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

[IwantToRetire]

Distressing content
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A former teacher has been found guilty of sexually abusing and murdering a baby boy that he planned to adopt.

Jamie Varley, 37, was convicted at Preston Crown Court of murder, child cruelty, sexual offences and indecent images relating to 13-month-old Preston Davey.

John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.

Varley was in the process of adopting baby Preston (also known as Elijah) with his partner McGowan-Fazakerley. Just four months after being placed with the couple, Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital unconscious and in cardiac arrest. Sadly, Preston could not be saved.

Varley tried falsely claiming that Preston had accidentally drowned in a bath, but prosecutors were able to prove that his injuries were consistent with his airways being obstructed.

The evidence presented by the prosecution proved that in the final months of Preston’s life, he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted – suffering more than 40 separate injuries.

CPS statement continues at https://www.cps.gov.uk/north-west/news/former-teacher-guilty-sexually-abusing-and-murdering-baby-boy-he-wanted-adopt

More from a BBC report - also distressing:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp77l79e9o

I thought there was a thread about this, but cant find one. But sorry if a duplicate.

I really only wanted to post out of respect for this poor baby and the horror of his short life.

RIP

In the article it says that Oldham council have no record of the granny asking to keep Preston after her cancer treatment was finished. Why are they saying that?

Correct me if I'm wrong but Preston's birth family and possibly his foster mother were in Oldham. At least that's where he was taken into care. He was adopted by these men in Blackpool, a fair distance away. Putting to one side why, out of a huge chunk of the country's potential adopters a baby (highly sought after by families seeking to adopt), he was given to two men, Blackpool is stuffed full of children's homes. The LA had to pass a law to prevent planning permission being given to even more. The area is also one of the most economically deprived in the country. I suspect the social workers are run off their feet, underpaid, burned out and not sticking around. Other organisations, the NHS, etc. that deal with 'looked after' kids are probably also run ragged. Perhaps stuff that would raise a May Day's worth of red flags somewhere else is just 'Tuesday' in Blackpool.

How do we know that the only other option to the grandmother was the two men?

It would have been waiting for grandmother or looking for a suitable adoptive family.

Perhaps she asked verbally, e.g. at a case meeting, not in writing, and the person making records of the meeting didn't record the request.

I can tell you from personal experience that social workers are horrific at minutes and records of meetings. (I am not a social worker which is presumably why I am an acknowledged Queen of comprehensive, relevant minutes and meeting records.)

Yes you are right on this. There are plenty of people caring for grandchildren into their 70s, not all full time but for significant stretches. I've seen it a lot with friends who become grandparents late in life. One at least has had three lots of cancer and significant surgery, she adores her grandchildren and once recovered she has gone back to looking after them as often as she is needed.

But it's very unlikely that the only suitable family they could find were two men.

Plus from some of the videos that have been doing the rounds, one of the men (the teacher) seemed a highly unstable man.

The same thing happened with Pride in Surrey. There were so many red flags with the founder, Stephen Ireland, including him dressing up children in bondage gear, but the authorities, including the police, schools, the BBC and foster care in Surrey, ignored them all because they didn't want to appear to be homophobic. He was allowed to run a phoneline using his own mobile phone for vulnerable children to call him. The result? He kidnapped, drugged and raped a child.

He was sentenced last June. Also during Pride month.

The media largely ignored the story.

To be honest reading about this is so horrific it makes me feel numb . I’m not sure there is any punishment out there good enough for these evil disgusting people .

Jimmy Savile Syndrome. Lessons are never learned.

I think the point about not letting men adopt non-verbal children is well-made. DH took our pre-school DC to A&E twice in a short period of time, for injuries from accidents at home. On the second occasion DC was taken to a separate room and asked to explain in their own words what had happened. You can't do that with a very young child.
Rest in peace, Preston

I didn't know that single men are allowed to adopt. But I agree that they shouldn't be.

Maybe it was considered too disturbing for children to see pre-watershed? But is there even a watershed any more?

How on earth did they get through the adoption vetting? You don't just select a child and take them home, there are all sorts of rules and regulations.

It was on Northwest Tonight at 6.30 because it's in the north west, so they don't get off the hook for not having it on the national news on that one.

It was on the national news - both the six and ten. Both times approximately two thirds in.

It was not on the six o'clock news last night unless I blinked and missed it. I was waiting for it. I hope you are right, though.

do SS encourage women who’ve had there babies removed to have contraception ? I’m against reproductive control in all circumstances. But forced adoption is state imposed reproductive control.

We must all remember that if it wasn’t Preston who was murdered then it would be another baby. The murderers were allowed to adopt, manipulating SS the whole way.

You can check on iPlayer.

Brilliant post!

Articulates beautifully what most of us are thinking/feeling.

I suspect there was an ethnicity angle to it. One of the men has a surname Fazarkely which sounds unusual to me. I am an adopter - ethnicity is the absolute line in the sand when it comes to adoption. Sws try their best to come up with a match or near match. I don't know Preston's heritage but if his birth father was eg Indian, there is no doubt they are going to look for someone with links to that heritage.

@Arran2024 Fazakerley is a suburb of Liverpool, so it's an English place-based surname, originating from Old English.

Of course Fazakerley is a normal long established English name.

Also there was a photo of his Dad in the Times. White English as far as I can see. He looked very much like Preston.

Yes, but the issue was should adoption always involve a woman in the household so I was considering if women are necessarily always protective or do they put their relationship before the welfare of the child.

As many abusers choose their partners with great care with regard to them being colluders in abuse, it isn't always the case that women will report their partner.

It definitely was on the BBC News at 6, as I said upthread, because dh and I sat through the report in stunned and horrified silence. It rendered us speechless. Someone responded to my post saying it was 20 mins. in, so very much down the running order.

Excellent analysis of how abusers offend, especially the anger at a very young child distressed after being sexually assaulted leading them to hurt him even more.