Adoptive Father Jamie Varley Will Never Be Released After Brutal Abuse and Killing of 13-Month-Old

To the outside world, Jamie Varley looked like a responsible secondary school teacher building a stable family life with his partner. The couple had successfully navigated the formal adoption process. Social media posts painted a picture of an ordinary, settled household.

Behind closed doors in their Blackpool home, that image shattered.

Thirteen-month-old Preston Davey died after just four months in their care. On 27 July 2023 he was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in cardiac arrest. He never recovered. Medical evidence later showed he had suffered around 40 injuries and died from acute upper-airway obstruction. The explanation offered at the time — an accident in the bath — did not match the findings.

Preston had been born in June 2022 and placed in emergency foster care within days. For roughly nine months he lived with foster carers who described him as a healthy, happy and sociable baby. In March 2023 an adoption panel approved Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, as prospective parents. Preston moved in at the end of that month.

Evidence presented at the lengthy trial at Preston Crown Court showed Varley struggled with parenthood almost immediately. Messages to friends revealed frustration and complaints about the child. Prosecutors established a pattern of repeated cruelty and physical abuse inside the home. Digital evidence, medical reports and other material painted a picture of escalating mistreatment during the short time Preston lived with the couple.

After a lengthy trial the jury convicted Varley of murder, serious ᴀssault, child cruelty, Sєxual offences and offences involving indecent images of the child. McGowan-Fazakerley was found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing the child’s death, child cruelty and Sєxual ᴀssault.

On 18 June 2026 Varley returned to Preston Crown Court for sentencing. The judge imposed a whole-life order — the most severe sentence available under English law. Unlike a standard life sentence with a minimum term, a whole-life order means Varley will never become eligible for release. He will remain in prison for the rest of his life, barring the most exceptional circumstances.

McGowan-Fazakerley received a 25-year sentence and must serve two-thirds of that term before he can be considered for release.

The convictions have not silenced the wider questions. Preston had thrived in foster care. The couple had undergone ᴀssessment and received official approval. Varley worked in education, a profession that places safeguarding children at its core. How a previously healthy baby suffered so extensively within months of placement remains a source of deep concern.

The case has prompted renewed examination of the decisions made during the adoption process and whether warning signs could have been identified earlier. For Preston’s birth family and the foster carers who looked after him in his first months, no sentence can undo the loss.

What is certain is the final outcome for the former teacher convicted of his murder: Jamie Varley will never walk free.