Teacher guilty of murdering 13-month old baby he adopted with his partner

A high school teacher was found guilty of murdering and sexually abusing a 13-month-old baby whom he treated like a “toy”.

Jamie Varley, 37, adopted Preston Davey with his partner, former public school student and financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, when he was nine months old.

Preston was taken from his mother Sarah Davey, now 42, under an urgent care order from Oldham Council.

Miss Davey, who was 14 at the time, was jailed for the “unspeakably evil” murder of a frail pensioner in 1998 and had been in and out of prison ever since.

Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley’s adoption was approved and nine-month-old Preston went to live at their home in Blackpool, Lancs, in April 2023.

However, at the defendant’s trial at Preston Crown Court, it was stated that in the less than four months he was in their care he was routinely mistreated, indecent photographs and videos were taken, sexually harassed and physically assaulted, and he suffered 40 traumatic injuries.

After the eight-week trial, the jury deliberated for nearly 14 hours before returning to court to deliver the verdict.

Varley was found guilty 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 indecent photographs.

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.

As the guilty verdicts were read, Varley stood in the dock and put his hands to his face in shock, then fell to his knees in misery and began vomiting.

While McGowan-Fazakerley’s father shook his head, the other defendants made no reaction.

Preston’s mother and grandmother, 29, burst into tears and sobbed as the guilty verdict was announced.

Neither defendant will be sentenced today and Mr Justice Turner said he will impose sentence on Thursday.

This is breaking news, more to come…