How can I stop thinking about a distressing news article? *trigger warning*

[Dontwinfriendswithsalad]

I’ve just read a news article about an absolutely horrific case of child abuse by a teacher called Jamie Varley. If you haven’t read anything about it please don’t, as I desperately wish I hadn’t.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can scrub this from my brain or stop thinking about it? I know the world is a cruel place but this is probably one of the worst things I’ve read and I need it out of my head.

Not in favor of death penalty but do think they should be castrated. Surgically. Let them live as useless eunuchs for the rest of their miserable lives without an ounce of pleasure to be had anywhere.

I saw extreme internet history going back to 2017 - surely surely with technology at the stage it is now we can check if someone's IP address has been accessing extreme content as part of the checks as a basic thing.

And when a social worker does a visit and the adoptive parent says they fantasize about killing the child, they are mandated to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.

Exactly.

Just because she wasn’t able to look after him doesn’t mean she didn’t still love him. She is probably also devastated

I completely agree. Preston didn’t get to ignore what happened to him. Nor should we.

I know how you feel. I recently watched a documentary on Fred and Rose West and wished I hadn’t. A pair of filthy degenerates who were the product of degenerate parents.

The only way to cleanse your mind is to fill it with light and beauty. I often read out loud. The beautiful language you find in Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, etc, is a great antidote to the ugliness of the world. But the supreme cleanser is P. G. Wodehouse. Reading him out loud is like “swimming in champagne,” as somebody once put it. I also flick through books on Monet and Pissarro and the French Impressionists. To me, Wodehouse and Monet are as close as humans will ever get to Heaven.

Yes, I know, sorry. My mistake.

I’ve cried multiple times over this story.
His beautiful little face, it’s just beyond heartbreaking.
The amount of couples who would have absolutely adored having a litlte boy like him.
Bless his heart x

There will be cons in jail queuing up to mete out some proper justice

I agree with you.
DH and I looked in adoption over 30 years ago and we were told there were very few babies to adopt. Generally children up for adoption were older or several siblings.
So to allow a baby to go to two men when there would have been several couples desperate to adopt him screams political correctness gone mad.
Heads need to roll in the social services department responsible.

It’s absolutely sickening OP, I am immensely relieved I don’t have to sit on the jury, my heart goes out to them too.

I’ll never forget reading about a gorgeous little fella (Leiland Corkill) who was killed…

Every time I think of him, I see his smiling face & hug my DS to me. It’s so very sad.

Yes I remember this. Another beautiful little chubby cheeked cherub murdered by his adoptive mother. I think this case was also heard at Preston Crown Court. Local to us so it reported on the news.
Utterly, gut-wrenchingly horrific🤨😡

Are you suggesting that straight couples should be prioritised over gay ones?

Oh look. Someone desperately trying to find offense. We don’t have enough of that on here do we.

@Fallox yes this is an absolute disgraceful situation and to be honest probably adoptive kids should have a chance at regular life mum dad.

Agreed @Parsley4321 and @EvangelicalAboutButteredToast

I'm not trying to find offense, simply was going to speak about my horror as an adopter, and the challenges of the approval process but as saddened to see that I'm seen as depriving my son of a normal family so will bow out

Youve talked yourself into sadness @Fallox. You’ve seen offence when none was intended. Of course there are the most wonderful same sex adoptees. Absolutely no one is denying that. We are expressing concern that in the rush to be seen as inclusive and accepting these agencies might not be doing their checks and balances and kids are dying.

This is a great post. If affordable could you OP donate to a charity or local food bank as a positive action? Or be sponsored to do something and contribute to a worthwhile charity.
You can then try to remember that you are a good person and you have done something to help as a counterbalance towards the horribleness.

I’m not sure that homophobia and hate have any real bearing on the thread, given that it’s the second baby boy killed by adoptive parents and the other was female.

Regardless of that, I worked with Jamie Varley some ten years ago. Had quite a shock when I realised.

It is utterly horrific, and chilling. Poor Preston and his poor mother.

I think straight or lesbian couples should be prioritised. I don’t agree with depriving a baby of a mother for the sake of political correctness.

Yes women are capable of horrific things, we’ve seen that in the media. However most convicted paedophiles are male, overwhelmingly so.

These two deserve to rot in jail and I hope they get what they deserve.

You've come onto a thread about one of the most hideous crimes imaginable, to centre yourself as a victim. I think you should take a look at yourself. You're not the centre of the world.

They will be protected in isolation.

I think it’s the most horrific news story I’ve ever read. Thank you for starting this thread OP. I get so upset by articles like this and have intrusive thoughts about it for days after. It helps to read that many others are upset as well, reminds me that there are lots of good, empathetic people in the world. It can feel so overwhelming when there is story after story about crimes against children.

what was Varley like? Someone I know has just been convicted of child sex crimes. I had no idea and neither did his former partner.

Supportive, actually; he was HOY 10 at the school when I was there and was very helpful. Funny: very dry and quite sarcastic and withering. Certainly nothing indicative of this crime. I read about it a few months ago (not sure how it escaped me) and the name was familiar but it is similar to Jamie Vardy and I thought it was a football association. Then I saw where he worked and it did give me quite a jolt.

Certainly in this case Preston would have been safer and happier with his birth mother. It does seem horrifically cruel to have been taken from a woman due to ‘risk of harm’ and given to them, where, well.

But raising questions about the practice of forced adoption rarely seems to go well.