The Short Life of Preston Davey
Reader discretion advised: This article contains disturbing details involving child abuse.
Read Full Reporting from BBC News
Sometimes the stories are so horrific that I feel the need to share them simply to lessen the burden of knowing people capable of this kind of cruelty exist.
That is, honestly, how this site was born. Too many people in my real life didn’t want to hear the stories that kept me up at night, so I created a place for anyone willing to carry a little of that burden with me.
According to BBC News, 13-month-old Preston Davey died in July 2023. Prosecutors said he was repeatedly abused, sexually assaulted, physically injured, and photographed during the short time he spent with his adoptive parents.
This innocent child suffered 40 traumatic injuries.
Jamie Varley, 37, was found guilty of sexually abusing and murdering Preston after initially claiming the child had accidentally drowned in a bath. A post-mortem examination later revealed that Preston had suffered dozens of injuries during the short time he was in the couple’s care.
Varley’s partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was found guilty of sexual assault, child cruelty, and allowing the death of a child.
BBC reported that Preston had been taken to the hospital multiple times before his death with suspicious bruising that was ultimately explained away. He had also been seen by several social workers.
Varley rushed Preston to hospital for a final time on 27 July, unresponsive. He claimed to have left the child in the bath for a couple of minutes and returned to find him submerged.
But the trial heard Preston’s hair was dry, he had a nappy on and he did not appear to have swallowed any water.
A Home Office post-mortem examination ruled out drowning as the cause of death, with the cause found to be acute upper airways obstruction by an object or objects inserted into his mouth.
Due to the severity of the case, jurors were told, "bearing in mind what we have called upon you to do", they would be exempt from jury service for life.
Cases like this inevitably raise questions about how vulnerable children fall through the cracks despite contact with multiple agencies and professionals.
While no organization can undo what happened to Preston, there are charities working every day to protect children from abuse, strengthen safeguarding systems, and support vulnerable families before tragedy strikes.
I’ve linked to Childhelp, an organization dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused, neglected, and at-risk children.