Teacher Sentenced to Whole Life Term for Murder of Adopted Son
A teacher who sexually abused and murdered the 13-month-old baby boy he adopted with his partner has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Preston Davey died in July 2023 at the hands of Jamie Varley, 37, who inflicted physical, sexual, and emotional abuse on the child during the final four months of his life.
Varley, from Blackpool, initially told police that Preston had accidentally drowned in a bath, but a post-mortem examination revealed the child had sustained 40 injuries.
His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of sexual assault, child cruelty, and allowing the death of a child, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
A whole life order means Varley will never be released from prison except in exceptional compassionate circumstances.
Judge’s Remarks and Sentencing
When passing sentence, Mr Justice Turner stated that Preston had endured "unremitting abuse" and neglect before being killed by Varley during a sexual assault.
"It was you who did this. You murdered him.
"A whole life order is a sentence of last resort for cases of the most extreme gravity.
"This is a case of the most extreme gravity. You must stay in prison for the rest of your life. You will never be eligible for parole."
Family Reactions
Preston's biological mother and grandmother, Sarah and Debbie Davey, were present in the public gallery and were visibly emotional throughout the hearing.
In a victim impact statement read on behalf of Sarah Davey, she expressed the ongoing pain and trauma caused by the loss of her son.
"Those thoughts do not leave me," she said.
"They are with me when I wake up, and they haunt me when I try to sleep.
"The reality of how he suffered is something I will carry for the rest of my life.
"I will never forgive you for what you did to my son and what you stopped him from becoming and achieving in his life."
Gary Nolan, Preston's biological father, also issued a statement read on his behalf.
"Preston was the son that I never got to meet and now never will.
"Upon hearing the news, I remember officers taking hold of me and me blanking out, the next thing I recall is waking up in hospital two days later.
"I am told that I was hysterical and crying and that it was for my own safety that I was taken to the hospital, clearly, I must have been in a bad place mentally."
Foster Parents’ Statements
Sandra Cooper, Preston's foster mother, described him as "joyful, so content and happy, with sparkly smiling eyes."
"That is how we want to remember him," she said.
Her husband, Paul Cooper, told the court about the difficulty of handing Preston over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.
"Saying goodbye to [Preston] and handing him over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley was extremely difficult.
"However, we believed at the time that this was the best thing for Preston and he was going to a loving family.
"What happened after this I still cannot bear to think about."
Background and Adoption Details
Preston, born in June 2022, was taken into care at five days old following an emergency care order issued by Oldham Council.
He was placed with foster parents, where he remained for the first nine months of his life.
Preston's mother had been jailed at age 14 for the murder of a frail pensioner in 1998 and had spent time in and out of prison since then.
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were approved for adoption in January 2023, and Preston began living with them in Blackpool in April 2023, when he was nine months old.
During the four months Preston was in their care, he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused, and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries.
Details of Abuse and Medical Interventions
After moving to the couple's home, Preston suffered non-accidental "cluster" injuries including bruising, seizures, and respiratory failures, with evidence of anatomical abnormalities.
In the months before his death, Preston was taken to hospital three times: first for a nosebleed and seizure; second with a rash and bruising; and third with a fractured left elbow.
On 27 July 2023, Varley took Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital for the final time.
Varley told medical staff he had left Preston in the bath for two or three minutes and returned to find him submerged.
However, Preston was dry and there was no evidence he had swallowed water.
Medical staff were unable to revive Preston, who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A post-mortem examination found 40 external and internal injuries, some consistent with "forcible penetration" and sexual abuse, and ruled out drowning as the cause of death.
Evidence and Trial Details
Ninety minutes before Preston was taken to hospital, Varley recorded a video showing the child in extreme distress, barely breathing and taking "agonal breaths," while intermittently using Snapchat and checking emails.
Some evidence was so distressing that one juror was unable to continue, resulting in the trial being aborted and restarted with a new jury.
Safeguarding Review and Official Responses
A child safeguarding practice review, paused during the criminal proceedings, will be relaunched by Oldham Council.
Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, stated he had instructed experts to examine the Preston Davey case.
"It's a really shocking case, people will look at it and feel sick," he said.
"The independent safeguarding review that's now being done will establish more of the facts.
"But I have asked some independent experts to go and look at Oldham, the hospital trust and the adoption agency to see whether things we already know have been acted upon."
Following the verdict, a spokesperson for Oldham Council said:
"The death of any child is a tragedy, but this is a particularly heart-wrenching and disturbing case.
"We are thankful that the perpetrators of the sickening murder and abuse of an innocent child have today been convicted for their crimes."
"They said an independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review was already under way, which would examine the handling of Preston's safeguarding.
"Our thoughts remain with Preston's family, loved ones, and the many people affected by this case."
Regional adoption agency Adoption Now described the case as "deeply upsetting" and extended condolences to those affected by the crimes.
They stated that they follow "a strict and rigorous process... in the assessment and approval of adopters" and confirmed that an independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review is ongoing.
Additional Information
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