fazakerley, on the other hand, enjoyed a more privileged upbringing. The 32-year-old, raised in Congleton, attended Macclesfield's Kings School and studied up to PhD level at Keele University. He later became an operational manager at a finance company.
Varley, 37, excelled in his career despite severe dyslexia. He rose from technician to design and technology teacher and later head of Year 11 at Blackpool's South Shore Academy.
Adoption and Early Days
By late 2021, McGowan-Fazakerley began enquiries with the adoption agency, Adoption Now. The vetting process found nothing alarming in their histories. In January 2023, they were approved as adoptive parents, and on April 1, 'sweet and bubbly' Preston, then nine months old, came to live with them.
Preston had been born to murderer Sarah Davey, who as a 14-year-old killed 71-year-old Lily Lilley. Despite this haunting history, Preston was described as a 'happy' and 'perfectly healthy baby' when delivered to the couple.
The Hidden Abuse
Varley took a year off work to care for Preston, while McGowan-Fazakerley worked long hours. Varley struggled with a baby who woke frequently and told a friend he had 'dark thoughts' about Preston, including drowning or suffocating him.
Jurors heard that Varley's sexual interest in Preston was 'shared' by McGowan-Fazakerley and became evident within weeks of the adoption. Varley's phone contained hundreds of harrowing images and videos, including one showing Preston with a human bite mark on his bottom, and another showing the child partially suspended on his cot railing, inhibiting his breathing.
The Tragic End
On July 27, 2023, Preston suffered a collapse and cardiac arrest. Varley claimed he had accidentally drowned in the bath, but the baby was dry and there was no water in the bath. A post-mortem found 40 external and internal trauma injuries, consistent with sexual abuse. The cause of death was acute upper airways obstruction by smothering or objects inserted into his mouth.
McGowan-Fazakerley turned on Varley in court, claiming his trust had been 'misplaced'. After 13 hours of deliberation, Varley was found guilty of murder and other charges, collapsing and vomiting as the verdict was read. McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of allowing Preston's death, child cruelty, and sexual assault.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows said: 'Jamie Varley is an evil, cruel, manipulative child abuser and murderer. We should remember Preston Davey, a little boy who was happy and smiley under the love and care of his foster parents.'
