Blackpool baby death co-accused John McGowan-Fazakerley called The Gazette protesting innocence

The hell little Preston Davey faced is too awful to even contemplate.

Ex-South Shore Academy teacher Jamie Varley and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley committed the ultimate betrayal. They managed to fool professionals, loved ones and the authorities that their motives were pure, yet their actions behind closed doors proved anything but.

Little Preston was devastatingly murdered by the very person who promised to love him and protect him.

Varley should have been Preston’s biggest cheerleader and protector but instead he abused, tortured and made his life a living hell.

Mcgowan-Fazakerley should have known what was going on and stopped it.

As a mother-of-three covering Preston’s story will stay with me forever.

I have personally followed and reported on the investigation since Preston’s death on July 27, 2023.

At moments the details of what happened in that house in Staining Road, Staining have seemed too distressing to comphrehend.

Throughout this six week trial at Preston Crown Court Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley spun their lies to try and prevent the truth coming out.

After their arrests, I was contacted by McGowan-Fazakerley multiple times as he protested his and Varley’s innocence. He even promised to set the record straight and tell their truth once the investigation was complete.

Now as Varley, 37, faces life behind bars after he and his co-accused McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, were found guilty of all charges - it is clear they will have ample time with their own thoughts to reflect.

As a teacher with safeguarding trainng Varley knew what he was doing was wrong.

The pair will have to live with what they did to this baby boy for life. Whether they admit it or not.

Preston was a beautiful little boy with his whole life ahead of him.

He was dealt a difficult start in life but his future could and should have been bright, fulfilled and fullof love.

Adoption is a wonderful thing. Many special people build beautiful families full of love and promise with the help of hard working and under pressure social workers.

Adopted children and their families are very precious. They are families that have choosen one another.

We very rarely hear about the wonderful normal successes of adoption. Without adoption our communities would be much worse off.

Varley, was found guilty of murder as well as 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.

McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

The pair, of Chandlers Way, Grimsargh and formerly of Staining Road, Staining, will be sentenced on Thursday.