Timeline of key events in Preston Davey’s short life before being murdered

Preston Davey’s life was short and filled with abuse. The 13-month-old only stayed with his new family for four months before he was taken to hospital unconscious and suffering from cardiac arrest

The death of baby Preston Davey at just 13 months old has shocked the nation. He was murdered by his adoptive father after enduring months of abuse.

Jamie Varley, 37, was found guilty at Preston Crown Court of murder, child cruelty, sexual offences and indecent images relating to 13-month-old Preston Davey. John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also found guilty of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.

Varley was reportedly sick in the dock as the verdict was read out. Varley was in the midst of adopting baby Preston (also known as Elijah) with his partner McGowan-Fazakerley. Tragically, just four months after being placed with the couple, Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital unconscious and suffering from cardiac arrest.

He only lived for four months with the defendants before his death. Here is the timeline of the significant events in his short life.

2022

Preston Davey is born four weeks early, weighing 5lb 7oz to Sarah Davey at Wythenshawe Hospital, south Manchester.

Five days later he is placed into emergency care with foster parents by Oldham Council via an interim care order, where he remains for the first nine months of his life.

2023

Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley are approved for adoption by Adoption Now, a company providing services to local councils. The company says Preston needs: “Love, affection, safety and stability.”

They make first visit to see Preston at his foster parent’s home.

Preston spends his first night at the defendants’ home in Staining Road, Blackpool, and is formally placed under the care of the defendants.

Varley texts his sister, a baby sleep trainer, saying: “He’s dead meat today. Didn’t sleep last night after 11.30. Up every, one and a half hours.”

At 11.10am Preston is rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, floppy and unresponsive, Varley reporting a seizure and breathing difficulties. Nursing staff notice bruising to Preston’s head. A medical report states Preston had “unexplained injuries, inconsistent with a version of events given…” Hospital safeguarding are informed and social services and Lancashire Police called. Following discussion with medical staff the bruises to a baby learning to walk are not regarded as suspicious.

At around 8.25pm, Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley take Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E Department, reporting the child has a rash, diarrhoea, vomiting and high temperature. Medics note bruising to Preston’s head, but staff are shown a home video of the child pulling a toy box on to himself while playing, by way of explanation. Varley comments: “You lot are going to think we have been abusing him or something.” It is later discovered the toy box video was filmed 12 days earlier.

At 10.36am Varley takes Preston to hospital for third time with injury to his left arm sustained he said while putting him in his cot the previous evening. After X-ray, a cast is applied for a fractured elbow. The child’s social worker, Amy Shepherdson, who had been in contact with the hospital, texted Varley to say: “Just to reassure you they said they had absolutely no concerns. U absolutely did the right thing.” She visits the home and notes Preston had a “very sad face and a little cry”.

Preston is visited at home by Helen Magee, an independent reviewer from Oldham social services. The same week Varley tells a work colleague he is struggling mentally and having “dark thoughts” about drowning or suffocating Preston.

Varley takes a series of photos of Preston, stretching over a period of three minutes, 12 seconds. The child, asleep or unconscious, has his head and arms over the top horizontal bar of his cot and his neck resting on it, his body partially suspended and his legs in a “frog-like” position. His tongue is protruding and his lips appear blue.

At 4.45pm, Varley records a 35-second video on his phone of Preston in “extreme respiratory distress” taking an “agonal gasp” and needing resuscitation. At 6.30pm Preston is rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in a critical condition, Varley says he found the child submerged in the bath. A team of paramedics, nurses and doctors attempt to resuscitate for 50 minutes but Preston is pronounced dead at 7.18pm.

Home Office post-mortem examination concludes Preston’s cause of death as acute upper airway obstruction and rules out drowning. The autopsy also found around 40 external and internal injuries including bruises to Preston’s forehead, throat, mouth, bladder, bottom and bleeding in the lungs with some evidence of “forcible penetration” to the child’s “abnormal” anatomy regarded as clinical signs of sexual abuse.

2026

Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley go on trial denying all offences.

Varley was found guilty 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.

McGowan-Fazakerley 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.