A secondary school teacher has been convicted of the murder and sexual abuse of a 13-month-old baby whom he treated as a "plaything." Preston Davey was adopted by Jamie Varley, 37, and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, a former public school pupil and financial sales manager. The baby was removed from his mother, Sarah Davey, now 42, under an emergency care order by Oldham Council. Ms Davey had been imprisoned at age 14 for the murder of a pensioner in 1998.
Details of the Abuse
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were approved to adopt Preston at nine months old in April 2023. Within four months, Preston suffered regular mistreatment, including indecent images and videos, sexual abuse, and physical assault, resulting in 40 traumatic injuries. The court heard that Preston was used as a "plaything" and endured horrific abuse.
Trial and Verdict
After an eight-week trial, the jury deliberated for about 14 hours before reaching its verdict. Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, and multiple counts related to indecent images. McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault.
As the verdicts were read, Varley covered his face in disbelief, dropped to his knees, and vomited. His co-defendant showed no response, while McGowan-Fazakerley's father shook his head. Preston's mother and grandmother wept throughout the announcement of 29 guilty verdicts. Mr Justice Turner will deliver sentencing on Thursday.
Medical Evidence
Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital on July 27, 2023, after Varley claimed he left him in the bath and found him submerged. However, medical staff noted that Preston's hair was dry, he was wearing a nappy, and there was no sign of water ingestion. A post-mortem dismissed drowning as the cause of death. The examination revealed 40 non-accidental injuries, including fingertip bruises, slap marks, a human bite mark, and injuries consistent with sexual abuse. The cause of death was acute upper airways obstruction by an object inserted into his mouth.
Disturbing Evidence
Officers found indecent images and footage of Preston's abuse, some of which were too distressing for a juror, causing the trial to restart. The images showed Preston in severe distress, with signs of oxygen deprivation. Varley had admitted to a colleague about having "dark thoughts" of suffocating or drowning Preston and had described the child as "dead meat" in a message to his sister.
Aftermath
Oldham Council has restarted a child safeguarding practice review. Varley faces a mandatory life sentence for murder. The judge praised the jury and exempted them from future jury service for life.
