A British court is preparing for the sentencing of two men convicted in connection with the death of an 11-month-old adopted boy, Preston Davey, following a trial that revealed a pattern of severe abuse. Jamie Varley, 37, a schoolteacher, and John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, a salesman, were found guilty of various charges related to the infant's death in July 2023. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 18th, where their punishments will be determined.
"I think Jamie Varley has sought to deceive right from day one… He is a serial manipulator and a serial liar, and his defence has basically been everybody else is wrong… I don’t see any evidence of regret, remorse, or actually sorrow for Preston Davey." — Police Spokesman
The trial, held in a British court, detailed the horrific circumstances surrounding Preston's death in Blackpool. Varley was convicted of the gravest charges, including murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, and more than a dozen offenses related to indecent images and footage. His partner, McGowan-Fazakerley, was convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault of a child. Prosecutors established that while McGowan-Fazakerley was not present in the home on the night Preston died, he was aware of the ongoing abuse and failed to intervene.
Preston Davey's short life began with challenges. He was removed from his birth mother, who had a murder conviction, by Oldham Council when he was just five days old. After a period in foster care, which provided temporary stability, Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley successfully completed the adoption approval process and took Preston into their home. By the time of his death, Preston was 11 months old.
Initially, Varley provided investigators with a false account, claiming the baby had drowned after being left alone in the bath. This story quickly unraveled under medical scrutiny. A post-mortem examination revealed a starkly different reality, cataloging 40 "traumatic" injuries across the infant's small body. These injuries included a perforated bowel and damage to his rectum, mouth, throat, bladder, and bowels, as reported by the BBC. Pathology findings strongly indicated "forcible penetration" as the true cause of the trauma. Furthermore, the absence of any water on Preston's body or in his airways contradicted Varley's drowning narrative, confirming it as a fabrication.
Detectives also uncovered evidence suggesting Varley subjected Preston to sustained psychological cruelty in the months leading up to his death. Police described this conduct as being carried out for "sordid amusement." While investigators did not definitively prove that the adoption itself was pursued with the intent to harm a child, a police spokesman noted that the public would "come to their own conclusions" regarding the motives.
Evidence recovered from Varley’s mobile phone painted a disturbing picture of his attitude towards Preston. Private messages showed him complaining that the baby was "annoying," and a video of the infant was circulated through Snapchat. Chillingly, footage recovered by detectives showed Varley filming Preston on the very day he died, capturing the infant visibly fighting for breath while on a bed.
Police outlined the sequence of events on Preston's final day in a formal statement: "…on 27th July 2023 Varley recorded a video of Preston [left] on a bed struggling to breathe and in obvious discomfort. It was the prosecution’s case that earlier in the day, Preston had been the victim of a sexual assault at the hands of Jamie Varley. There was then a second assault on Preston which caused an obstruction to Preston’s airways… He was sadly pronounced deceased at 7.20pm."
The verdicts conclude a trial that brought into sharp focus the challenges of detecting hidden abuse within what should be a safe and vetted adoptive home. Police offered a blunt assessment of Varley's conduct throughout the investigation and trial. "I think Jamie Varley has sought to deceive right from day one… He is a serial manipulator and a serial liar, and his defence has basically been everybody else is wrong… I don’t see any evidence of regret, remorse, or actually sorrow for Preston Davey," a police spokesman stated.
Both men currently remain in custody as they await their formal sentencing next week. The case has raised questions about child welfare protocols and the vigilance required to protect vulnerable children placed in adoptive care. Additionally, a social media post highlighted that Preston's grandmother, who cared for his sister, had objected to the adoption and requested the baby be fostered temporarily until she was well enough to take him, a request that was reportedly denied.
