Murder of Preston Davey
2023 murder of infant in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Preston Davey (16 June 2022 – 27 July 2023)[2] was an infant subjected to child abuse at the hands of his prospective adopted fathers over a period of four months. The infant's adopted parents were Jamie Varley, a secondary school teacher, and John McGowan-Fazakerley, a sales manager in the finance sector, who lived together in Blackpool, Lancashire.
Preston Davey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 June 2022 Wythenshawe Hospital, Greater Manchester, England |
| Died | 27 July 2023 (aged 1) Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Lancashire, England |
Cause of death | Murder (Intentional acute upper airway obstruction) |
| Known for | Abuse and murder victim |
| Parents |
|
Background
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley met in Manchester in 2018. They became a couple and had planned to start a family. Preston Davey was born on 16 June 2022.[2] They were approved for adoption by Adoption Now, a company providing services to local authorities, on 6 January 2023. Preston Davey was placed in the care of foster parents at the age of five days, and remained in their care until he was nine months old. His biological mother, Sarah Davey, had been convicted along with another girl of killing an elderly woman at the age of 14 in 2002 and had been in and out of prison over a long period. Preston's biological father Gary Nolan was in prison at the time of his son's birth.[3] Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley first met the baby in February 2023 and adopted him on 1 April of the same year.[4]
Abuse and murder
In the months prior to his death, Preston had been taken to hospital on three separate occasions. Multiple visits by social services to the home did not flag any concerns, and bruises and injuries were explained away to medical professionals.[5]
Preston Davey was killed on 27 July 2023.[2]
A pathologist listed the cause of death to be "acute upper airways obstruction" either from smothering or the insertion of an object or objects in the baby's mouth.[6] An autopsy showed that the child sustained forty internal and external injuries, including to his throat, mouth, bladder, and bowel,[2] with evidence of forcible sexual penetration regarded as clinical signs of sexual abuse.[5] Evidence presented at trial also showed that Varley had taken "indecent images and videos of Preston, which were stored on his phone".[2]
Convictions
Just under two years after Preston's death, Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were charged with multiple offences against the child.[7] On 18 June 2026, Varley was convicted of the murder of Preston Davey, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm and sexual assault of a child and imprisoned under a whole life order at HMP Wakefield.[8] McGowan-Fazakerley was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment for allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child.[9][10][11]
