Murdered baby boy was seen ‘by battery of professionals’ in weeks before his death | UK | News

Preston Davey had been hospitalized three times, seen by a “group of professionals” and even had the police called in the weeks leading up to his death. Social workers, teachers, doctors and nurses all saw Preston as a “highly visible” cared-for child. Preston Crown Court It was said. The Child Safeguarding Enforcement Review, launched by Oldham Council following the baby’s death, was suspended during criminal proceedings and is expected to restart after the conclusion of the hearing.

One element of the review is expected to focus on whether any opportunities were missed. prestoncare before death. Her mother, convicted murderer Sarah Davey, who was born four weeks premature and weighed 5lb 7oz, was living in the mother and baby unit at HMP Styal women’s prison at the time.

At just five days old, Preston was taken into urgent care by Oldham Council on a respite care order and placed with foster parents, staying with them for the first nine months of his life.

While in foster care, Preston was a happy, cheerful baby and was described as “thriving” despite a mild reflux issue.

Preston Crown Court heard that secondary school head Jamie Varley, 37, and her boyfriend, financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 37, were also successful in their careers and relationships and wanted to start a family.

They entered the process, training was partly held online due to the Covid pandemic, and in January 2023 they were approved as potential adoptive parents by Adoption Now, an organization used by local councils.

Adoption Now concluded that Preston Davey needed “love, affection, security and stability,” and in his medical notes before the adoption, the doctor’s notes read: “Absolutely gorgeous, happy, alert. Smiling all the time.”

Both Preston and the parents were assigned social workers from Oldham Council. They began the process of getting to know Preston by visiting him at the home of foster parents Sandra and Paul Cooper.

Ms Cooper said she had to show new parents almost everything needed to care for a baby. Later, after struggling to see Preston after adopting him, she called a social worker and said she had a “gut feeling” something was wrong.

Preston spent his first night at the defendants’ home in Blackpool on April 1, and two days later it was “moving day”, with Preston settling in with his adoptive parents and their pet dog, Maximus.

Within days, problems began to arise as the defendants learned about sleep deprivation and the “rollercoaster” of being new parents.

During the first week, Varley texted her sister, a baby sleep trainer, to say: “He’s dead meat today. He didn’t sleep after 11.30 last night. He’s up every half hour.”

On the evening of May 15, McGowan-Fazakerley called 999, then gave up and the operator only heard a voice saying: “Leave it alone…”

The operator returned the call, but was told he had to go to 111 to report Preston was experiencing “breathing problems.”

The next day a health visitor made a scheduled call to the house and was informed that Preston appeared well.

At 11.10am on May 25, Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital for the first of three visits in three months. Shaken and unresponsive, Varley reported that his nose was bleeding, he was having a seizure, and he was having difficulty breathing.

But pediatric sister Zoe Hellowell and Nurse Holly Edwards noticed the bruising on Preston’s head. A medical report says Preston “suffered unexplained injuries inconsistent with his version of events.”

Hospital security was notified and social services and Lancashire Police were called. However, after a meeting with the medical staff, the bruises on a baby learning to walk were not considered suspicious, a medical explanation was made about the injuries and the matter was closed there.

On June 30, Preston returned to the hospital for the second time. At around 8.25pm ​​Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley took him to hospital for a rash, diarrhoea, vomiting and a high temperature. Paramedics noticed another bruising to Preston’s head.

They were shown a video of Preston playing and pulling a toy box towards him, and by way of explanation Varley commented: “You’ll think we’re molesting him or something.”

It was only later discovered that the toy box video had been shot 12 days earlier, an unusual explanation for the bruises.

Preston’s third visit to the same hospital occurred on the morning of July 6.

Varley took him to the hospital for an injury to his left arm; He said it had happened the previous evening while he was tucking her into bed, but he seemed to give different and inconsistent explanations to different people. After the x-ray, a cast was applied for the broken elbow.

That same day, the child’s social worker, Amy Shepherdson, who had been in contact with the hospital, texted Varley to say: “Just to reassure you, they said they had absolutely no concerns. You did absolutely the right thing.”

He visited the family’s home but no concerns were expressed. A day later Helen Magee, an independent critic from Oldham social services, visited Preston at his home.

In her visit report, apparently intended for the baby, she wrote: “Preston, I have been watching your reactions to your father quite carefully because I am aware that you have been hospitalized several times recently, which has made me think a little about whether there is something wrong that I am not seeing. I have determined that there is no problem…”

Varley had taken a year off from her job as year head and textiles and design teacher at South Shore Academy in Blackpool. He was still in contact with his colleagues and asked someone to get him a prescription for anti-depressant medication, which he refused.

During the first week of July, she and Preston, whose arm was in a cast, made a surprise visit to fellow teacher Janet Gee. Ms Gee said Varley told her he was mentally challenged and had “dark thoughts” about strangling or strangling Preston.

Later that month, Varley took the child to hospital for the final time, claiming that the baby had drowned in the bath.

Varley was found guilty on Monday, June 15, of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photographs or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child to other defendants and one count of taking an indecent photograph.

McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of cruelty to children and one count of sexually assaulting a child.

Adoption Now and Oldham Council were approached for comments following the conclusion of the hearing.