Introduction
Jamie Varley appeared in court portraying himself as a devoted father to Preston Davey, the adopted infant. However, the prosecution revealed that Varley subjected the child to sexual abuse, ultimately leading to his death.
“They were an ordinary couple,”a neighbour recalled. A friend described the baby as
“happy, he was smiley, he was beautiful.”There were no significant concerns about the teacher and sales manager who, like many others, were adopting a child.
In truth, Jamie Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, were perpetrators of child abuse, with Varley responsible for the murder of Preston Davey at 13 months old.
Preston’s early life was troubled. His biological mother, Sarah Davey, had been incarcerated as a child for the murder of a 71-year-old woman. Preston was placed with foster carers at five days old and began living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley at nine months. Over the following four months, he was subjected to routine ill-treatment, sexual abuse, and physical assault, according to prosecutor Peter Wright KC during the trial at Preston Crown Court.
On 27 July 2023, Preston was admitted to hospital after Varley reported an accident in the bath. The child died shortly thereafter.
Investigations found no evidence supporting Varley’s account. A postmortem revealed 40 external and internal injuries consistent with forcible penetration and sexual abuse.
Varley was described by a police officer as an
“arrogant, self-centred liar”who had a sexual interest in Preston, using the child for his own gratification, which led to murder, the jury concluded.
Wright accused Varley of using Preston as a
“plaything”and abusing him
“for your own amusement and gratification.”
Jurors endured eight weeks of harrowing evidence detailing the crimes committed by the two men, raising broader concerns about adoption processes within local authorities across the UK.
Background of the Perpetrators
Jamie Varley, aged 37, was a teacher at South Shore Academy in Blackpool. He began as a technician in the design and technology department and by 2023 had become a qualified teacher and head of year.
John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, worked as a northern sales manager for an asset finance company and frequently commuted to Manchester. The couple resided in a semi-detached house in Staining, a village near Blackpool.
Varley expressed to the court his lifelong desire to have children, stating he had always dreamed of being
“a teacher, a daddy with a Jeep who lived on a farm.”As a gay man, he had not initially considered parenthood possible. He told jurors,
“I never thought I would find someone to be in a relationship with that would be stable enough to have kids.”
This changed when he met McGowan-Fazakerley, who moved in almost immediately. Varley said,
“My whole life just changed when I met John.”
Both earned similar salaries, but McGowan-Fazakerley’s bonus potential led to Varley taking a year off work to care for any adopted child.
Varley was described in court as outgoing, theatrical, and somewhat of a
“drama queen.”McGowan-Fazakerley was quieter and more reserved.
The adoption process began during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021, with the first stage completed in March 2022. The second stage was delayed by six months due to Varley’s teaching commitments and commenced in September 2022. The couple was approved by an adoption panel in January 2023.
Preston Davey’s Early Care
Preston was fostered from five days old by Sandra and Paul Cooper, experienced carers who had fostered many newborns over 24 years. Sandra Cooper described Preston as
“a very happy baby.”
Preston began living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley on 3 April 2023 after a gradual familiarisation period.
McGowan-Fazakerley had no prior experience with babies, while Varley had babysat relatives’ children. Varley told the court he expected caring for Preston to be
“a breeze,”but it was not.
Preston was a poor sleeper, sometimes waking up to ten times a night, requiring soothing by having his head stroked, according to Sandra Cooper.
The couple struggled from the outset. The trial presented numerous messages from Varley expressing typical new-parent exhaustion, such as
“exhausting”; “not having a decent night’s sleep”; “we’ve just been cleaning up projectile vomit.”However, other messages revealed distress:
“we are struggling”; “we are questioning every choice”; “he’s just annoying”; “he’s very needy, screams all the time like he’s being killed.”
On 6 April, Varley texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer:
“He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every one and a half hours.”
Varley frequently took photographs and videos of Preston. While many were innocent, some were disturbing and used as evidence of abuse.
These included images showing Preston with his head and arms over the top horizontal bar of his cot, lips blue and liquid in his mouth, deemed unsafe and dangerous by the court. Varley took pictures for over three minutes instead of intervening.
Other evidence showed Preston being deliberately kept awake with loud music and videos of him being spun too hard in spinning cups.
Medical History and Previous Hospital Visits
Preston had been admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times before his death: on 25 May for a chest infection, on 30 June with a fever, and on 10 July with a fractured elbow, an injury Varley claimed responsibility for.
Varley’s colleague Janet Gee recalled him arriving flustered with Preston, who had a blue plaster cast on his arm. Gee testified that Varley expressed harmful thoughts towards the baby, including drowning or suffocation, but assured her he would not act on them.
“He was very quick to say this was something he was not going to act upon. I believed him, I have children of my own and sometimes your thoughts go to dark places.”
Neighbours reported frequent crying from the baby, with McGowan-Fazakerley apologising on one occasion. Jasmine Nuttall said,
“Why is the baby crying so much?”>
Details Surrounding Preston’s Death
Varley told his friend Gee that he had placed Preston in the bath while he showered but left to get a towel. Upon returning, he found the baby face down in the bath seat.
Gee recalled Varley was distressed and crying, immediately asserting,
“I promise you, I didn’t do anything.”
However, hospital staff noted the child was dry, with dry hair and no signs of water inhalation.
Medical evidence indicated Preston’s death was unrelated to a bath accident. During police interviews, Varley maintained his account despite appearing strained and dishevelled.
A Home Office postmortem revealed multiple non-accidental injuries, including bruises and grazes on the head, face, mouth, limbs, chest, back, and thigh. Injuries were also found to the mouth, throat, and bottom.
The cause of death was determined to be acute upper airway obstruction caused by smothering or insertion of objects into the mouth. No evidence supported drowning.
During cross-examination, Wright accused Varley of providing a
“wholly false account”and rehearsed testimony, stating,
“It is all made up by you to conceal what you really did.”
Varley’s Court Testimony and Trial Proceedings
Varley consistently denied harming Preston, describing the child as having
“a brilliant life with us.”He explained his extensive video recordings were intended to show Preston his early years later in life and spoke of weekly family
“dancing Fridays”filled with laughter and silliness.
The overwhelming medical evidence led to convictions after a second trial; the first trial was aborted on its fourth day.
During the first trial, Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley appeared casually dressed and dishevelled, with Varley sporting long hair. In contrast, the second trial saw them in shirts and ties, with Varley’s hair cut and taking notes throughout. A police officer described Varley as
“a bit like a chameleon.”>
Investigation and Police Perspective
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows of Lancashire Police led the investigation, involving hundreds of officers and support staff. He described the case as harrowing, stating,
“Any investigation involving the death of a child is harrowing enough, but when you see the circumstances behind this and what’s happened to that little boy over that four-month period, it’s really difficult not to be affected by that.”
Fallows characterized the abuse as
“wicked. There’s no other word for it.”
He noted that Varley had attempted to deceive from the outset, controlling the narrative and manipulating the investigation. Fallows observed,
“I think even in his evidence under cross-examination, you saw more of an obtuse, spiky side to him. He’s a man that has claimed to have tried to assist the investigation and give the investigation answers in relation to what happened to Preston, but the reality is far different.”
Varley was labeled
“an arrogant, self-centred liar.”
While McGowan-Fazakerley was not found guilty of murder, the jury determined he was complicit in the crime.
Fallows remarked on the couple’s public image, stating,
“They’ve tried to present as the perfect family, living in the perfect home, having the perfect lives. Instagram ready, aren’t they? Everything’s on social media, everything is brilliant and I think if you scrape away the veneer of that you come to something that is entirely different.”>
