Preston Davey's life was both brief and cruel. Born to a mother who was jailed for murder as a teenager, he was tragically killed by his adoptive parents, Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley.
Early Life and Removal from Birth Mother
Preston was removed from his mother, Sarah Davey, when he was just five days old under an emergency care order issued by Oldham Council. He was placed into foster care, where he remained and flourished until he was adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.
His mother had been in and out of prison after receiving a mandatory life sentence for murder in July 1999. Despite this, she maintained some contact with her son and registered his birth. On Preston's birth certificate, Davey listed her hometown as Oldham and her profession as a hairdresser. The address she provided was the mother and baby unit at women's prison, HMP Styal. No details were given for the father.
The Murder of Lily Lilley
Just 14 years old at the time of the crime, Sarah Davey was sentenced to serve a minimum of eight years and one day for the gruesome murder of 71-year-old widow Lily Lilley in Failsworth, Oldham in September 1998. Davey, along with a 15-year-old friend, Lisa Healey, struck up a friendship with the frail pensioner at local shops. They were invited into her home for a cup of tea, where they brutally tortured Lily by squirting shampoo in her eyes, cutting her with a knife, and tying a gag so tightly around her mouth that her dentures were forced down her throat, choking her to death. They then stuffed her lifeless body into a bin and, laughing and giggling, paraded it through the streets before discarding it in the Rochdale Canal. Following the murder, they made hundreds of calls from her phone, used her pension money to purchase crisps and chocolate, and vandalised her home.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Sachs, characterised the crime as 'unspeakably wicked'. According to the Parole Board, Davey has been released and returned to prison on three separate occasions. Most recently, she was released in August 2021 but was recalled to custody on November 2, 2021, due to an unspecified violation of her release conditions. It was during this time that she fell pregnant with Preston.
Trial of Adoptive Parents
Sarah Davey, now 42 years old, has attended parts of the trial of Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley. Her current release terms from custody include good behaviour, disclosure of relationships, and enhanced drug monitoring.
