Jamie Varley will never be released - but Preston Davey's murder was a massive safeguarding failure

Blackpool Victoria Hospital will be among those to come under scrutiny over its lack of intervention before Preston's death

Preston Davey’s murderer will never be released from prison.

Today Jamie Varley - along with his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley - was sentenced at Preston Crown Court.

Statements were read out from Sarah Davey, Preston’s biological mother, Gary Nolan, his biological father and foster parents Paul and Sandra Cooper.

Among the many emotional elements of those statements, that spoke of an ‘amazing little boy’ who was never allowed a normal life, Paul Cooper described putting trust into a system to care for a child. He said that trust has now been lost.

Questions will now rightly be asked of how two individuals were able to abuse a child so thoroughly, cruelly and brazenly over the course of four months, and several hospital visits, without proper and effective intervention.

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Jamie Varley will never be released - but Preston Davey’s murder was a massive safeguarding failure

Preston Davey in the care of his foster family

A man who was found guilty of murdering and sexually abusing a baby boy he was in the process of adopting will never be released from jail.

Jamie Varley, 37, was given a whole life order at Preston Crown Court on Thursday (18 June) which means he will stay in prison for the rest of his life.

Varley, then a teacher and even a designated safeguarding lead at South Shore Academy in Blackpool, was also found guilty of seriously assaulting Preston Davey on an earlier occasion, as well as five counts of child cruelty and possessing and distributing indecent images of a child. All those offences related to baby Preston.  

His partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of causing or allowing a child’s death, two child cruelty offences and a single sexual assault and was sentenced to 25 years, of which he will have to serve two thirds. 

Within weeks of entering the care of Varley and McGown-Fazakerley, Preston was being taken to hospital. On 25 May 2023, Preston was at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Police were contacted by the safeguarding staff at the hospital but medical staff advised there were no concerns about non-accidental injury.

That was the only contact police received from Blackpool Victoria Hospital until his death on 27 July - during which time Preston was the victim of physical cruelty, psychological cruelty and sexual assault.

He was taken to hospital three times in the run up to his death, with bruises and a broken arm all noted. The Vic’s safeguarding team on one occasion alerted police but no action was taken following input from a consultant.

The Vic did not answer The Blackpool Lead’s numerous questions earlier this week but provided a statement.

Maggie Oldham, the CEO of the NHS trust managing the hospital, said: “We are working closely with other agencies and are continuously improving our child safeguarding. We are committed to encouraging colleagues to speak up about anything they are not comfortable with or concerned about.

“We will now consider carefully all the evidence heard at the trial to identify if any further improvements are necessary, beyond the safeguards already in place.”

The hospital was unable to carry out a full inquiry into Preston’s treatment because of the police investigation and trial, but bosses are now expected to review evidence from court to see if any improvements can be made.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza said the murder was a “massive safeguarding failure” and she will pursue the question of whether it was preventable.

Speaking to the BBC prior to sentencing she said: “What do we know about Preston?

“We know that very early into his adoption, and he was only an adoption with his family for four months, very early, he was taken to hospital with bruises.

“The consultant dismissed it. Did they dismiss it because it was a teacher adopter?

“Did that evil abuser hoodwink people under that professional guise?

“The social worker saw him 20 days before he died. I want to know whether the correct level of professional curiosity was there.

“I have huge numbers of questions, and I’m not going to let go until I have the answers.”