A high school teacher is facing a mandatory life sentence for the murder of an adopted 13-month-old baby he Sєxually abused and treated as his “plaything”.

Jamie Varley, 37, adopted Preston Davey at nine months old with his partner, ex-public schoolboy and financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32.

In the four months he was in their care, Preston was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, and was Sєxually abused and physically ᴀssaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries.

Preston had been taken from his mother, Sarah Davey, now 42, by an emergency care order by Oldham Council.

Ms Davey, when she was 14, had been jailed for the “unspeakably wicked” murder of a frail pensioner in 1998 and had been in and out of prison since then.

Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were approved for adoption in January 2023 and Preston began living at their home in Blackpool, Lancashire, in April 2023.

Following an eight-week trial both men were convicted by a jury at Preston Crown Court on Monday, 15 June.

Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of ᴀssault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, Sєxual ᴀssault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent pH๏τos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent pH๏τo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent pH๏τo.

McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the Sєxual ᴀssault of a child.

The trial heard Preston had been taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times in the months before his death, on April 27 2023, and was seen by a “battery of professionals” during his life, including multiple social workers, health visitors and medics.

A social services investigation is under way. Mr Justice Turner will pᴀss sentence on Thursday, 18 June.