Behind the facade of Jamie Varley, the ‘wicked, arrogant liar’ who abused and murdered his baby son

Varley was prolific in taking photos and videos of Preston, some of which were used as evidence that he must have been physically, psychologically and sexually abusing his child. Photograph: Elizabeth Cook/PA View image in fullscreen Varley was prolific in taking photos and videos of Preston, some of which were used as evidence that he must have been physically, psychologically and sexually abusing his child. Photograph: Elizabeth Cook/PA Behind the facade of Jamie Varley, the ‘wicked, arrogant liar’ who abused and murdered his baby son Varley presented himself in court as a doting dad to Preston Davey but prosecution said he used adopted boy as a sexual ‘plaything’ ‘T hey were an ordinary couple,” said one neighbour. Their baby “was happy, he was smiley, he was beautiful,” said a friend. There were nobig concerns about the teacher and the sales manager who were doing what thousands do every year – adopting a child. In reality, Jamie Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, were child abusers and Varley murdered the baby boy they adopted, Preston Davey, when he was 13 months old. Preston’s start in life was difficult. His mother was Sarah Davey who, it can now be reported, was jailed as a child for murdering a 71-year-old woman. He was placed with foster carers when he was just five days old and at the age of nine months he began living with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley. Over four months he was “routinely ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted,” the prosecutor Peter Wright KC told a trial at Preston crown court. On 27 July 2023 the baby was taken to hospital after Varley said there was an accident in the bath. He died soon after. No evidence was found to support Varley’s account but a postmortem did find 40 external and internal trauma injuries to Preston consistent with “forcible penetration” and sexual abuse. Varley, described by one police officer as an “arrogant, self-centred liar”, had a sexual interest in the baby, using Preston for his own gratification which led to murder, a jury decided. Wright suggested to Varley he had used Preston as a “plaything” and routinely abused him “for your own amusement and gratification”. View image in fullscreen Jamie Varley. Photograph: Lancashire Constabulary Jurors at the eight-week trial heard and viewed horrific, distressing evidence of the two men’s crimes, which raise wider questions about local authority adoption processes across the UK. Varley, 37, was a teacher at South Shore academy in Blackpool. He started as a technician in the design and technology department and by 2023 he was a qualified teacher, promoted to head of year. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was northern sales manager for an asset finance company who regularly commuted to Manchester. “I lived on the M6,” he said. They lived in a semi-detached house in Staining, a village just outside Blackpool. Varley told the court he had dreamed of having children. From a young age he wanted to be “a teacher, a daddy with a Jeep