A sadistic school teacher who murdered his adopted baby during a sex attack told a sickening lie moments after the 13-month-old died. Jamie Varley, 37, a former head of year, inflicted unremitting abuse on Preston Davey, who was in his care for just four months.
The Final Lie
On July 27, 2023, Varley rushed Preston into hospital, claiming the child had accidentally drowned in the bath. He told medical staff he left the baby for two or three minutes and returned to find him submerged. However, there was no evidence of water ingestion, the nappy was in place, and the baby was dry. One senior doctor said Varley gave a performance of a grieving parent unlike any she had ever seen. Medics worked for 50 minutes to save Preston, but he was pronounced dead.
Autopsy Findings
A Home Office post-mortem ruled out drowning. The examination found around 40 non-accidental injuries, both internal and external. These included multiple fingertip bruises on the head, face, and limbs, slap marks on the leg, and a human bite mark on the baby’s right buttock. Preston also had injuries to his mouth, throat, and bottom, consistent with forcible penetration and sexual abuse.
Abuse and Adoption
Preston had been removed from his mother, Sarah Davey, by an emergency care order at five days old and placed in foster care. He was adopted at nine months by Varley and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, in April 2023. Over the next four months, Preston was routinely sexually assaulted, physically abused, and had indecent images and videos taken of him. Detectives found evidence that Varley confessed to a fellow teacher about having dark thoughts of suffocating or drowning Preston. He also sent a text to his sister calling the child dead meat after a sleepless night. Ninety minutes before the hospital trip, Varley recorded a video of Preston in extreme distress, hardly breathing, while using Snapchat and checking emails.
Trial and Sentencing
Following an eight-week trial, Varley was given a whole life term and told he would never be eligible for parole. His partner McGowan-Fazakerley was jailed for 25 years for allowing the abuse and participating in sexual abuse. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows of Lancashire Police said: “Jamie Varley is an evil and monstrous individual who sexually, physically and mentally abused a vulnerable baby for his own sadistic pleasure. I struggle to imagine the horror that Preston endured in his short life. This has been one of the most challenging investigations our force major investigation team has ever undertaken, and the most extreme example of sordid and wicked behaviour by two completely remorseless human beings. This is a case which has truly shocked the nation.”
