How adoptive parents' lies unravelled to reveal 'reign of terror'

Lancashire Police

As Jamie Varley begged medics to save the life of his adopted 13-month-old son, he told them: “It’s my fault – I left him for literally two minutes while I went and got changed.”

This was not an admission of guilt, but the start of Varley’s web of lies.

The truth behind Varley’s months of deceit only came to light when his baby Preston Davey died in hospital on 27 July 2023 after months of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the 37-year-old former teacher.

After an eight-week trial at Preston Crown Court, Varley – who had maintained that Preston drowned in the bath – was found guilty of murdering him, and a string of other offences including sexual assault and taking indecent images of the child he was trusted to care for.

Varley’s partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual abuse.

For Lancashire Police Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows, who was the senior investigating officer on the case, Varley’s behaviour in hospital was “almost like a pantomime”.

“We see a very different Jamie Varley at different stages,” said Fallows.

“The jury has seen him on that evening [in hospital], throwing himself to the floor… saying that he didn’t believe it was true… it felt very contrived.

“We saw a very different Jamie Varley in the suspect interviews on 25 June 2025 just before he was charged, both in terms of appearance, demeanour and attitude.

“I think we saw a different Jamie Varley giving evidence during his trial: obstructive, wholly inconsistent and wholly unbelievable.

“He has sought to change his account, frustrate and blame other people when the truth was there right in front of him.

“He had caused those injuries and he had killed Preston Davey.”

Preston, who had been taken into care when he was five days old, and nine months later, in April 2023 was adopted by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley.

After Preston began living at their home in Blackpool in Lancashire he began to suffer non-accidental “cluster” injuries of bruising, seizures or respiratory failures, and there was evidence of abnormality of his anatomy.

On 27 July 2023, he was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by Varley, who had taken a year off work as head of year at a high school, to adopt him.

He told medical staff he had left the child in the bath for two or three minutes and returned to find him submerged.

Medics were unable to revive Preston, and he was pronounced dead in hospital.

A post-mortem examination found 40 external and internal trauma injuries to the child’s body, with some consistent with “forcible penetration” and sexual abuse, ruling out drowning as a cause of death.

Lancashire Police

“My view is that the bath incident never happened at all, as Preston wasn’t wet,” said Fallows.

“There was no evidence of drowning, no evidence in the autopsy that Preston had swallowed water. It was wholly inconsistent.

“Preston Davey had been sexually abused, probably twice on that particular day, in really tragic circumstances. And ultimately that has contributed to his death.”

Fallows said over the course of the trial the jury was shown many examples of psychological and emotional abuse as well.

He described “keeping a clearly tired sleeping baby awake for no other purpose other than amusement” and “leaving a baby in a bath for 14 minutes whilst videoing it” among the ways Preston was tormented.

“It was almost like a sordid amusement that Jamie Varley has treated Preston as a plaything, as his property. And that poor child has been subject to a reign of terror.”

Lancashire Police

The senior investigating officer said while it was true McGowan-Fazakerley, a financial sales manager, was in work on the day Preston died, he had been taking a “hear no evil see no evil” approach.

“He saw and cared for Preston Davey on a daily basis,” said 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.”

Evidence showed that Preston “had a happy, settled, content life for the first nine months of his life in the care of foster parents who clearly loved him deeply”.

Fallows said the police investigation had not looked at what “could have or should have happened by other agencies” but focused on prosecuting the two men.

In the months before his death, Preston was taken to hospital three times.

Firstly for a nose bleed and seizure, for the second time with a rash and bruising and on the third occasion with a fractured left elbow.

When social workers visited Preston at home, they did not feel that he was in danger.

“I’m the investigating officer in relation to a murder investigation,” said Fallows, when questioned on whether alarm bells should have been raised.

“Here and now, it should be about Preston Davey.

“Those questions will naturally be picked up by other people at a later date.”

Elizabeth Cook

Fallows also said the investigation had not revealed any evidence to suggest the men had a sexual interest in children prior to the adoption.

“We looked into the background of both and we’ve not uncovered any evidence that would suggest that either of them have had a sexual interest in children or uncovered any evidence that would suggest that they have previously been abusive to children or were in any way a danger to children,” said Fallows.

“In fact up to the point that they’ve become Preston’s adopted parents, they were presented as men of good character.

“Again, the reality was rather different.

“Did Jamie Varley source a child in order to sexually abuse and murder?

“That isn’t the evidence in the case, and it isn’t the case that we presented.

“I suppose the only person that will ever know that is Jamie Varley, but people may come to their own conclusions after following the evidence in the trial.”

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