Former teacher guilty of sexually abusing and murdering baby boy he wanted to adopt - CPS

You only hear the parent's version of why they were turned down, not social services - so it's always things like 'we have too many books' or 'we earn too much' and never that they are a risk to the child.
I imagine the social worker's version would be very different.

Just think on all the reasons social services give for turning down couples for adoption. One case someone posted was that bc they took their prospective child to a crèche for an hour, the child had been at risk of being distressed so social services referred things to halt adoption.

From the article: "She said the greater issue was that Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley appeared “very middle class, very professional”, and Varley, a head of year at a high school, was “highly manipulative”. That, she said, may have made social workers and medics less suspicious. “We don’t expect teachers to be paedophiles,” she added."

What??? This is exactly what the assessment is for because people might APPEAR to be decent onn the surface. Also, "We don't expect teachers to be paedophiles." We have so many stories in this county of teachers being paedophiles. Where do these SWs come from???

I saw on a youtube true crime podcast that V is on suicide watch. I hope they do not let him act on that impluse.

Absolutely right.

I've come to believe that some social workers are so inept/indoctrinated that I could write the options available to them on a piece of paper, place it on the floor, and go with which option my cat places its paw upon.
In some cases, it's really hard to believe that Tiddles could have made a worse decision.
In fact, Tiddles may make a better decision. Go, Tiddles!

We all know that the so-called professionals were too afraid to say anything.
(And if the ones who were brave enough, no doubt told to stfu.)

I don't care if they never sleep again.
May all the guilt in the world be carried on their shoulders forever more.
I repeat: may all the guilt be carried on their shoulders forever more.

I just have so many thoughts, swirling about in my head regarding this case. It has really rocked my world. Every time I see a little baby out and about, I well up.

DH & I adopted a baby girl who is 13 now. I keep thinking, how was this precious experience given to those two monsters? We found the adoption vetting process really thorough and intrusive. We also found SS very pervasive during our first year of parenthood, we had frequent long (and really annoying) visits, minimal 1.5 hours. When my DD was 18 months, we took her to AE with a temperature. The next day, we received a call from SS, and then OMG a 2-hour-long visit. I can't believe for a moment that SS would not have picked up on issues if they spend enough time with Preston and the men. You must be around long enough to observe family routines. If you're there for feeding, nappy changes, sleeping – you can tell for sure if the baby is traumatised.

WRT the foster mum, I imagine stories of Preston's not sleeping or settling must have filtered back to her. In the first year we often had back and forth with our FP checking on small things, asking their advice on behaviours. Like Preston's FP, they knew our DD since day two. So it would be concerning, if adopters kept on and on struggling with a baby who wouldn't settle and yet refused help. Especially if the FP's knew the baby as a happy and calm.

I'm so sorry for Preston, what a horrific and sickening thing to have happened to him.

There's this in the Telegraph but I can't get it to archive so I've not read it.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/19/baby-preston-adoption-agency-pushed-staff-hit-strict-target/

Because the aim is ultimately to have them adopted if possible (with the hope that they will be happily settled with one forever family)....rather than leaving them open to the instability of being moved at short notice from one foster family to another if for eg the foster carers decide they no longer want/able to carry on fostering.
Sadly, as it turned out, this was the worst thing that could have happened to him. That poor darling boy never stood a chance. What a cruel world we live in 😭

Is any of that even slightly true?

@maudelovesharold

Completely agree about Fazakerley being equally as guilty. Hopefilly a sentence review would reflect thst.

I don't think most of us here believe in any way that stress over Preston's sleeping is what caused this vile pair to become paedophilic abusers. I believe they always were and planned it fro the start (I also happen to think JMF was likely more actively involved than the evidence found about him indicates, but that's just my personal gut feeling). I have seen one or two people suggesting it, but I don't think that's the majority view.

I absolutely agree with your gut feeling. I posted this on another thread, but it’s relevant.
Fazakerley will be eligible for parole in 16/17 years. I cannot understand why he was dealt with so leniently when he was a co-perpetrator of the repeated abuse, rape and eventual murder of a baby. They acted jointly in the torture. His semen was on the cot rails. You can’t tell me he wasn’t fully involved. He should have been given a life sentence too. I’ve requested a sentence review, as any member of the public can.

Oh please don't let anyone kill them for a very long time. I want them to live in fear and misery for as long as possible.

I don't disagree but his killers are no heros. If they were really interested in taking out the trash they'd should deal first with the monstrous blokes looking back at them from the mirror.

If we want child killers dead we should stop being so squeamish about it and bring back the death penalty, instead of waiting for some other killer to do the state's job for it.

It's very odd. It seems likely that they'll soon be a law that will allow more and more people to get the state to kill them. So it's not like the state has a problem with that.

Don't know which publication but today noticed a report that Preston's adoption agency had targets to reach including targets to place with single men and gay men. Another scrap of information is that social workers refuse to contact one agency which won't do that.

Yeah, agreed; I think we know that though (and pretty sure that poster does!), it's just we were talking about potential red flags in what they were saying and what could or should have been spotted beforehand in terms of what was being kept an eye on in general.

I don't think most of us here believe in any way that stress over Preston's sleeping is what caused this vile pair to become paedophilic abusers. I believe they always were and planned it fro the start (I also happen to think JMF was likely more actively involved than the evidence found about him indicates, but that's just my personal gut feeling). I have seen one or two people suggesting it, but I don't think that's the majority view.

There IS a wider issue about support new adopters get though in general. It's not entirely irrelevant I don't think because even if JV hadn't been the scumbag he is, some of what he was saying early on might have led to a little more scrutiny and awareness of what he was up to. Just a thought anyway.

I think this is so true and there is no preparation for parents who adopt and then find further issues down the line.

I’ve listened to some of The Trail and one of the things he admitted to was leaving Preston alone in the bath for 14 minutes. Who on earth would ever think that was ok to do with that age of baby. For some reason that stuck out to me when they were denying all the other charges. The sheer premeditation of the whole thing down to getting himself into a position of trust as teacher and safeguarding lead and the abuse starting from day 1. It’s simply one of the worst cases I’ve ever heard

This has been the most harrowing case I've read about in a long time. I've been thinking about it for days now and I can't sleep and I cried last night. RIP beautiful innocent little Preston, these men are beyond depraved and evil for what they did.

@Arran2024 that post you were responding to was about the fact that really they weren't stressed out normal adopters (option 1) they were paedophile abusers pretending to be normal adopters (option 2), as all the evidence from the trial indicates. They were also arrogant enough to think they wouldn't be caught or that they could lie and cover up their way out of trouble even if they were caught.

Whether or not Preston was a bad sleeper is irrelevant to his abuse and murder. They handled it badly because they were paedophile abusers, not because they weren't adequately prepared for poor sleep during the adoption process.

There may well be an issue with how prospective adopters are trained and prepared for having children with trauma placed with them, and the support they are offered or can access once the adoption has gone through. That's got nothing to do with what happened to baby Preston.

That's true. I was responding to a post about how they handled his poor sleeping though.

Maybe I missed it on here but they was he not left with the foster family? He thrived with them.

Why hand him over to two degenerates.

Let’s hope they are getting a nice welcome in prison.

@Arran2024 "These adopters should have been prepared for poor sleeping for example. The child had just moved from everything he knew. He was entitled to be anxious and upset." - this pair of paedophiles were not ordinary adopters who found caring for a traumatised child difficult and weren't able to cope with it. They almost immediately started to sexually and physically abuse him, they would have done that regardless.

This is where I feel that the adoption approval system is not working. The Gov is so keen to attract prospective adopters, but is the training glossing over the challenges of taking on a traumatised baby?

People keep repeating the foster carer's views that Preston was a happy, healthy baby, making it sound like the adopters here had hit the jackpot with the perfect child.

In fact, adopted children are incredibly likely to be diagnosed later with conditions like adhd, autism, learning disability, conduct disorder, foetal alcohol syndrome etc.

Adopters should understand what they are getting into. I am not convinced the training is adequate.

These adopters should have been prepared for poor sleeping for example. The child had just moved from everything he knew. He was entitled to be anxious and upset.

Podcast called "The Trial" covers the case in detail including recreating interviews. Its not an easy listen.
At the very least they were completely naive and had a disney vision of happy smiley insta babies who slept all night and smiled all day or at worst one or both accessed child porn and thought they were getting one of those internet babies who silently took what the abusers gave and they wanted their own personal one. The details of what they did points to 2.
Even if Preston didnt count in their eyes how did they not understand that repeated physical and sexual abuse wasn't going to end with them being caught is unbelievable. They really felt untouchable.

yep I thought the same. Preston experienced serious SA, it was only a matter of time before he developed worrying behaviours in front of professionals due to trauma. Or a serious/life-threatening injury (as actually happened).

I am so shocked they began to abuse this little baby even with active SS involvement. Even the sleep deprivation and videos were bad enough but fucking hell.

Did they think they could have both a normal parent relationship and behind close doors continue the abuse?

Im in disbelief that this even happened, it’s difficult to process. His perfect little face in the video is so tragic.