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Jamie Varley’s desperate plea to medics to save his adopted 13-month-old son, Preston Davey, marked the beginning of a tangled and deceptive narrative. Varley told medical staff, “It’s my fault – I left him for literally two minutes while I went and got changed,” but this was not a genuine confession. Instead, it initiated a series of lies that obscured the horrific reality behind the child’s fatal injuries. Following a prolonged investigation, the truth emerged after Preston succumbed to injuries sustained through months of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of Varley, a former teacher aged 37.
The case was heard over an eight-week trial at Preston Crown Court. Varley steadfastly claimed that Preston’s death resulted from drowning in the bath. However, the court found him guilty of murder, alongside multiple other charges such as sexual assault and possessing indecent images of the child he was responsible for. Varley’s partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also convicted for allowing Preston’s death, child cruelty, and sexual abuse. Lancashire Police Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, who led the investigation, described Varley’s conduct in hospital as theatrical and manipulative, noting marked differences in his behavior during hospital admission, police interviews, and court testimony.
Preston had been placed into care shortly after birth and was adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley in April 2023. Over the following months, the baby suffered from numerous unexplained injuries, including bruises, seizures, respiratory failures, and anatomical abnormalities. On 27 July 2023, Varley brought Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, claiming the child had been left unattended in the bath and was discovered submerged. Medics failed to revive him, and subsequent post-mortem revealed around 40 traumatic injuries, some consistent with sexual abuse, leading to the conclusion that drowning was not the cause of death. Fallows outright dismissed Varley’s bath story, pointing to the lack of any water in Preston’s lungs or on his body.
The distressing details of Preston’s abuse extended beyond the physical. Fallows revealed that emotional and psychological torment was evident throughout the trial – examples included forcing a sleepy baby to stay awake for “amusement” and leaving him in a bath for an extended period while filming him. The officer lamented the sadistic nature of Varley’s actions, stating, “Jamie Varley has treated Preston as a plaything, as his property. And that poor child has been
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