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Convicted child murderer adopts new name in desperate attempt to evade vigilante justice inside Britain's most notorious prison- Convicted baby killer Jamie Varley has reportedly changed his name in a desperate bid to conceal his identity after arriving at HMP Wakefield, where fellow inmates are said to have placed a bounty on his head. The 37-year-old former teacher, handed a whole-life order for the murder and sexual abuse of 13-month-old Preston Davey, now allegedly goes by the name Harry Jae Robb .
A New Identity Behind Bars-The deed poll name change, costing just £53.05 and formally applied for shortly after his arrival at the Category A prison in West Yorkshire, represents Varley's latest attempt to distance himself from the horrific crimes that shocked the nation . Prison sources have confirmed that the former head of year, who meticulously constructed a façade of respectability through carefully curated social media posts, is now "absolutely petrified" for his safety behind bars .
A source close to the prison told journalists: "He has changed his name to Harry Jae Robb in the hope of giving himself anonymity. There have already been threats against him and he thinks that by changing his name, people are less likely to recognise him and know who he is" . The addition of the middle name "Jae" is understood to be a reference to a nickname once known among friends before his conviction .
Varley's fear is not without foundation. HMP Wakefield, notoriously dubbed "Monster Mansion" due to its population of some of Britain's most dangerous offenders, houses approximately 630 prisoners, two-thirds of whom have been convicted of sexual offences . The prison's history of violence against child abusers is well-documented, with inmates including Sarah Payne's killer Roy Whiting, Baby P's murderer Steven Barker, and the recently attacked Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins .
A Target in 'Monster Mansion'- Former prison governor Vanessa Frake-Harris MBE, who rose to become head of security and operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs during a 27-year career, has described in chilling detail the threats facing Varley. She warned that the child killer is likely to face "non-stop psychological warfare" within the prison's walls .
"There will immediately be loud, systemic chanting across the wings, constant death threats, and being loudly labelled a 'nonce' or 'beast' every time he is moved outside his cell," Ms Frake-Harris told reporters . She predicted Varley would face two distinct forms of violence, including "jugging" – the act of throwing boiling water mixed with sugar over an inmate to cause deep, melting burns – or attacks with makeshift shanks fashioned from everyday items like razor blades melted into toothbrushes .
"Because Varley's sentence guarantees he will die behind bars, the threat to his life is a permanent, multi-decade reality," Ms Frake-Harris explained .
A Welcome of Fear- Upon his arrival at Wakefield, Varley was reportedly given a "bloodcurdling" reception as prisoners banged on cell bars and queued to be the first to harm him . He was initially held in the healthcare unit – an unusual placement – before being transferred to D Wing, commonly known among prisoners as "the nonces wing" because of the high number of sex offenders housed there .
One source previously revealed: "There's a bounty on his head, everyone wants to be the one to hurt him first, and he was made very aware of that as he entered the prison. The other prisoners knew he was coming and they waited for him" .
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice was forced to deny rumours that Varley had already been stabbed in the neck, similar to the attack on Watkins, who was assaulted with a makeshift blade last October .
The Trial That Shocked the Nation-Varley was sentenced to a whole-life order at Preston Crown Court on 18th June, with Mr Justice Turner describing the case as being of "the most extreme gravity" . The former design and technology teacher at South Shore Academy was convicted 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 count of distributing an indecent photo of a child, and one count of making an indecent photo .
His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, received a 25-year sentence after being found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and sexual assault of a child . The pair had adopted Preston in April 2023 when the child was just nine months old .
A History of Abuse- The trial heard harrowing evidence of the sustained abuse Preston suffered during the four months he was in the couple's care. Medical experts found 40 external and internal traumatic injuries to the child's body, with some consistent with "forcible penetration" and sexual abuse . Varley had initially claimed Preston had accidentally drowned in the bath, but a post-mortem examination ruled out drowning and revealed the true extent of the abuse .
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, the senior investigating officer, described Varley as a "serial manipulator and a serial liar," noting that "any tears have been around Jamie Varley, an arrogant, self-centred liar" .
In the weeks leading up to his murder, Preston was taken to hospital three times for various injuries, including a fractured left elbow . On the final occasion, Varley told medical staff he had left the child in the bath for two or three minutes, but the child was dry and showed no evidence of having swallowed water .
Ninety minutes before rushing Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Varley recorded a video of the child in extreme distress, barely breathing and taking "agonal breaths" . The footage was shown to the jury during the trial, with some evidence proving too distressing for one juror, leading to the trial being aborted and re-started with a new jury .
Questions Remain Unanswered- The case has prompted widespread public outrage and renewed scrutiny of the adoption process. Two MPs, Blackpool South's Chris Webb and Fylde's Andrew Snowden, have called for a full public inquiry into potential safeguarding failures that allowed the adoption to proceed .
Webb told the BBC: "There are fundamental questions that remain unanswered, why were repeated signs missed? Why did the systems designed to protect him fail so catastrophically?"
Snowden added: "The systems that exist to protect children are there for a reason, and in Preston's case, those systems have failed in the most devastating way imaginable" .
A child safeguarding practice review, which was paused during the criminal proceedings, is set to be relaunched by Oldham Council .
The case has also exposed the darker side of the adoption industry, with concerns raised about inadequate post-placement oversight and a culture that may have treated the adopters' protected status as a reason to hold back when evidence demanded action .
A Dead Man Walking- For Varley, now going by the name Harry Jae Robb, the remainder of his life will be spent in what one former prisoner described as "a sick, sorry world where he belongs" . The threats against him are not expected to diminish, and prison authorities will likely have to keep him on a Vulnerable Prisoner Unit or under strict Rule 45 segregation for his own protection, meaning up to 23 hours a day locked in a single cell, isolated from human contact .
Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, warned earlier this month that Varley would become a major target, describing Wakefield as "one of the most dangerous prisons in the country" .
Despite his attempt to adopt a new identity, the monster inside the prison walls cannot escape the judgment of his fellow inmates. As one source put it: "He knows he has a huge target on his back and he thinks his new name will make him safer and will help him escape vigilante attacks" .
Whether Varley's reported name change ultimately improves his safety remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the former teacher will never leave the confines of HMP Wakefield, sentenced to die behind bars for crimes that have been described as "pure evil" by Lancashire Police .
Daily Dazzling Dawn will continue to provide updates on this developing story as further information becomes available regarding the ongoing safeguarding review and any potential public inquiry into the adoption process.
