A high school teacher has been convicted of murdering and sexually abusing a 13-month-old baby he treated as a “plaything.”
Jamie Varley, 37, had adopted Preston Davey at nine months old alongside his partner, ex-public schoolboy and financial sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32.
Oldham Council had removed Preston from his mother, Sarah Davey, now 42, through an emergency care order.
Ms Davey, who was 14 at the time, had served time for the “unspeakably wicked” murder of a frail pensioner in 1998 and had been in and out of prison ever since.
After being approved for adoption, Preston moved into Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley’s home in Blackpool, Lancashire, in April 2023, when he was nine months old.
Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley appeared at Preston Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Wire)
During the just under four months he spent in their care, he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused, and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries, while indecent images and videos were taken of him, Preston Crown Court heard during the defendant’s trial.
After an eight-week trial, a jury deliberated for around 14 hours before returning to deliver its verdicts.
Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photo of a child to his co-accused, and one count of making an indecent photo.
McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
After being approved for adoption, Preston moved into Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley’s home in Blackpool, Lancashire, in April 2023, when he was nine months old.
During the just under four months he spent in their care, he was routinely ill-treated, sexually abused, and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries, while indecent images and videos were taken of him, Preston Crown Court heard during the defendant’s trial.
After an eight-week trial, a jury deliberated for around 14 hours before returning to deliver its verdicts.
Varley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photo of a child to his co-accused, and one count of making an indecent photo.
McGowan-Fazakerley was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
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