A secondary school teacher has been given a whole-life order for the sexual abuse and murder of a 13-month-old boy he was adopting with his partner. Jamie Varley, 37, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Thursday and will never be eligible for parole.
His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was jailed for 25 years for sexual abuse, child cruelty and allowing the death of a child. The couple had been in the process of adopting Preston Davey, who was taken from his biological mother, a convicted killer, and placed with them at nine months old.
The court heard that Preston was treated as a 'plaything' and suffered 40 traumatic injuries during his time with the couple in Staining, near Blackpool. He died on 27 July 2023 after being taken to hospital unresponsive. Varley claimed he had left the baby in the bath, but medical evidence contradicted this, and a pathologist gave the cause of death as acute upper airways obstruction by smothering or insertion of objects into the mouth.
Police found disturbing images and videos on Varley's phone showing physical, psychological and sexual abuse. The case has raised questions about missed opportunities to save Preston, as he was seen by multiple professionals in his final weeks, including social workers and doctors, but no alarms were raised.
A child safeguarding practice review, paused during the trial, has now resumed. In a victim impact statement, Preston's biological mother said his death 'should never have been allowed to happen' and that he was 'defenceless'.
