A secondary school teacher has been given a whole-life order for sexually abusing and murdering the 13-month-old boy he was adopting with his partner. Jamie Varley, 37, will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole, the judge ruled at Preston Crown Court.
Varley's partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was sentenced to 25 years for sexual abuse, child cruelty, and allowing the death of a child. The couple had been entrusted with the care of Preston Davey, who was placed with them at nine months old by an adoption agency.
The court heard that Preston was treated as a 'plaything' and suffered routine ill-treatment, sexual abuse, and physical assault. Medical evidence revealed 40 traumatic injuries. On 27 July 2023, the couple brought an unresponsive baby to hospital, where he died despite resuscitation attempts. Varley claimed Preston had drowned in a bath, but pathologists found no evidence of drowning; the cause of death was acute upper airways obstruction by smothering or insertion of objects.
Disturbing images and videos on Varley's phone showed him abusing the child. The baby had been seen by multiple professionals in his final weeks, including social workers and doctors, but no action was taken. A child safeguarding practice review has been resumed following the trial.
Preston's biological mother, Sarah Davey, who is serving a life sentence for murder, said his death 'should never have been allowed to happen.' The baby's foster parents described him as a happy, content child who 'would light up' when looked at.
