What to Know
Preston Davey’s mother, Sarah Davey, spent years in and out of Great Britain’s prison system after a 1999 murder conviction. She was just 14 years old when she killed a 71-year-old widow. While on parole in 2021, she became pregnant with Preston. At just five days old, a court placed him in foster care, where he remained for nine months.
In January 2023, Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley received approval to adopt Preston. He lived with them for four months until they killed him. Now they’re both headed to prison.
Preston’s adoptive parents began to abuse him very early on.
The Independent reported Preston spent his first night with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley on March 31, 2023. Just five days later, on April 6, Varley reportedly texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer, about Preston’s night. “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every one and a half hours,” he wrote.
The abuse seemingly began shortly after Preston arrived at the home. Varley began taking videos of Preston on April 17 and by April 23 had indecent images and video on his phone, according to Lancashire Police.
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley shared indecent photos and videos of the baby.
Police reported finding multiple instances of inappropriate content involving Preston shared between the two men. He experienced sexual and physical abuse and was in and out of hospitals with injuries. On May 25, Varley took Preston to the emergency room, claiming he’d suffered a seizure and had a difficult time breathing.
Staff contacted police regarding the incident, but staff later assured detectives from the Child Protection Team that there was no threat of “non-accidental” injury, according to police.
Preston was back at the hospital on June 30 and July 26 with more injuries that Varley could not explain. On July 27, Varley brought Preston back to the hospital for the final time, and he died at 7:20 p.m.
The men kept horrific evidence on their phones.
Per Lancashire Police, investigators found multiple videos of Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley sexually abusing the baby boy they planned to adopt.
“At 4.45pm on 27th July 2023 Varley recorded a video of Preston led 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. Only Varley was present in the house at the time both these assaults took place,” police reported.
When staff questioned the men the day Preston died, they claimed he was left alone in a bathtub, but nothing about his injuries supported that story.
He died from an acute upper airway obstruction. The men sexually abused Preston to his death. A postmortem examination found “40 traumatic injuries over the course of the time he had been in Varley and McGowan-Fazackerley’s care. Injuries that included at least 30 external bruises; internal bruising to his mouth and throat; internal bruising to his anus, bowel, and bladder. Preston also had a healing fracture to his left upper arm, around his elbow, that was non-accidental in nature.”
A court convicted Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley on all counts.
Prosecutors charged Varley with murder, two counts of sexual assault, grievous bodily harm, four counts of child cruelty, ten counts of taking indecent images of a child, two counts of possessing indecent images of a child, and one count of distributing an indecent image of a child. McGowan-Fazakerley faced charges of causing or allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and sexual assault.
DCI Andy Fallows, from the Lacashire Police Force Major Investigation Team, shared a message with the public following the men’s convictions.
“Almost from day one, they set about abusing Preston and making his short life a harrowing tale of misery and pain. It was this abuse that ultimately led to Preston’s death. For the first nine months of his life, Preston was a happy and healthy child, but by the end, he was a broken shell. This was due to the sordid and wicked acts of Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley,” he said. “I would like to thank the team of detectives, uniformed officers, and members of police staff who have worked tirelessly to compile the evidence that has resulted today’s guilty verdicts.”
He added a special message of compassion for Preston.
“Throughout this trial, we have tried to ensure the focus remained on baby Preston Davey, a little boy who was physically, sexually, and psychologically abused by two individuals who were supposed to love and care for him. While I understand the focus in the media will go elsewhere, I would ask that Preston is not forgotten in your coverage,” Fallows shared.
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley will appear in court on June 18 for sentencing.
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