By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-06-19 09:41:06 | Updated at 2026-06-19 11:44:11
2 hours ago
There’s a pounding knock on the door and the Honourable Mr Justice Turner enters Court Room 1 at Preston Crown Court.
The room stands and holds its breath as we await the sentences of child killer, Jamie Varley, and his child-abusing partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley.
Preston Davey was only 13 months old when he was killed, after suffering months of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of the men entrusted to adopt him.
Preston had been taken into care when he was five days old, living with foster parents. Nine months later in April 2023, he was adopted by the partners. It was shortly after living at their home in Blackpool, he began to suffer physical injuries, seizures and what was described during the trial as “abnormality of his anatomy”.
On July 27, 2023, Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, with a hysterical Varley telling nurses he’d left the 13-month-old in the bath for a few minutes and returned to find him submerged.
Preston was pronounced dead in hospital - Varley had murdered him.
What followed in the coming years was the unravelling of a web of lies created by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley to cover up their horrific abuse.
A post-mortem examination found 40 external and internal trauma injuries to Preston’s body, some consistent with "forcible penetration".
For the past two months, Preston Crown Court has heard the details in the trial of these two men. On Monday, both were convicted.
There is always a sense of angst in a courtroom as it conducts a sentencing hearing and today it felt heightened. The birth and foster families of Preston sat together in the public gallery, regularly becoming upset as they were reminded of the details of the case.
So much of what happened to Preston has been simply unreportable in live broadcasts because of how extreme and unimaginable it was. Hearing those details for yourself never gets any easier but in cases like this, a feeling of duty to the victim and family always takes over – you must tell the story.
So as the proceedings play out before me, I start scribbling down notes in my phone and the prosecution and defence put the mitigating factors before him.
Then there’s always time made for the Victim Personal Statements. These are crucial for every sentencing; they give the judge a clear and unequivocal view of the impact of the offending.
We hear first from the birth mother of Preston Davey, Sarah, whose statement is read out by the junior barrister on the prosecution.
It reads: “A part of me has died with him. What makes it more unbearable is knowing his death was not an accident, it was something cruel.. something that should never have been allowed to happen.
“Every single day I live with the unimaginable pains of knowing what he went through.
“They haunt me when I sleep.”
After, Sandra Cooper and her husband, Paul, take it in turns to take the witness box and read out their statements in person.
They tell the court about the “huge impact” Preston’s death has had on them, having looked after Preston for the first few months of his life in foster care.
Paul tells the court: “Saying goodbye to him was extremely difficult but we believed at the time he was going to a lovely family.
“What happened after, I can barely think about.”
As I look across to the public gallery, there’s obvious emotion as arms grip tightly round those who find it too much.
My eyes then scan to the dock, where Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley are sitting. Varley is motionless and looks gaunt, McGowan-Fazakerley shows no feeling for what’s being heard from in front of him and just sips his glass of water.
It’s at that moment the judge retires to finalise the sentence he will pass down to both defendants.
After an hour of waiting outside, the courtroom fills again. It’s not long before the double knock on the door is given and Mr Justice Turner takes his seat to deliver his sentencing remarks.
As is practise, His Honour takes the court through the case, noting the “obvious cruelty” and “growing and selfish resentment towards Preston” the pair had subjected him to.
As the judge continues, I start passing quotes on to the Newsdesk, so our presenters in studio can relay the details as soon as we hear the sentence.
A whole life order had been discussed during the morning, and is something reserved for the most extreme cases. It very simply means that the person sentenced will never be eligible for parole and will die in prison.
The prosecution argued that the conduct of Jamie Varley met many of the parameters needed to be able to determine that sentence, Varley’s defence argued he had not meant to kill Preston.
Whilst the judge said he accepted that, he added: “It was inevitable your [Varley’s] actions would cause extreme injury.”
Then came the sentence - it was a whole life order.
Preston Davey's birth mother Sarah Davey (left) breaks down in tears outside Preston Crown Court
PA
The silence in the room was only broken by the furious typing on laptop keys from the press bench. The judge had given him the longest possible term in prison.
Visible relief spread across the faces in the public gallery, but there was no change of expression from Varley. You have to wonder if that was the moment he finally admitted to himself the game was up, and he was going to die in custody.
Mr Justice Turner begins the sentence of John McGowan-Fazakerley by telling him that this was a case “of the upmost depravity”, adding “your offending gave rise to serious developmental and emotional harm to Preston.”
He received a minimum term of 25 years imprisonment, with the Judge going further than what is becoming standard practise, by passing some of the sentences consecutively, increasing the total time he will spend behind bars.
The Judge thanked the conduct of the family and the jury throughout the entire proceedings and rose from his seat. I file the final lines from the sentencing and rush outside for the police statement.
Leaving the court, I see the feelings of Preston’s family conflicting. After years of waiting, they finally have justice, but as was noted in their statements in court, nothing said or done now will bring their precious boy back.
There is no doubt this is the worst case I have ever covered, but with a child safeguarding practice review, paused during the criminal proceedings, set to be relaunched by Oldham Council, the story continues with Preston firmly in everyone’s minds.
