Can’t get over poor baby Preston

Can someone tell me the cause of death?

I can't remember what rules changed exactly, but it's much harder than it used to be for the police to detain people. And there are major, major backlogs in the criminal courts that cause a lot of delay for cases coming to trial.

Sure, but two years between the murder and the arrests? I've never heard of arrests following a murder taking so long, and I doubt the evidence was more complicated than a lot of murders. Actually, the more I think about this, the weirder it seems. And I haven't seen any explanation of the length of time this took.

@Allisnotlost1 where is your
data that child murderers are more likely to be bailed than other murderers? I just don’t think this is true because it’s unusual for anyone charged with murder to be bailed at all.

I think your post suggests that child murderers are treated more leniently in general and I don’t think that is true. Everyone receives a life sentence so the years is only when they become eligible for review.

the news report said for forensics and digital investigations. I’m just guessing that the digital stuff had been deleted so the recovery of this is complicated and with forensics you have to get several opinions ect…it wouldn’t be just one autopsy report.

But ultimately by recovering this evidence, they were able to prove the sexual abuse and the other injuries which meant that a whole life sentence would be more likely.

If he had killed him, in a fit of rage, for example, he could have got a lesser sentence.

But as I said that is pure speculation on my part.

I would really be interested to know what happened in the 2 years between Preston's murder, and Varley + the other one being arrested. Presumably the injuries the toddler suffered were known about after the autopsy, and also that the injuries were non accidental. So why did it take 2 years for them to actually be arrested for murder and sexual abuse, and remanded in custody?

I didn’t say they were, I said it was more common that murderers of children were bailed than other types of murder. It’s not common overall by any means and certainly rarer in the last 10 years.

And yes, child murderers frequently get shorter tariffs than other mandatory lifers, due to the sentencing framework. Mostly they are under 30 years, whereas increasingly there are murders of adults that attract sentences above 30 years.

Here’s some examples:

1. Daniel Pelka – 30 years (both defendants, this was exceptionally high at the time)
2. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes – 29 years
3. Finley Boden – 29 and 27 years
4. Star Hobson – 25 years
5. Devaun Rose-Turner – 25 years (both defendants)

Compare with the sentences given to the killers of these adult victims:

1. Sabina Nessa – 36 years
2. Zara Aleena – 33 years
3. Julia James – 37 years
4. Liam Smith - 30 and 33 years
5. Agnes Sina-Inakoju - 32 years

And just today, three more whole life orders for killing an adult. Aggravating factors of course and so it depends on what you consider the most important aaggravating factor, obviously but I think many people agree that murders of children should automatically attract a whole life order.

Thanks, I’d missed that bit.

It is nonsense. Most murderers generally are not released on bail (once charged)

And child murderers are not less likely to get a severe sentence.

Your comment suggests that child murderers are treated more leniently than adult murderers.

And possibly extensive planning? Vile scum 🤮

It’s not though is it? Sentencing law ranks the offence, so a child victim would be an aggravating factor because children are vulnerable, but other factors can be even more aggravating in law:

• sexual motivation,
• torture or sadism,
• abduction,
• multiple victims,
• terrorism,
• abuse of trust or public office,
• extensive planning.

See how Wayne Couzens got a whole life order, but most murderers of children do not. In this case they did because of the sexual and sadistic elements.

It only said that there was extensive digital work so I can only assume that the videos and texts had been deleted and the police had to recover them.

Thank you for the clarification. That’s a bit fucked up… would their phones be seized straight after Preston died? If not they could have destroyed all evidence, surely? Unless they kept the vile videos and photos.

They weren’t charged until 2025.

They were under investigation. That’s why they were free men.

This is all nonsense. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence and when the victim is a child this is treated more seriously.

Yes, Preston was handed over on 1st April
and abuse was filmed on 17 April.

The narrative of the overwhelmed dad and Varley’s insinuations about Preston’s possible background health issues (I.e. possible drug issues) were part of the cover up.

Yes. It’s astonishing how often people awaiting trial for killing a child are on bail, rather than in prison. It almost never happens in other murder cases, but suspected child murderers are treated more leniently before trial. And rarely get sentences like this when convicted.

I would imagine these people perhaps voted YABU by accident. No one would ever vote that on here. Poor little Preston. When I think of all the people reading about him, like you OP, and feeling so desperate for him, the world is full of people who care. The system and those awful men let him down, disgustingly. It's so hard to come to terms with it.

It’s easy to express it, we’re not the ones adding years to a prison sentence.

Maybe some people think the loss of freedom for life and spending most of your time in a tiny cell is a worse punishment then being killed relatively quickly by an inmate.

I hate that article, it's very much JV did it all, despite JMF abusing little Preston too as he was also convicted of sexual abuse, although JV did the worst of it. He was an absolute coward, he could have reported his partner but he didn't, and he joined in with the abuse. I definitely don't buy he knew nothing about it.

I hate the narrative that JV abused that baby because he was overwhelmed. There's evidence the abuse started very quickly, and you don't do those kinds of awful things to a baby because you're overwhelmed. Shout at them or neglect them, yes. Get so angry you hurt them, no.

It's not like there's a mechanism to actually arrange it - it's fine to express that if it happens anyway, we'd be glad.

Not necessarily saying he should be killed but I wouldn't mind if he gets a little taster of what he inflicted on that poor baby...

It's not just prisoners who are subject to violence but prison officers. A colleague had his jaw broken by an inmate. Nobody should be advocating violence in a prison.

Why do you need prisoners to carry out society’s dirty work?

I think killing someone leaves an indelible mark on your soul. Why don’t you become a prisoner and do the job yourself?

Yes do think. Because there are prison officers with livelihoods and Guardianista type journalists sharpening their pens accusing prison officers of brutality.