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Teacher guilty of sexually abusing and murdering adopted baby

Jurors heard Preston Davey suffered about 40 traumatic injuries and prosecutors said the death followed repeated sexual and physical abuse.

  • On Monday, a jury at Preston Crown Court convicted teacher Jamie Varley of murdering his adopted 13-month-old son, Preston Davey, while partner John McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death.
  • Medical evidence during the eight-week trial revealed Preston sustained about 40 traumatic injuries over 16 weeks in their care, with autopsy findings confirming acute upper airway obstruction as the cause of death.
  • Digital evidence from Varley's phone, including a video showing Preston in "extreme respiratory distress," contradicted the defendants' claims of accidental drowning and proved the abuse was documented by the perpetrator himself.
  • Karen Tonge, Crown Prosecution Service official, described the case as "shocking and horrific," noting the couple had been approved for adoption by Adoption Now despite clear warning signs of their inability to cope.
  • Varley faces a mandatory life sentence for the murder committed less than four months after Preston was placed in his care; the trial required two juries to reach a verdict due to the extreme nature of evidence presented.
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The boy died in July 2023, only four months after being adopted by Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley, guilty of sexual assault, child abuse and allowing the death of the child Read

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Blackpool Gazette broke the news in Blackpool, United Kingdom on Monday, June 15, 2026.
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