Evil teacher vomits in court after sexual abuse he put baby through | UK | News
Jamie Varley vomited in the dock when he learned the fate of what prosecutors described as one of the most disturbing cases they had ever faced. The 37-year-old high school teacher was found guilty of the sexual abuse and murder of a 13-month-old baby named Preston Davey, whom Varley was in the process of adopting.
Varley was convicted by a jury at Preston Crown Court following a seven-week trial into the death of little Preston Davey, who died in July 2023 just months after being placed in the care of former teacher and partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) wrote in a statement. He was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm and sexual assault on a child. He was also found guilty of 13 counts of taking indecent photographs or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and one count of making an indecent photograph.
McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of sexual assault, cruelty to a child and allowing the child to die.
Preston Crown Court heard the sickening abuse baby Preston was subjected to during his time in the couple’s care. During the four months he was in their care, Preston was routinely mistreated, indecently photographed and videotaped, sexually harassed, physically assaulted, and suffered dozens of traumatic injuries.
In April 2023, Varley texted his sister, a baby sleep trainer, saying: “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep after 23:30 BST last night. Up every hour and a half”.
On July 27, 2023, Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in a critical condition after Varley said he found the child submerged in the bath. A team of paramedics, nurses and doctors tried to resuscitate Preston for 50 minutes but he was pronounced dead. The autopsy revealed nearly 40 external and internal injuries, including bruises to Preston’s forehead, throat, mouth, bladder, hip, and bleeding in his lungs, and some evidence of “forced penetration” of the boy’s “abnormal” anatomy – clinical signs of sexual abuse.
Prosecutor Peter Wright KC said: “Preston’s death was a tragedy waiting to happen. Mr McGowan-Fazakerley knew this but chose to ignore it.”
Karen Tonge, of the CPS, said: “Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley had a responsibility to care for and protect baby Preston. They breached that responsibility and 13-month-old Preston was abused with sickening ease.
“It is difficult to understand how people who were supposed to love him could inflict such sickening physical and sexual harm on an innocent child.
“No child should have to go through what Preston went through in the last four months of his short life, and I can’t imagine how much damage this must have done to those who loved Preston. My thoughts remain with them.”
