A U.K. jury found two men guilty of murdering and sexually abusing a 13-month-old baby they had adopted — and now serious questions are being raised about whether “woke” fears of being called homophobic allowed the abuse to go on unchecked.
Story Highlights
- Jamie Varley, 37, was convicted of murder, sexual assault, five counts of child cruelty, and over a dozen charges tied to indecent images of baby Preston Davey.
- His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was convicted of allowing the death of a child and sexual assault of a child.
- Preston was taken to the hospital three times before his death, with bruising noted each time — yet social workers and medical staff failed to act.
- Preston’s biological grandmother says social services may have been too afraid of looking homophobic to intervene and save the child.
A Baby Murdered in Plain Sight
Preston Davey was adopted in April 2023 at around nine months old. Just 115 days later, he was dead. A U.K. jury found Jamie Varley guilty of murder after a six-to-seven week trial. The post-mortem found 40 traumatic injuries on Preston’s tiny body — external bruises and severe internal injuries caused by sexual assault. The cause of death was acute upper airway obstruction, meaning something was forced into the child’s mouth to stop his breathing.[10]
Varley filmed the abuse. Evidence showed he recorded Preston struggling to breathe on the day the child died — and did not call for help. When the couple finally rushed Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital on July 27, 2023, Varley told staff the baby had been left unattended in the bath. Prosecutors proved that was a lie. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on every charge.[12]
Warning Signs Were Ignored Again and Again
Preston was taken to the hospital three times in less than four months after his adoption. Medical staff noted bruises on his body each visit. On one occasion, a hospital safeguarding team referred the case to police — but the matter was closed after a consultant said there was nothing to worry about. Social workers also visited the home multiple times and failed to spot the ongoing abuse.[5]
Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley brushed off the injuries by claiming Preston was clumsy. Prosecutors said the injuries followed a clear pattern — they only appeared when Preston was left alone with Varley. The post-mortem confirmed Preston had been sexually abused at least twice on the day he died. His 40 injuries included dozens of external bruises and deep internal trauma.[13]
Did “Woke” Bias Cost This Child His Life?
Preston’s biological grandmother spoke out after the verdict. She told the Daily Mail that social services may have been too afraid to act because doing so could have looked homophobic. “They didn’t see through them and see what was going on,” she said.[1] It is a damning charge — and one that deserves a serious answer from every agency that had contact with this child and did nothing.
Nobody is defending the men convicted of abusing and murdering Preston Davey. Their crimes were horrific.
My question was whether this is genuinely a "male-centric crime", as you claimed.
If it is, how do you account for cases such as Daniel Pelka, Liam Fee, Arthur…
— Justice Log (@justicelog) June 15, 2026
Critics point out that the adoption was approved quickly and that the couple’s diversity profile may have made agencies less willing to ask hard questions. GB News presenter Patrick Christys put it bluntly: “We have to ask ourselves if this kind of training is clouding the judgment of social workers and medical professionals, and ultimately costing children their lives.”[5] When fear of a discrimination accusation outweighs the duty to protect a helpless baby, the system has completely broken down. Child protection must never be subordinate to political correctness. Preston Davey deserved better — and every child in the system deserves better right now.
Sources:
[1] Web – Homosexual men convicted of abuse and murder in adopted toddler’s …
[5] Web – UK: Gay Man Charged with Sex Assault and Murder of Baby Boy | The …
[10] Web – Unspeakable Crimes Against a Child | theTrumpet.com
[12] Web – Baby Preston Davey was perfect, adoptive dad tells murder trial
[13] Web – Preston Davey murder trial is told the baby was left at the ‘ …