Sarah Davey, the heartbroken biological mother of 13-month-old Preston Davey, broke down in tears as she read her victim impact statement at Preston Crown Court on 18 June 2026. Her devastating words to the men who murdered her son left the courtroom in stunned silence.

Preston Paul Arlo Davey was born on 16 June 2022 at Wythenshawe Hospital. Just five days later, Oldham Council took him into care under an emergency order. He spent the first nine months of his short life in foster care with loving carers Sandra and Paul Cooper. Sarah had the precious opportunity to bond with her baby during that time. She later told the court: “The second he was placed in my arms, I fell completely in love with him. He was my baby, my only son, and from that day on I never wanted to let him go.”

Preston had the most beautiful smile, one that could light up any room, and Sarah cherished every moment. Those memories should have brought her comfort. Instead, they now twist with pain because she knows what his adoptive parents did in his final four months.

In April 2023, Preston was handed over to his new “parents”: 37-year-old former schoolteacher Jamie Varley and his partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, a 32-year-old finance sales manager. What followed was a nightmare of abuse. Preston was subjected to routine physical and sexual violence, suffering more than 40 traumatic injuries. Varley recorded a video of the terrified, struggling child only 90 minutes before he died. McGowan-Fazakerley was at work when the horror unfolded.

On 27 July 2023, Preston was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 7.18pm. A post-mortem revealed he had died from acute upper airway obstruction caused by an object or objects inserted into his mouth — not an accident. Varley later told police it was a drowning in the bath. The truth shattered both families.

The full victim impact statement read by the prosecution paints a devastating picture of loss:

“Preston Paul Arlo Davey was perfect from the moment he was born. The second he was placed in my arms, I fell completely in love with him. He was my baby, my only son, and from that day on I never wanted to let him go.

“For the first seven months of his life, I was lucky enough to spend precious time with him. He had the most beautiful smile, one that could light up any room, and the bond we shared was something everyone could see. Those memories should have brought me comfort — but instead, they are now mixed with pain, because I know what you put him through in his final months.

“The day he was taken from me was one of the worst days of my life. I had no choice in that decision. I tried to take some comfort in believing he would be safe, loved, and protected, and he was with his foster parents, Sandra and Paul, I trusted them, they and the system trusted you, that trust was completely and unforgivably broken.

“Preston was innocent. He was defenceless. He relied entirely on you — the adults responsible for him — to love him, care for him, and keep him safe. Instead, you caused him suffering. You took away his chance to grow up, to go to school, to make friends, to live a full life. You took everything from him.

“There are no words that can truly describe the moment I was told my son had died. My world ended. A part of me died with him. But what makes it even more unbearable is knowing that his death was not an accident — it was something cruel, something he did not deserve, something that should never have been allowed to happen.

“I’d always wanted to have him christened and this is something I prayed you would do for him. We had to do this when he was dead, a day which should be a celebration, was another day of mourning, suffering and filled with sadness.

“I will never forgive you for what you did to my son and what you stopped him from becoming and achieving in his life. Every single day, I live with the unimaginable pain of wondering what he went through. Those thoughts do not leave me. They are with me when I wake up, and they haunt me when I try to sleep. The reality of how he suffered is something I will carry for the rest of my life.

“You have not only taken Preston’s life — you have devastated mine and his sister’s. His big sister is growing up without her little brother. Everyday moments that should be happy are now filled with pain. I see reminders of him everywhere. Simple things, like going to the park or giving my daughter a bath, are no longer normal — they bring back the reality of what you did to him.

“Preston should be here today. He would be four years old. He should be getting ready to start school, learning, laughing, and living his life. Instead, he is forever 13 months old. I am left trying to live a life that no longer makes sense. I carry grief, guilt, and heartbreak every single day. I try to be strong for my daughter, but part of me is broken forever. This is not something I will ever recover from.

“To my beautiful blue-eyed boy, Preston, you were, and always will be, loved beyond words. I wanted you with me every single day. We all did. Your Nanna fought so hard for you, and you deserved to be with the people who loved you. You were failed by the very people who were supposed to protect you.

“All I can ask now is that the seriousness of what has been done to my son is fully recognised. No sentence will ever bring him back or take away the pain, but it must reflect the life that was taken, the suffering he endured, and the lifelong impact this has had on our family. I will carry you with me for the rest of my life, my baby boy.

“I would also like to thank the police, the prosecution, and everyone who has supported me through this.”

Sarah Davey sobbed openly as her statement was read. She is not alone in her pain. Preston’s grandmother Debbie, his big sister, and biological father Gary have all been left with the same unbearable grief.

The court heard that the adoptive parents had been approved for adoption just weeks earlier. Social services and foster carers had trusted them. In reality, the system failed the most vulnerable baby in the country.

Jamie Varley was found guilty of murder and sexual abuse. He was handed a whole-life order — meaning he will never be released from prison. John McGowan-Fazakerley received 25 years for causing or allowing the death of a child, child cruelty, and sexual assault.

Sarah Davey’s words cut through the courtroom like a knife: “I will never forgive you.” Her pain is raw and lifelong. Preston’s beautiful smile will forever be remembered, not as a happy baby, but as a child who deserved to live, grow up, go to school, and achieve everything a little boy should.

This heartbreaking case has sparked calls for a national inquiry into why Preston was taken from his loving mother and handed to a home where he was murdered. As Sarah Davey said: “You were failed by the very people who were supposed to protect you.”

Preston Davey will never grow up. But his mother’s love — fierce, unbroken, and eternal — will live on in every memory of his smile and every tear shed by those who will carry his name forever.