Preston Davey’s grandmother has revealed she wanted to keep the baby (Image: Lancashire Police/PA Wire)
Preston Davey was rushed to hospital three times and assessed by numerous professionals just weeks before he was murdered by his “pure evil” adoptive parents, the trial heard.
These missed opportunities are now set to be scrutinised as officials examine how authorities handled the case of the 13-month-old who suffered a catalogue of abuse from his adopted parents.
Yesterday, textiles teacher Jamie Varley, 37, was convicted of sexual abuse and murder, while his partner, financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault.
Varley initially attempted to conceal his actions by claiming he left Preston in the bath briefly and returned to discover him submerged. However, a postmortem revealed this as a malicious lie.
Preston’s hair was dry, and he hadn’t swallowed any water; his actual cause of death was “acute upper airways obstruction by an object or objects inserted into his mouth.”
Preston spent merely four months under the couple’s care. During that short period, he was transported to hospital on three separate occasions with injuries, including a fractured elbow and sustained 40 traumatic injuries.
Despite social workers visiting the property twice, and Lancashire Police attending once, the abuse remained undetected. An independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review, which was suspended during criminal proceedings, will now resume to examine how authorities failed to protect the vulnerable child from an adoptive father who treated him like a “plaything.”
Preston was born four weeks premature, weighing 5lb 7oz. His mother, convicted killer Sarah Davey, was serving her sentence in the mother and baby unit at HMP Styal, and he was placed into emergency care by Oldham Council at five days old.
For the first nine months of his life, Preston was looked after by foster parents Sandra and Paul Cooper. Under their care, he was a “thriving| baby whose only medical issue was a minor acid reflux problem.. It was at the Cooper’s home that Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley first met Preston, during the mandatory familiarisation process before formally adopting him. Sandra recalled feeling immediately uneasy, noting the two men seemed to have no idea how to take care of an infant, forcing her to teach them basic parenting tasks.
Missed chances to save Preston
1. On April 1 2023, Preston was officially placed with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley. Shortly after the handover, Sandra contacted social services after developing a troubling feeling that something was wrong. She tried to arrange a visit with Preston to check on the baby she had cared for, but said the couple repeatedly rejected her requests.
Early April – Varley calls Preston ‘dead meat’
2. Within days of bringing Preston home, Varley sent a disturbing text message to his sister following a troubled night, writing: “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every, one and a half hours.”
May 15 – Sinister 999 call
3. McGowan-Fazakerley dialled 999 but abruptly hung up.
The emergency operator recorded hearing a voice in the background saying: “Put it down..”
When the operator rang back, the pair claimed they had intended to call non-emergency line 111 to report that Preston was experiencing “breathing problems”. A health visitor conducted a scheduled visit to the property the following day, but reported the infant as appearing well.
Undated handout photo issued byby Lancashire Police of Jamie Varley, 37 (Image: Lancashire Police/PA Wire)
May 25 – First hospital visit
4. Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital after becoming floppy and unresponsive.
Varley claimed he had suffered a nose bleed, a seizure and breathing difficulties. But paediatric sister Zoe Hellowell and Nurse Holly Edwards noticed highly suspicious bruising on Preston’s head and logged “unexplained injuries, inconsistent with a version of events given..”
Hospital safeguarding teams, social services and Lancashire Police were notified. However, Varley smooth-talked authorities, insisting that his adopted son had simply bumped his head while learning to crawl.
The explanation was accepted, and no further action was taken.
June 30 – Second hospital visit
5. The couple returned to the hospital, presenting Preston with a rash, diarrhoea, vomiting, high temperature, and fresh bruises on his head.
To explain it, the couple showed medics a video of Preston pulling a toy onto his head while playing. In reality, the video had been filmed 12 days prior and could not have caused the fresh injuries, something that was only discovered later.
During the visit, Varley brazenly said to hospital staff: “You lot are going to think we have been abusing him or something.”
Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of Jamie Varley, 36 (left) sits in the dock at Preston Crown Court (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)
July 3 – Social worker visit
6. Social worker Amy Shepherdson visited the home on July 3.
She noted the baby looked “a little pale” and “not himself” but documented that she believed this to be the result of a recent illness.
July 6 – Third hospital visit
7. Just three days later, Preston was brought back to hospital with a broken elbow.
Varley offered conflicting and inconsistent accounts of how the injury had occurred to hospital staff, eventually settling on a claim that it had happened while placing his adoptive son into his cot.
That same day, Shepherdson, who had been in contact with the hospital, texted Varley to say: “Just to reassure you they said they had absolutely no concerns. U absolutely did the right thing.”
July 7 – An independent review by social services
8. Independent reviewer Helen Magee conducted a scheduled visit on behalf of Oldham Council.
Aware of the frequent hospital admissions, she wrote a report directly addressing the infant: “Preston, I did watch your responses to your daddies quite carefully as I am aware that you have had a few hospital admissions of late and this made me ponder a little as to whether there was a problem that I couldn’t see.
“I decided there wasn’t an issue..”
McGowan-Fazakerley was also convicted on Monday (Image: Lancashire Police)
Mid-July – a terrifying confession to coworker
9. Varley, who had taken a year of adoption leave, turned up at the school where he worked with Preston’s arm visibly in a plaster cast.
While there, he confessed to colleague Janet Gee that he was experiencing “dark thoughts” about murdering the baby by suffocating or drowning him. As Varley claimed to have already disclosed this to his social worker, Gee took no further action.
July 13 – education boss left without concerns
10. Varley’s headteacher carried out a welfare check at the couple’s home upon learning he was struggling with his mental health, but departed without raising any concerns.
July 27 – the tragic end
Varley rushed the child to hospital a final time, claiming the baby had drowned in the bath, and Preston died in hospital, aged just 13 months. In the wake of the guilty verdicts, a spokesperson for Adoption Now stated: “This was a deeply upsetting case, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by these truly awful crimes. Adoption Now follows a strict and rigorous process in line with all relevant legislation and guidance in the assessment and approval of adopters. An independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review is being completed.”
Oldham Council said: “The death of any child is a tragedy, but this is a particularly heart-wrenching and disturbing case. We are thankful that the perpetrators of the sickening murder and abuse of an innocent child have today been convicted for their crimes.
“An independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review is already under way, which will examine the handling of Preston’s safeguarding.
“Our thoughts remain with Preston’s family, loved ones, and the many people affected by this case.”