A former secondary school teacher has been found guilty of the murder, sexual abuse, and severe physical cruelty of a 13-month-old infant he was in the active process of adopting.
Following a harrowing eight-week trial at Preston Crown Court, 37-year-old Jamie Varley was convicted of the murder of baby Preston Davey. The jury also found Varley guilty of two counts of assault by penetration, grievous bodily harm, five counts of child cruelty, and multiple charges related to the making and distribution of indecent images of a child.
His partner, 32-year-old John McGowan-Fazakerley, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child, along with two counts of child cruelty and a single count of sexual assault.
The court heard that baby Preston, who had spent the first nine months of his life as a “happy and healthy” infant in foster care, was placed with the couple in April 2023. Over the next four months at their home in Blackpool, the child was subjected to what prosecutors described as routine and escalating abuse.
On July 27, 2023, Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital unconscious and in cardiac arrest. Despite the efforts of medical staff, the infant could not be revived. Varley initially told police that the child had accidentally drowned after being left unattended in a bath for four minutes.
However, medical evidence systematically dismantled Varley’s account. A Home Office post-mortem examination found no evidence of drowning. Instead, it concluded that Preston’s cause of death was acute upper airway obstruction, indicating he had been smothered or had objects forcefully inserted into his mouth. Furthermore, the autopsy revealed that the 13-month-old had sustained more than 40 separate traumatic injuries, including bruising, grazes, and a healing fracture to his left arm.
Prosecutor Peter Wright KC told the jury that Varley treated the vulnerable child as a “plaything” for his own amusement and gratification. Digital evidence presented during the trial included disturbing videos and messages recovered from the defendants’ mobile phones, which documented the ongoing cruelty.
The tragic case has raised urgent questions regarding potential missed opportunities by authorities. The trial revealed that Preston had been taken to the hospital on three separate occasions with suspicious injuries in the weeks leading up to his death. Explanations provided by the adoptive parents were accepted at the time, and a Child Safeguarding Practice Review is now expected to focus heavily on how the abuse evaded systemic detection.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows of the Lancashire Police condemned the actions of the defendants following the verdict. “It is not often in this job that you encounter pure evil. Anybody who has followed this trial will no doubt understand why I place Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley in that category,” Fallows stated. “For the first nine months of his life, Preston was a happy and healthy child, but by the end, he was a broken shell.”
Both men have been remanded in custody and await sentencing.
