WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT - Jamie Varley will die in prison after murdering his adopted baby son Preston Davey. Behind his facade of respectability, jurors saw a 'wicked and arrogant' killer
13:45, 19 Jun 2026 Updated 13:46, 19 Jun 2026
To the outside world, Jamie Varley seemed to be a doting dad, but behind closed doors, the sick predator used his baby son as a 'plaything'.
The teacher and his sales manager partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley , adopted little Preston Davey when he was nine-months-old. In the four short months he spent in their care, he was tormented by the two men tasked with keeping him safe.
This week, Varley was handed a rare whole life order for sexually abusing and murdering the 13-month-old tot. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was jailed for 25 years for allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.
At sentencing, the two men remained silent and stony-faced, barely reacting as heartbreaking victim impact statements were read out. While sobs racked the public gallery, Varley stared blankly, seemingly resigned to his grim fate.
It was only after being sent down that the monster made some movement, tripping awkwardly as he rushed from the dock - a shadow of the "sassy", theatrical man friends thought they knew.
Preston's short life was steeped in horror. At 4.45pm on July 27, 2023, Varley used his phone to record a 35-second video of the baby Preston in extreme respiratory distress and in urgent need of resuscitation.
It would be almost two hours until cruel Varley sought help, finally arriving at Blackpool Victoria Hospital with Preston at 6.30pm. Varley tried to claim the infant had slipped in the bath - despite the fact he was dry and wearing a nappy. Paramedics, nurses and doctors battled for 50 minutes to save him, but Preston was tragically pronounced dead at 7.18pm.
A post-mortem found 40 injuries to Preston's body, many consistent with sexual abuse. It concluded that Preston had died from acute upper airway obstruction.
For those who remember Varley as a respected Head of Year teacher, the sullen, grey-faced man sitting in court may seem like a stranger. But one neighbour who knew him as a child isn't surprised by how the "horrible" boy turned out.
Newark-born Varley was the second of six children. Reports suggest that that no father is listed on his birth certificate, but mum Karen Graham had been married for 10 years by 1989, and each of the children was given her then-husband's surname, Varley.
The family moved to Blackpool before Varley reached his teenage years. After this point, it's said that Karen's marriage collapsed, and she married for a second time in the summer of 2005. One former neighbour remembers the Varleys as "a nightmare family".
"The kids were allowed to do what they wanted, and Jamie was out of control. I reported him for anti-social behaviour and criminal damage once after I asked him to get off my drive, and he stuck a potato up my car exhaust," the woman told The Mail.
"When I read about the court case, I wasn't a bit surprised. He was a little f***ing s***. He was horrible. When they all finally moved, we put the flags out," she claimed. The Mirror understands that Varley has no prior criminal convictions.
Initially employed as a school technician, Varley rose to become a design and technology teacher and later head of Year 11 at Blackpool's South Shore Academy. One neighbour remembered him and McGowan-Fazakerley as being a perfectly "ordinary couple".
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, who led the investigation into Preston's murder, spoke in court of how Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley "were very Instagram-ready", documenting their lives on social media in a carefully curated manner.
"What I mean by that is everything was for show. They tried to present as the perfect family, living in the perfect home, having the perfect lives. But if you scratched away at that veneer of respectability, the reality was far removed from a professional, well-to-do couple that lived, in Jamie Varley's words, in a show home."
Varley, who told the court that from a young age he wanted to be a "teacher, a daddy with a Jeep who lived on a farm" took a year off work to care for Preston. McGowan-Fazakerley continued to work long hours, often involving a lengthy commute to the office in Salford Quays. He told the court: "I lived on the M6."
"Sick" of McGowan-Fazakerley being away from the family home, Varley made his frustrations clear in texts blaming his partner for catching a late return flight following a work trip, snapping that it was his 'f***ing fault, now f*** off.'
The court heard that little Preston was a very 'happy' boy before he entered the couple's home. McGowan-Fazakerley had no experience with babies, but Varley had often babysat nieces, nephews and the children of friends. "I felt it was going to be a breeze," he told the court. "But it wasn't."
Preston was not a good sleepe…
Read the full article at Daily Mirror →📄Source document: Isleworth Crown Court
7 reports
BBC News (UK)State / PublicCenter2 days agoA woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the 1978 death of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, who was scalded in a bath. Janice Nix, 67, was found guilty of manslaughter and cruelty toward Andrea's older brother, Desmond Bernard. The case came to light after Desmond reported the incident to the police in 2022. During sentencing, the judge emphasized Nix's awareness of the danger she posed, and Desmond provided a victim impact statement detailing the lasting effects of his sister's death.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual account of a criminal trial without apparent ideological framing. It reports on legal proceedings, judicial statements, and victim testimony neutrally, with no discernible bias in language or emphasis.
Official sources cited
- court Isleworth Crown Court
- government Metropolitan Police
Daily MirrorParty-alignedCenter2 days agoJamie Varley was sentenced to a whole life order for sexually abusing and murdering his adopted son Preston Davey, while his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley received 25 years for allowing the child's death, child cruelty, and sexual assault. The trial revealed Varley's abuse of power and the tragic circumstances surrounding Preston's death.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal case involving the murder and abuse of a child. It presents facts from the court proceedings without overtly favoring any side, using descriptive language typical of crime reporting. There is no indication of ideological framing or bias in the presentation of events
The IndependentIndependentCenter2 days agoA stepmother, Janice Nix, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the manslaughter of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, who died in a scalding bath in 1978. The case was re-examined after Andrea's older brother, Desmond Bernard, came forward with new information in 2022. Nix was also found guilty of cruelty toward Desmond during the same period. The judge emphasized that Nix knowingly exposed Andrea to extreme heat despite her protests.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual details of a criminal trial without apparent ideological framing. It reports on legal proceedings, judicial statements, and victim impact statements neutrally, without emphasizing any particular political perspective.
Official sources cited
- court Isleworth Crown Court
- court Mr Justice Nicholas Lavender
Daily MirrorParty-alignedCenter3 days ago Preston Davey's killer will get 'got' in prison as he is 'worst' type of inmate, ex-convict warnsJamie Varley, 37, was found guilty of murdering and sexually abusing 13-month-old Preston Davey, whom he adopted with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley. Varley was also convicted of multiple charges including assault by penetration, cruelty to a child, and creating indecent images of a child. McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault of a child. A former prisoner warned that Varley, being the 'worst' type of inmate, would face severe consequences in prison.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal case involving the murder and abuse of a young child. The content focuses on legal proceedings, court findings, and quotes from a former prisoner regarding the defendant's potential experience in prison. There is no evident ideological framing, biased language, or o
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Bias read (Center): The article reports on a tragic crime without taking a stance on political issues. It focuses on the victim's life and the legal proceedings, presenting facts from the court testimony without apparent bias or ideological framing.
Official sources cited
- court Court Testimony by Victoria Hull
BBC News (UK)State / PublicCenter4 days ago Murdered Preston Davey's biological dad tells of anguish at vigilThe biological father of Preston Davey, a 13-month-old who was murdered in July 2023 by his adoptive father Jamie Varley and Varley's partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, attended a candlelit vigil marking what would have been Preston's fourth birthday. Gary Nolan described the abuse Preston endured over four months as 'terror at the hands of a monster.' Both Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were convicted of multiple charges including sexual assault, child cruelty, and allowing the death of a child, and are set to be sentenced later this week. Preston was born in June 2022 and placed under the care
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a tragic event involving a criminal case and a public memorial. The content focuses on factual details of the crime, legal proceedings, and personal accounts from the victim’s biological father without evident ideological framing or biased language.
Official sources cited
- government Lancashire Police
Daily MirrorParty-alignedCenter5 days ago Mum's screams at 'limp and grey' baby son as dad 'shook him after nine pints'Tony Bartlett is on trial for allegedly shaking his four-week-old son, Atticus, to death after consuming nine pints of beer. The child collapsed at the family home in Chard, Somerset, on July 16, 2022, and later died in hospital. Bartlett denies charges of murder and manslaughter. His wife, Evelyn Ballentyne, testified at Bristol Crown Court describing the moment she found her son lying limp and grey, having made two gasping noises before dying. She recounted hearing the incident and finding Atticus face down on his father's knees, with Bartlett flipping him over.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual details of a criminal case without overtly biased language or framing. It reports on the testimony of the victim's mother and the defendant's denial of charges, maintaining neutrality in tone and content.
Official sources cited
- court Bristol Crown Court Trial Testimony
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