A high school teacher, Jamie Varley, has been sentenced to a life order at Preston Crown Court after being found guilty of murdering his adopted 13-month-old son, Preston Davey, alongside multiple counts of sexual abuse.
He was convicted 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 of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.
His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, received 25 years for allowing the death and related offences.
He was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.
During the proceeding on Thursday, the police told the court that Varley initially claimed Preston drowned in a bath in July 2023, but a post-mortem revealed 40 injuries and no evidence of drowning.
The court heard that the baby suffered “unremittent abuse and neglect” before his death, with the judge describing Varley’s account as “a lie.”
The delivery judge, Justice Turner, sentenced both convicts after victim impact statements from Preston’s biological parents and foster family.
“It was you who did this – it was you who murdered him. There is only one sentence for murder, life in prison. You will stay in prison for the rest of your life,” the judge said.
Speaking outside the court, the child’s biological mother, Sarah Davey said she now lived with the “unimaginable pain of wondering” what her son went through in the final months of his life.