Summary

  • Jamie Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, are set to be sentenced over the death and sexual abuse of 13-month-old Preston Davey

  • He was adopted by the pair in 2023 and was routinely abused for months before he died on 27 July

  • After an eight-week trial, Varley, 37, was found guilty of murder, sexual assault, and a raft of other child sex offences

  • McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child

  • Police described the two men as "pure evil", and said they made the baby's short life a "harrowing tale of misery and pain"

  • Warning: This live page contains distressing information

Live Reporting

Edited by Rachael Lazaro and Ewan Gawne

  1. 'You deserved to be with the people who loved you'

    Yunus Mulla
    BBC North West Tonight

    The statement from Sarah Davey continues:

    "Preston should be here today. He would be four years old. He should be getting ready to start school, learning, laughing, and living his life.

    "Instead, he is forever thirteen months old.

    "I am left trying to live a life that no longer makes sense. I carry grief, guilt, and heartbreak every single day.

    To my beautiful blue-eyed boy, Preston you were, and always will be, loved beyond words. I wanted you with me every single day. We all did. Your Nanna fought so hard for you, and you deserved to be with the people who loved you.

  2. 'I will never forgive you for what you did to my son'

    Yunus Mulla
    BBC North West Tonight

    Sarah Davey's statement continued: "I will never forgive you for what you did to my son and what you stopped him from becoming and achieving in his life.

    "Every single day, I live with the unimaginable pain of wondering what he went through.

    "Those thoughts do not leave me.

    "They are with me when I wake up, and they haunt me when I try to sleep.

    "The reality of how he suffered is something I will carry for the rest of my life."

  3. Preston's birth mother says 'he was perfect'

    Yunus Mulla
    BBC North West Tonight

    Now the court is hearing victim impact statements.

    A statement from Preston's birth mother, Sarah Davey, is read to the court on her behalf by Peter Wright KC. She is visibly emotional as her words are spoken by the prosecutor.

    Preston Paul Arlo Davey was perfect from the moment he was born. The second he was placed in my arms, I fell completely in love with him. He was my baby, my only son, and from that day on I never wanted to let him go.

    Preston Davey smiles at the cameraHandout

    Preston Davey

    For the first seven months of his life, I was lucky enough to spend precious time with him. He had the most beautiful smile, one that could light up any room, and the bond we shared was something everyone could see.

    Those memories should have brought me comfort — but instead, they are now mixed with pain, because I know what you put him through in his final months.

  4. Varley faced extreme pornography charges

    Yunus Mulla
    BBC North West Tonight

    The court hears how there were further charges of extreme pornography in relation to Jamie Varley but it was ruled there was no public interest in pursuing these.

    The judge agrees that handsets - seized as part of the investigation - that have images shown to the jury will be destroyed.

    The trial heard Varley had "hundreds if not thousands" of images and videos, a proportion of which included naked images of Preston and other disturbing and distressing evidence

  5. Judge weighing up type of life sentence

    Danny Savage
    North of England correspondent

    Prosecutor Peter Wright KC is continuing to talk about statutory sentencing guidelines.

    The judge confirms there will be a life sentence (as is standard for murder convictions) but he will have to decide whether it should carry a minimum prison term before Varley can apply for parole, or whether there could be a whole-life order.

    He makes the point that the count of murder clearly carries the heaviest weight.

    Sentences for all the different charges will be concurrent; e.g. not all added together to give a total.

    Wright acknowledges that any aggravating and mitigating factors will be taken into account.

  6. McGowan-Fazakerley 'must have seen the injuries'

    John McGowan-Fazakerley, a financial sales manager, was at work on the day Preston died.

    Police said he had been taking a "hear no evil, see no evil" approach to his partner's abuse of the child.

    A mugshot of John McGowan-FazakerleyLancashire Police

    "He saw and cared for Preston Davey on a daily basis," said Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows.

    "He must have seen a significant amount of injuries over that four-month period. He knew that Preston had suffered a fracture to his arm.

    "He must have seen bite marks to Preston Davey's buttocks because photographic evidence was taken with his mobile phone.

    He wasn't there on the evening, but he should have known."

    McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

  7. Sentencing hearing under way

    Danny Savage
    North of England correspondent

    Mr Justice Turner, the judge in the case, has now entered the court room and will hear submissions before he makes his sentencing remarks.

    Peter Wright KC, who prosecuted the case, is the first to address the judge.

    He is talking about the length of prison sentence for Varley and mentions guidelines which could include a full life term or a minimum sentence of 30 years.

    Some context; it is standard procedure for the prosecution to walk through sentencing guidelines with the judge in this sort of hearing.

  8. Preston's biological mother and foster parent in court

    Yunus Mulla
    BBC North West Tonight

    In the front row of the public gallery are Preston's foster parent Sandra Cooper and his biological mother Sarah Davey.

    Preston, who was born in June 2022, was taken into care at five days old following an emergency care order by Oldham Council.

    He was placed with foster parents, remaining with them for the first nine months of his life.

    Preston's mother, Sarah Davey, now 42, had been jailed at the age of 14 for the murder of a frail pensioner in 1998 and had been in and out of prison since then.

    Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were approved for adoption in January 2023 and Preston began living at their home in Blackpool in April 2023, when he was nine months old.

    Preston DaveyLancashire Police

  9. Manipulative murderer treated baby 'as a plaything'

    Jamie Varley collapsed to his knees, retching and vomiting when he was convicted of murder and other child abuse offences on Monday.

    A mugshot of Jamie VarleyLancashire Police

    The trial heard the baby in his care had been rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times in a month before he was taken to hospital unresponsive for a final time on 27 July 2023.

    Varley claimed to have left Preston in the bath and returned to find him under the water, but the trial heard he was dry and did not appear to have swallowed any water.

    A post-mortem examination found the child's body had injuries consistent with "forcible penetration" and sexual abuse, ruling out drowning as a cause of death.

    Lancashire Police Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows said Varley had used the 13-month-old "as a plaything, as his property, and that poor child has been subject to a reign of terror".

    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 photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

  10. Sentencing hearing due to start shortly

    Danny Savage
    North of England correspondent

    Every seat in Court One at Preston Crown Court has been filled and some of the jurors have returned to watch the sentencing hearing.

    They were given the option of doing so after returning their verdicts on Monday.

    The two defendants are both in the dock, sitting down as they await the start of proceedings.

    Jamie Varley looks, thin, pale and drawn and McGowan-Fazakerley is dressed in a dark blue suit and tie.

    In the public gallery are relatives of Preston Davey. The judge is about to come in.

  11. Adoptive dads to be sentenced over Preston Davey's death

    A small baby in an orange and white polka dot baby grow smilesHandout

    Two men are to be sentenced for their roles in the death of 13-month-old baby boy Preston Davey.

    He was adopted by teacher Jamie Varley, 37, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, and began living with them at their home in Blackpool in April 2023.

    Warning: This live page contains distressing information.

    Preston died on 27 July 2023 after four months in their care, after he was routinely sexually abused and assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries, while indecent images and videos were taken of him.

    After an eight-week trial, Varley was found guilty of murder and sexual abuse while McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of sexual assault, child cruelty and allowing the death of a child.

    We will be bringing you full coverage of their sentencing at Preston Crown Court this morning.