A paedophile parent who worked as a sales manager in Salford Quays has been jailed for 25 years for sexual assault and allowing the murder of his adopted 13-month-old baby.
John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, and his partner Jamie Varley, 37, sexually assaulted and physically abused Preston Davey after adopting him aged nine months, before his murder following a sex assault by Varley four months later at their Blackpool home.
Both were convicted by a jury on Monday following an eight-week trial at Preston Crown Court, as Varley received a whole life order and was told he will die in jail.
McGowan-Fazakerley 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. He will spend two thirds of that time behind bars.
He grew up in Congleton in Cheshire, attended Nottingham Trent University and taught undergraduates at Keele while working towards a PhD left academia to work in financial sales in Salford.
In 2022, he took up a role as a northern sales manager Salford Quays.
McGowan-Fazakerley’s “sadistic” partner Varley was handed a whole life jail term and told he will never be eligible for parole after his conviction for a murder that “shocked the nation”.
The court heard how Varley, a former head of year at high school, inflicted “unremitting abuse” on 13-month-old Preston Davey before a final, fatal, sexual assault took his life.
The evil paedophile adoptive parents were described as an “odd couple” but presented themselves as happy, successful, model prospective parents.
After approval for adoption in February 2022, they were matched with Preston, a nine-month-old in foster care, who “lit up the room” with his smiles.
The couple hosted a “Chosen Shower” with cake, decorations and balloon arch – with Varley painting a living room wall mural of “Preston Elijah”, the name they chose to give him.
His adoption reports stated the little boy needed: “Love, affection, safety and stability.”
Instead, he was sexually abused, tormented and treated as a “plaything” after he began living at their home in April, 2022.
Varley took a year off work to adopt, his partner, who earned more, continued in his Salford job – but also did the cooking, shopping, laundry and was also a “clean freak”.
After McGowan-Fazakerley left for his work with his briefcase each morning, Preston was left at the mercy of Varley; soon annoyed with childcare, frustrated with a lack of sleep and with a sexual interest in children.
The child had been “thriving”, the court heard.
But in the just under four months he was in their care, he was routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, and was sexually abused and physically assaulted, suffering 40 traumatic injuries.
A social services investigation is under way but Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, has already described the “harrowing” case as a failure of state safeguarding.
Their trial heard Preston had been taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times in the months before his death with suspicious bruises noticed by medical staff, but these were explained away and police stood down.
Preston had also been seen by multiple social workers and teachers, colleagues of Varley, who took a year off work as head of year and design and technology teacher at South Shore Academy in Blackpool.
But on July 27 2023, Varley rushed Preston to hospital a final time, unresponsive.
He claimed to have left the child in the bath for a couple of minutes and returned to find him submerged.
Medics worked in vain for 50 minutes to save his life.
Meanwhile, Varley gave a “performance” of a grieving parent that one senior doctor described as unlike any she had ever seen before.
It was also noted Preston’s hair was dry, he had a nappy in place and he did not appear to have swallowed any water.
A Home Office post-mortem examination ruled out drowning as the cause of death and the examination found around 40 non-accidental, internal and external injuries.
They included multiple clusters of “fingertip” bruises on his head, face and limbs, slap marks on his leg, and a human bite mark on the baby’s right buttock.
Preston also had injuries to his mouth, throat and bottom, with parts of his anatomy “abnormal” and the injuries consistent with “forcible penetration” and sexual abuse.
The cause of Preston’s death was found to be acute upper airway obstruction by an object or objects inserted into his mouth
Despite a “battery of professionals” around the family, including two social workers, Preston suffered multitude indignities, including indecent photos taken by Varley, who police later discovered also had extreme pornographic images involving animals on his phone.
There were no tears for Preston during the defendant’s trial, Varley seemingly affronted to be accused of sex offences, claiming police and child experts were wrong.
McGowan-Fazakerley ran a “hear no evil, see no evil” defence, claiming he was not aware of any abuse – but jurors decided he not only knew but took part in the sexual abuse.
Three times in court giving evidence he complained about his life now being ruined – without mentioning Preston once.
Det Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, who led the murder investigation, described Varley as “an arrogant, self-centred liar”.
He added: “He is a serial manipulator and a serial liar, and his defence has basically been everybody else is wrong, and that’s happened on numerous occasions.
“I don’t see any evidence of regret, remorse, or actually sorrow for Preston Davey.”
With reporting from Pat Hurst, Press Association.
