Adopted Baby Murder Conviction
UK teacher and partner found guilty of murdering adopted baby Preston after 'litany of abuse'
Key Points
Prosecutors said Preston was treated not as a child but as a way to satisfy Varley’s “desires,” describing it as “a litany of psychological and sexual ill-treatment.”
Court reporting said Preston died from suffocation during the abuse, and prosecutors described his suffering as including “about 40 traumatic injuries” mentioned during the trial.
The coverage detailed Varley’s background and what the jury heard about the adoption timeline: Varley had been a “former head of year and textiles teacher at Blackpool’s South Shore Academy,” and Preston’s birth mother was dealt with an emergency care order by “Oldham Council” before he was placed with the couple.
Additional evidence described in the reporting included the fact that an adoption panel approved the adoption on 23 March 2023 and Preston spent his first night with the couple on 31 March 2023, after which indecent images were recorded and later recovered from Varley’s phone (including videos dated 23 and 25 April 2023).
The sentencing day was scheduled after the verdict: one report said Judge Mr Justice Turner told the court “asked for dignity” due to the emotional proceedings, and that sentencing was set for Thursday after the defendants were not sentenced immediately.
A UK jury convicted Jamie Varley, a former secondary school teacher, of the murder and sexual abuse of 13-month-old Preston Davey, a boy he was in the process of adopting with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley in Blackpool. The jury delivered 29 guilty verdicts after 14 hours of deliberation, according to Lancashire Police.
Prosecutor Peter Wright KC told the court that Preston was treated not as a child but as a "plaything" used to satisfy Varley's "wicked desires." The Guardian reported that Preston died on July 27, 2023, after the couple rushed him unconscious to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after 60 minutes of resuscitation efforts.
How Preston Entered the Couple's Home and Died
Preston was born on June 16, 2022, and placed into emergency foster care at just five days old, according to The Guardian. An adoption panel approved his placement with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley on March 23, 2023. Preston spent his first night at their Blackpool home on March 31, 2023, according to ITV News.
Within weeks of his arrival, abuse had begun. Lancashire Police said Varley recorded the first known video of Preston on April 17, 2023. Images dated April 23 and 25, recovered from Varley's phone, showed bruising to Preston's head. Preston died on July 27, 2023, just four months after moving in. He was 13 months old.
Forty Injuries, a Bite Mark, and a Damning Text Message
A post-mortem found more than 40 internal and external traumatic injuries on Preston's body, according to Irish Mirror. A photo taken on June 12, 2023, showed a circular bruise on Preston's buttock, later identified by experts as a human bite mark roughly one inch in diameter. The defense claimed Preston drowned in a bath, but Home Office pathologist Dr. Alison Armour testified that there was no water in his lungs, ruling out drowning, Liverpool Echo reported.
A text message sent by Varley on July 10 — more than two weeks before Preston's death — proved deeply damaging. ITV News reported Varley texted McGowan-Fazakerley: "I strangled him," followed a minute later by "Jokes." Prosecutors used the message to show a pattern of callousness toward the child. Varley later told the court his remark at the hospital, "I'm going to hell," was an expression of parental grief, not a confession.
Social Services Said They Had 'No Concerns' Despite Three Hospital Visits
Preston was admitted to hospital three times before he died. He went in for a chest infection in May, a fever in June, and a fractured elbow in July. Varley told doctors Preston had "jumped" while being lowered into his cot, according to ITV News. Despite these visits, social workers from Oldham Council told the court they had "no concerns" about the placement, Manchester Evening News reported.
Preston's grandmother, who attended the trial throughout, criticized authorities for a "litany of missed opportunities." She questioned how a teacher with safeguarding training — a professional who taught others how to protect children — was able to "hide in plain sight," according to Manchester Evening News. An independent safeguarding review, paused during the trial, is now set to resume immediately.
Verdicts Delivered, Life Sentences Scheduled for Thursday
Varley, 37, was convicted of murder, sexual assault, grievous bodily harm, child cruelty, and 13 counts of making or distributing indecent images of a child. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was convicted of causing or allowing a child's death, child cruelty, and sexual assault, according to Lancashire Police. Varley reacted with visible distress as the verdicts were read. Preston's mother and grandmother sobbed in the courtroom.
Presiding Judge Mr Justice Turner noted the "highly emotionally charged" nature of the case and asked for dignity in the court, Manchester Evening News reported. Karen Tonge of the Crown Prosecution Service called it "one of the most shocking and horrific" cases of her career. Both men face mandatory life sentences. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2026, according to Largs and Millport Weekly News.
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