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In late 2018, Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley met at a bar in Manchester’s Gay Village. The connection was instantaneous; McGowan-Fazakerley, who had been privately educated at Kings School, Macclesfield, and had pursued a career in finance, found himself drawn into Varley’s world. Within a year, they had purchased a three-bedroom semi-detached house on Staining Road in Blackpool, complete with marble floors and chandeliers, and adopted a miniature pinscher named Maximus, whom they doted upon like a child. They curated a life that was “Insta-ready,” a seemingly perfect existence that masked the depravity that would ultimately claim the life of 13-month-old Preston Davey. Daily Dazzling Dawn can now reveal the depth of their deception.
Contrary to claims of an open secret, the investigation by this newspaper has established that the couple’s friends and colleagues were completely blindsided. A colleague of Varley, Janet Gee, told this newspaper of her shock upon learning of the verdicts. She recalled an event just weeks before Preston's death when Varley visited the school with the child’s arm in a plaster cast and confessed to having "dark thoughts" about murdering the baby by suffocating or drowning him. Varley casually claimed he had already disclosed this to his social worker, a statement which Gee accepted, leaving her with no cause to intervene. This is just one of at least ten documented failures by authorities.
Read more: DID A TEACHER VETTING FLAWS ALLOW A TODDLER’S MURDER?
Their journey to adoption was swift. After initial enquiries with Adoption Now in late 2021, they were approved by January 2023. However, red flags were present from the beginning. Foster mother Sandra Cooper, who had cared for Preston since he was five days old, reported feeling immediately uneasy when the couple came to visit. She noted they had no idea how to care for an infant and required basic parenting instruction. Preston’s biological grandmother, Debra Davey, and his mother, Sarah Davey—a convicted killer serving time at HMP Styal—both opposed the placement, with Sarah citing a "horrible gut feeling".
On April 3, 2023, Preston was officially placed with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley. The abuse commenced almost immediately. Within days, Varley sent a chilling text to his sister: “He’s dead meat today. Didn't sleep last night after 11.30. Up every one and a half hours.” The child endured a catalogue of abuse over the next four months.
Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital on at least three separate occasions for injuries ranging from bruising to a fractured elbow. Despite medics logging “unexplained injuries, inconsistent with a version of events,” authorities repeatedly accepted Varley’s explanations. The trial heard that both men were involved in the sexual assault of the child. Trophy photographs taken four days before his death showed Preston slumped over the bars of his cot after such an assault. Varley also took thousands of photographs and videos documenting the abuse.
The final act of violence occurred on July 27, 2023, when Varley committed a severe sexual assault that obstructed Preston’s airways. When Varley rushed him to the hospital, he staged a theatrical performance, collapsing and wailing for his own mother to buy time. He initially claimed Preston had drowned in the bath, but medical evidence proved this to be a lie; there was no water in the child’s lungs or stomach.
Both men, who continued their relationship for nearly two years after the murder until their arrests in June 2025, are due to be sentenced on Thursday. Jamie Varley, who faces a mandatory life sentence, showed no reaction when McGowan-Fazakerley’s defence counsel finally accepted his guilt, storming from the witness box and refusing to look at his former partner.
Read more: Teacher’s Baby Murder Verdict: Partner Knew of Abuse
The case has prompted an independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review, which will resume now that the criminal proceedings have concluded. The review will scrutinise the ten documented missed chances to save Preston and is expected to examine the decisions made by Adoption Now, Oldham Council, and healthcare professionals.
