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A teacher convicted of sexually abusing and murdering a 13-month-old boy he had adopted alongside his partner has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of release. The victim, Preston Davey, died in July 2023 after enduring sustained physical, sexual, and emotional abuse over the last four months of his life.
Jamie Varley, aged 37 and from Blackpool, was the man found guilty of murdering Preston. Initially, Varley claimed the child had accidentally drowned in the bath, but a post-mortem revealed the baby had suffered approximately 40 injuries. Varley’s partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also convicted of sexual assault, child cruelty, and permitting the death of a child, for which he received a 25-year prison sentence.
The judge, Mr Justice Turner, emphasized the gravity of the case in passing sentence. He described the abuse Preston endured as “unremitting” and stated that Varley had murdered the child during a sexual assault. The judge stressed that the life sentence with a whole life order was reserved for the most severe cases, meaning Varley will remain imprisoned for life without eligibility for parole except under exceptional compassionate circumstances.
Throughout the hearing at Preston Crown Court, Preston’s biological mother and grandmother were visibly emotional, often in tears. In a victim impact statement read on behalf of Sarah Davey, she expressed the “unimaginable pain” of wondering what her son experienced in his final months and declared, “I will never forgive you for what you did to my son and what you stopped him from becoming and achieving in his life.” Similarly, Preston’s biological father, Gary Nolan, described his devastation upon learning of his son’s death, recalling his initial shock and hospitalisation due to his distress. Preston’s foster mother, Sandra Cooper, spoke to the court about remembering the child as “joyful, so content and happy, with sparkly smiling eyes.
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