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

I don’t think they wanted a cute accessory, I think they wanted a vulnerable baby to use for their own sick gratification. I think they arrogantly underestimated how much attention and interaction a baby needs, even one that you intend to abuse. And they actively made the situation worse by hurting him and treating him badly in general. Like keeping him awake when he was tired and shouting at him to wake him up, as well as physically harming him. The foster parents managed to care for him perfectly well despite acknowledging that he was a poor sleeper, because they weren’t abusive and weren’t trying to harm him.

Agreed!

Regarding prison justice, this case is being reported on

Inmates found guilty of killing Kyle Bevan in HMP Wakefield - BBC News https://share.google/USSROKUqPX6fefHKQ

Kyle Bevan murdered a 2 yo girl. That's more than I want to know, I suspect the details are grim as fuck. Of his murderers; Mark Fellowes is a contract killer of at least two people, David Taylor* has confessed to murdering a young woman but not disclosed where her body is, he also stabbed a Police Officer in the chest with a previously concealed makeshift weapon because 'fuck it', Lee Newell murdered his female neighbour and (while incarcerated) another child killer, he lost his eye and suffered brain damage when attacked by other inmates for which he sued (I don't know if successfully, might be ongoing) the Prison Service. Two are now serving whole life terms. Taylor seems likely to be given the same but seems to have been ongoing. I suspect it's probably a given now.

These men are scum. The man they murdered was scum but wtf is going on in our prisons?

Yes. Same at the school a friend of mine worked at. It was the deputy head, and, naturally. safeguarding lead. Suddenly disappeared, had been done for CSA of his own daughter.

Kyle Bevan beat his girlfriends 2 year old daughter to death. Good riddance to bad rubbish. His killers are on whole life tariffs so they have nothing to lose, Varley and his boyfriend are highly likely to get the same treatment. Theh need wiping off the face of the earth ASAP

They have been absolute heroes in this. Both of their victim impact statements had me in tears. They did everything they could for Preston, genuinely loved and adored him. I'm so glad he experienced and knew their love for the first ten months, but cannot even begin to imagine how utterly broken they both are by what was allowed to happen to him.

Yeah, I don't think his histrionics and retching performances are going to get him very far in prison.

I have been wondering the same thing. How did they think this would end? Did they ever think they would be found out? Did they not realise that they were doing physical harm and that Preston could be seriously injured and questions would be asked?

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.

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.

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.

@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.

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.

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

@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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

@maudelovesharold

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

Is any of that even slightly true?