Preston was placed into emergency care after birth and had once been described as a healthy, happy baby while living with temporary foster parents. In April 2023, he was placed in the home of Jamie Varley, a 37-year-old teacher, and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, as part of an adoption process. In just about four months, Preston was repeatedly harmed and taken to hospital several times before he died on July 27, 2023.

What made the case especially shocking was that Varley claimed Preston had suffered a “bath accident,” but the post-mortem examination ruled out drowning as the cause of death. Police said Preston died from acute airway obstruction, and his body showed around 40 external and internal injuries. Many photos and videos found on the phones of the two men were used as evidence, which is why the thumbnail says, “He filmed it.”

On June 15, 2026, at Preston Crown Court, Jamie Varley was convicted of murder, child sexual abuse, child cruelty, causing grievous bodily harm, and offenses related to illegal images and videos of children. John McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of allowing or causing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual abuse.

On June 18, 2026, Varley was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. McGowan-Fazakerley was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The case has also raised major questions about the child protection system and the adoption process, as Preston had been taken to hospital multiple times before his death and had shown signs of injury, yet no timely intervention was made

The latest confirmed update in the Preston Davey case is that Jamie Varley has been sentenced to a whole-life order, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of release. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and must serve at least two-thirds of that term.

Varley, a former teacher, was convicted of murdering and abusing 13-month-old Preston, the baby he and McGowan-Fazakerley were in the process of adopting. Prosecutors said Preston suffered more than 40 injuries during the four months he lived in their care. The claim that Preston had suffered a bath accident was rejected by medical evidence, which found he died from acute upper airway obstruction.

The case has now sparked major questions about child protection and adoption safeguards. Reports say Preston had been seen by professionals and taken to hospital several times before his death, including once with a fractured arm, yet he was returned to the couple’s care. A child safeguarding review has resumed to examine whether warning signs were missed.

Preston’s foster carers remembered him as a happy, thriving little boy before he was moved into the couple’s home. Police said they do not want Preston to be lost behind the headlines, stressing that he was the victim at the heart of the case