A teacher who murdered and sexually abused a 13-month-old baby boy he was adopting was given a whole life order in prison today.
Jamie Varley, 37, a former head of year, will die in jail for the killing of Preston Davey during sexual abuse in July 2023.
His partner, 32-year-old sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, who was complicit in Preston’s death, was sentenced to 25 years.
There was no emotion from either defendant as the sentences were read out at Preston Crown Court.
Prosecutors said it was one of the ‘most shocking and horrific’ cases they have ever dealt with when the pair were convicted by a jury on Monday following an eight-week trial.
Preston had been taken from his mother, convicted murderer Sarah Davey, by an emergency care order by Oldham Council and placed into foster care at five days old.
He was then adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley at the age of nine months and subjected to horrific sexual and physical abuse inside their Blackpool home.
This morning, Davey sobbed in court as she told her son’s adoptive killer fathers, ‘I will never forgive you’.
She said in a statement her ‘world ended’ when she found out her son had died, adding that she now lives with the ‘unimaginable pain of wondering what he went through’.
Passing sentence Mr Justice Mark Turner said Preston had faced ‘unremitting abuse’ and neglect before being killed by Varley during a sex attack.
Jamie Varley, 37, (left) was was given a whole life order for the murder of Preston Davey and his boyfriend, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, (right) was sentenced to 25 years
Preston Davey, who died aged 13 months, was smothered and sexually assaulted
Preston was born to Davey (pictured at court today) in June 2022 while she was serving a life sentence and in and out of prison after being convicted of murder
Preston Davey with his birth mother Sarah Davey, who carried out a horrific crime as a teenager
Turning to Varley, he said: ‘It was you who did this. You murdered him. A whole life order is a sentence of last resort for cases of the most extreme gravity.
‘This is a case of the most extreme gravity. You must stay in prison for the rest of your life. You will never be eligible for parole.’
Varley, who vomited in the dock when he was convicted of murder on Monday, looked gaunt and sat with his hands folded on his lap, looking straight ahead.
Preston was born to Davey in June 2022 while she was in and out of prison after being convicted of the callous killing of a pensioner when she was 14 years old.
She and 15-year-old Lisa Healey tortured 71-year-old Lily Lilley by squirting shampoo in her eyes, cutting her with a knife and tying a gag around her mouth.
An emotional Davey told the court today: ‘The second he was placed in my arms, I fell completely in love with him.
‘He was my baby, my only son, and from that day on I never wanted to let him go,’ she says.
‘For the first seven months of his life, I was lucky enough to spend precious time with him. He had the most beautiful smile, one that could light up any room, and the bond we shared was something everyone could see.
‘Those memories should have brought me comfort – but instead, they are now mixed with pain, because I know what you put him through in his final months.’
She also called the day he was taken from her ‘one of the worst days of my life’ and sobbed as her statement was read out.
Sandra Cooper, 58, (pictured) and her husband, Paul, were Preston’s foster parents and looked after him for the first nine months of his life
Preston’s biological mother Sarah Davey, 42, with Gary Nolan, 43, at the murder trial
Lily Lilley’s body was dumped in a canal after she was tortured and killed by Davey
‘I had no choice in that decision. I tried to take some comfort in believing he would be safe, loved, and protected, and he was with his foster parents, Sandra and Paul, I trusted them, they and the system trusted you, that trust was completely and unforgivably broken,’ she says.
‘Preston was innocent. He was defenceless. He relied entirely on you – the adults responsible for him – to love him, care for him, and keep him safe.
‘Instead, you caused him suffering. You took away his chance to grow up, to go to school, to make friends, to live a full life. You took everything from him.’
Preston died on July 27, 2023 after Varley, who was a head of year and safeguarding lead at a comprehensive school, twice sexually assaulted him while McGowan-Fazakerley, an accounts manager for a finance firm, was at work.
The men rushed Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him for 50 minutes, before he was pronounced dead at 7.18pm.
A review is now underway to work out how the men were able to carry out their warped fantasies and harm the infant, whose adoption had not been legally finalised, under the noses of social workers.
It is expected to examine whether political correctness or a fear of challenging the gay couple could have played a part in the state’s failure to protect vulnerable Preston.
The court heard that the infant was taken into the care of Oldham Council aged just five days, in June 2022.
For the first nine months of his life, Preston was looked after by experienced foster carers Sandra and Paul Cooper, before being handed over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley after they passed a series of ‘robust’ checks, in April 2023.
Ahead of the sentencing today, Mr and Mrs Cooper criticised Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley for failing to apologise or acknowledge what they have done.
She told the court that while she and her husband Paul thought the verdicts would have brought ‘some relief from the pain’, she said: ‘There has been no relief.
‘I realise now we have verdicts that there has been no admission of guilt or sorry, or recognition that “we should never have done that” from Jamie Varley or John McGowan-Fazakerley.’
They said they had planned for the tot, who was the 43rd child they had taken in during a 27-year fostering career, to be their final ‘retirement’ baby, but after his death they felt they had a duty to continue their work ‘in Preston’s memory’.
The 58-year-old raised concerns about the men with social workers because they cancelled planned transition meetings and she had a ‘gut feeling’ they were hiding Preston from her after he went to live with them.
Preston Davey’s short, tragic life was bookmarked by murder, by his mother and then his adoptive parents
Mr Justice Mark Turner, who is sentencing Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley
Describing the infant as ‘so content and happy, with sparkly smiling eyes,’ Mrs Cooper said Preston’s death had ‘changed her perspective’ on life.
‘Paul and I have previously felt that the best option for all our foster children was to leave us happy and healthy to go and live with a new permanent adoptive family,’ she added.
‘We now struggle with this, and I will feel mistrustful and anxious about any of our children leaving our care to live with strangers.
‘I am devastated about his death and I struggle when I think about what pain and torture he has been through before he died.
‘Preston was wonderful, happy and lit up any room. We need to remember Preston as he was when he was in our care. He will remain in our thoughts and prayers forever.’
Mr Cooper said Preston was an ‘amazing little boy’ and an ‘absolute pleasure’ to look after. He said the couple brought up the infant, whose smile was ‘infectious,’ like their own.
He said Preston had his own ‘little personality’ and was ‘thriving’ when they handed him over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.
‘We built a strong bond with him during his time with us (and) saying goodbye was extremely difficult,’ he said.
‘We believed at the time that this was the best thing for Preston and he was going to a loving family. What happened after this I still cannot bear to think about.’
Mr Cooper said he struggles to sleep, cries every week and finds it painful to talk about the ‘way his life was cut short.’
‘Preston had his whole life ahead of him, one that should have been a happy life with a new family,’ Mr Cooper said. ‘I just wish we could have kept him. I will never ever forget him.’
Statements from Ms Davey and Preston’s father, Gary Nolan, 43, a criminal and drug addict who never met his son, were also read to the court.
Mr Justice Turner referred to impact statements from Mr and Mrs Cooper and Preston’s birth parents.
He said: ‘The impact of Preston’s death on every one of them has been devastating.’
Referring to Varley’s complaints of lack of sleep and the impact of fostering Preston on his relationship with McGowan-Fazakerley, Mr Justice Turner told Varley: ‘I’m sure your growing and selfish resentment towards Preston played at least some part in your motivation for treating him so badly in the months that followed.’
He added: ‘I’ve no doubt your professional background as a teacher played a part in reassuring social workers that all was well when clearly it wasn’t.’
The judge said images and videos taken by Varley ‘betray an unhealthy and sustained interest in his private parts. The content became increasingly sinister as the weeks went by’.
A Government spokesperson said Jamie Varley and partner John McGowan-Fazakerley were ‘evil abusers’ who exploited a vulnerable child.
The spokesperson said: ‘The public rightly demand answers about what went wrong and we can assure them we will make sure anyone responsible for negligence faces consequences.
‘This is exactly why this Government has brought in the most far-reaching child protection reforms in a generation, including with a new law, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, which requires social workers, health professionals and the police to work together better to protect vulnerable children at risk of abuse. We are also introducing a new Child Protection Authority in England to oversee the national picture.
‘An independent review has been commissioned by the local authorities and the independent national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will work with them to get to the bottom of this horrifying case. The reviewer will publish their findings as soon as possible.’
