Birth Mother’s Devastating Words After Baby Preston Davey Sexually Abused and Murdered by Adoptive Father.
The adoptive father who murdered 13-month-old Preston Davey after months of sexual and physical abuse has been convicted, leaving the baby’s birth mother, Sarah Davey, to deliver an emotional victim impact statement that has moved the nation. In harrowing court testimony, Sarah declared, “A part of me died with him,” as she confronted the man entrusted with her son’s care.
Preston Davey was born in June 2022 and taken into care shortly afterward. In April 2023, at nine months old, he was placed with Jamie Varley, a 37-year-old high school teacher, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, with a view to adoption. Over the next four months, Preston suffered a “reign of terror” at their hands in Blackpool.
Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, multiple counts of child cruelty, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, and numerous offences involving indecent images and videos of the baby. McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault.
The court heard how Preston endured routine sexual abuse, physical assaults, and was used as a “plaything” for Varley’s gratification. He suffered around 40 traumatic injuries, including bruises, internal damage, and a perforated bowel. Varley claimed the baby drowned accidentally in the bath, but evidence proved otherwise. Preston died in hospital on July 27, 2023.
In her powerful statement, Sarah Davey told the court: “There are no words that can truly describe the moment I was told my son had died. My world ended. A part of me died with him. But what makes it even more unbearable is knowing that his death was not an accident — it was something cruel, something he did not deserve, something that should never have been allowed to happen.” She added that she would never forgive Varley for what he did to her son and for the life and potential he stole.
The case has exposed serious failings in the adoption and safeguarding process. Despite multiple hospital visits and concerns raised by health workers and Preston’s grandmother, opportunities to intervene were missed. The convictions have prompted calls for a public inquiry into adoption safeguards.
Sarah Davey, now 42, had fought to keep her son but lost him to the care system. Preston had been thriving in foster care before being placed with the couple. The contrast between his healthy early months and the horror he endured in his final four months has devastated everyone connected to the case.
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley presented themselves publicly as loving parents, but behind closed doors inflicted unimaginable suffering on a vulnerable child. Varley’s web of lies began to unravel only after Preston’s death, revealing the full extent of the abuse documented in disturbing images and videos.
This tragedy has sparked outrage across the UK about child protection, adoption vetting, and the monitoring of placements. Professionals and campaigners are calling for systemic changes to ensure no other child slips through the cracks as Preston did.
Sarah Davey’s courage in speaking out has highlighted the lifelong pain carried by birth families in such cases. Her words — “I carry grief, guilt, and heartbreak every single day. I try to be strong for my daughter, but part of me is broken forever” — resonate with the profound loss felt by any parent whose child is taken too soon.
As sentencing approaches, the focus remains on justice for Preston and accountability for those who failed to protect him. His short life, marked by early removal from his birth family and later unimaginable suffering, serves as a stark reminder of the need for vigilance in child safeguarding.
Preston Davey was remembered as a sweet, bubbly baby who deserved love and safety. His mother’s heartbreak and the public outcry underscore the human cost when systems fail the most vulnerable. The convictions bring some accountability, but for Sarah Davey and all who loved Preston, the pain remains eternal.