How adoptive parents' lies unravelled to reveal 'reign of terror'

How adoptive parents' lies unravelled to reveal 'reign of terror'20 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLauren HirstNorth WestLancashire PolicePreston Davey was subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse during the final four months of his life As Jamie Varley begged medics to save the life of his adopted 13-month-old son, he told them: "It's my fault – I left him for literally two minutes while I went and got changed."This was not an admission of guilt, but the start of Varley's web of lies.The truth behind Varley's months of deceit only came to light when his baby Preston Davey died in hospital on 27 July 2023 after months of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the 37-year-old former teacher.After an eight-week trial at Preston Crown Court, Varley - who had maintained that Preston drowned in the bath - was found guilty of murdering him, and a string of other offences including sexual assault and taking indecent images of the child he was trusted to care for. Varley's partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was also convicted of allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual abuse.Warning: The following court evidence contains distressing informationFor Lancashire Police Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows, who was the senior investigating officer on the case, Varley's behaviour in hospital was "almost like a pantomime"."We see a very different Jamie Varley at different stages," said Fallows."The jury has seen him on that evening [in hospital], throwing himself to the floor... saying that he didn't believe it was true... it felt very contrived. "We saw a very different Jamie Varley in the suspect interviews on 25 June 2025 just before he was charged, both in terms of appearance, demeanour and attitude. "I think we saw a different Jamie Varley giving evidence during his trial: obstructive, wholly inconsistent and wholly unbelievable. "Jamie Varley is a ma...