John McGowan-Fazakerley and Jamie Varley were jailed today over the death of little Preston Davey, who was sexually abused by both and murdered by Varley after the pair adopted him15:58, 18 Jun 2026Preston Davey: Lancashire Police release interview and arrest footage It's deeply unsettling to be in the presence of such evil, especially the sort that lurks behind a trustworthy smile.‌Jamie Varley has today been sentenced to a whole life order for murdering his 13-month-old adoptive son, Preston Davey. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was jailed for 25 years for allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.‌Handing down sentencing, the judge told Varley in no uncertain terms, "You will be in prison for the rest of your life."‌The scenes outside Preston Crown Court were bittersweet. While justice has now finally been served, loved ones haunted by nightmares know that no amount of time served will bring back baby Preston.His distraught birth mum, Sarah Davey, who wept throughout proceedings, fled from the court after the sentences were passed, collapsing into her friend's arms. The tot's grandmother, Debra Davey, who'd so desperately wanted to care for Preston herself but was thwarted by a breast cancer diagnosis, appeared frail as she was physically supported by family members.‌The judge, Mr Justice Turner, commended those in court for the restraint shown throughout sentencing, during which devastating details of Preston’s treatment were repeated, the nature of which is almost too grotesque to be believed.Police analysis of the couple's phones exposed the true horrors that little Preston had been subjected to before his death on July 27, 2023, when he was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, having suffered a collapse and cardiac arrest.‌At the time, the infant had suffered 40 external and internal traumatic injuries consistent with "forcible penetration" and sexual abuse. A post-mortem found a fracture to Preston's upper left arm, as well as internal bruising to his throat, bottom, bladder and bleeding in the lungs.Paedophile Varley - who threw up in the dock when he was found guilty at a previous hearing - maintained a chilling stillness throughout proceedings, not even flinching during the devastating victim impact statements.Sarah Davey sobbed uncontrollably as hers was read out. "The day he was taken from me was one of the worst days of my life. I had no choice in that decision," she wrote. "Every single day, I live with the unimaginable pain of wondering what he went through. Those thoughts do not leave me. The reality of how he suffered is something I will carry for the rest of my life.‌"You have not only taken Preston's life - you have devastated mine and his sister's. His big sister is growing up without her little brother. Everyday moments that should be happy are now filled with pain."Preston should be here today. He would be four years old. He should be getting ready to start school, learning, laughing, and living his life. Instead, he is forever thirteen months old. I am left trying to live a life that no longer makes sense. I carry grief, guilt, and heartbreak every single day. I try to be strong for my daughter, but part of me is broken forever. This is not something I will ever recover from."‌But as Varley was sent down, the once well-thought-of textiles teacher lost his footing, stumbling as he left the dock to begin the final long, dark chapter of his twisted life. His former partner tellingly made no attempt to steady him.Varley, 37, looks far older now than the snaps the court saw of the enthusiastic Head of Year. His skin has a grey, unwashed pallor, as if coated with a sheen of grime, while his mouth is grimly set in a permanent frown. His eyes are sunk in deep shadows, once again unknowable.‌Clad in a short-sleeved dark polo shirt, he carried the defeated look of a man who knows there's nowhere left to hide, this determination to 'fight until I die' crushed under a weight of evidence.There was just one chair separating Varley from John McGowan-Fazakerley, the man he once described as 'everything I had ever asked for in a relationship'. But there was no sense of that old devotion here today. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, turned on his ex-partner Varley during the trial in a desperate bid to save his own neck.It was a canny move from a man with a deeply ingrained understanding of how to keep up appearances, even amid unimaginable horror. Sitting behind the glass screen in his crisp white shirt and spectacles, the neatly turned-out former sales manager presented as the nicely brought-up private school boy he once was.‌He sat upright, expressionless, occasionally sipping his water or adjusting his tie, looking perhaps much like he did when he worked long hours in Salford Quays, while Varley stayed home, purportedly caring for Preston.The sat impassive as a statement was read out on behalf of Preston's biological father, Gary Nolan, who tragically never got the chance to meet his only son. With heartbreaking candidness, Gary detailed how thoughts of what little Preston had endured had driven him to an alcohol issue so severe that he was left "throwing up blood".‌Their respective masks remain in place as Sandra Cooper, Preston's foster mother for the first, happy 10 months of his life. Sandra and her husband Paul began fostering Preston when he was just five days old, and they were affectionate for the adorable little boy with the 'sparkling smiley eyes'.Sandra, a motherly woman with a kind face, fought back tears as she spoke of how she still often dreams of Preston, only to wake and remember what had happened to him. While she and husband Paul Cooper had previously intended to give up fostering after finding a permanent family for Preston, his death prompted them to continue with their important work. However, the murder has left deep scars.‌She shared: "Paul and I have previously felt that the best option for all our foster children was to leave us happy and healthy to go and live with a new permanent adoptive family. We now struggle with this, and I will feel mistrustful and anxious about any of our children leaving our care to live with strangers."Paul described Preston as having been "an absolute pleasure to look after", telling the court how he "cannot bear to think about" what happened to the child after they handed him over to the adoptive parents they'd believed would love and care for him as they had done.‌Paul's gentle voice wobbled as he spoke of how the ordeal had changed him. He said: "Since this I find myself waking up three or four times during the night thinking about Preston. Sometimes I can be awake for hours thinking about it."Shortly before the court adjourned for the judge's sentencing remarks, Varley dabbed at his cheeks and nose with a tissue. It took a moment to realise he was wiping away supposed tears. For himself or Preston, only he can know.While Preston Crown Court has seen some horrific cases, there can surely be none that rival this. It’s clear this is a case that has moved all those who care about the welfare of children, and the press bench is so packed that an extra chair has to be brought in.‌Content cannot be displayed without consentMeanwhile, in the public gallery, members of the public who never even met Preston squeezed in with members of his family, feeling a kinship with the little lad who was denied the chance of a life before his even began.One female attendee the Mirror spoke with, who did not wish to be named, said she couldn't help but feel that the defendants' depravity wouldn't have been so well concealed had it not been for their veneer of affluent middle-class charm.‌Anyone looking into their clean and spacious Blackpool house, complete with glamorous chandeliers and a cuddly pet dog, could be forgiven for believing this pair were capable of providing an enviable start in life for any youngster. Tragically, as this case has shown, such carefully curated appearances can hide all manner of horrors.If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.comArticle continues below