A petition launched in response to the murder of 13-month-old Preston Davey, calling for stronger measures to protect children from abuse, has been published on the UK government and Parliament petitions website.
Preston died in July 2021 after suffering physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley, who had been in the process of adopting him. The toddler had been placed in the couple’s care at their home in Blackpool just four months before he was murdered by Varley, LancsLive reports.
Preston's Injuries and the Trial
During his short time living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley, Preston was taken to A&E on several occasions, where medical staff raised concerns after noticing suspicious injuries. Following his death, a post-mortem examination found he had suffered more than 40 internal and external injuries. Varley was sentenced to a whole life order last month after being found guilty of murder and a number of other offences following a trial at Preston Crown Court. McGowan-Fazakerley was jailed for 25 years.
Ongoing Investigation and Petition Details
An investigation into Preston’s placement with the couple, which involved Adoption Now and Oldham Council, as well as the monitoring arrangements that followed, is still ongoing. Campaigners have now launched a petition calling for extra safeguarding checks when children under the age of 10 attend A&E with “suspicious or non-age appropriate injuries.”
The petition, created by Kayleigh Harris and published on Parliament’s website on July 17, will remain open until January 17 next year. If it reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government will be required to respond. Should it receive 100,000 signatures, the issues will be considered for debate in parliament.
Proposed NHS Alert System
The petition calls for an NHS-wide alert system if a child under 10 attends hospital twice within 12 months with concerning injuries. It states: “Government to mandate an NHS-wide alert if a child under 10 presents twice in 12 months with suspicious or non-age appropriate injuries. This alert should trigger an immediate independent skin check and the alert should remain visible to all GPs and hospitals, regardless of where the child is seen.
“When the ‘rule of two’ (when a child has presented with suspicious injuries twice in 12 months) is breached, we request that relevant social workers and agencies are granted secure, shared access to these records to ensure a unified safeguarding response. We must prevent children from falling through gaps by ensuring all professionals have the same information.”
