'I'll never forgive you': Mother of murdered baby Preston Davey  tells court 'part of me died with him' as adoptive fathers are sentenced

By RICHARD MARSDEN, GENERAL REPORTER and LIZ HULL, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT Published: 11:22, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 11:28, 18 June 2026 Preston Davey's birth mother sobbed in court as she told her son's adoptive killer fathers 'I will never forgive you' ahead of their sentencing today.   Jamie Varley, 37, was found guilty this week of the murder and sexual abuse of the 13-month-old baby boy in July 2023.  Varley's sales executive boyfriend John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, who turned a blind eye and even joined in with an incident of sexual abuse, was also convicted.  Today, a statement from Preston's mother - convicted murderer Sarah Davey - was read out in court ahead of the pair's sentencing.  In the statement, she said her 'world had ended' when she found out that her son had died.  She said she now lives with the 'unimaginable pain of wondering what he went through'.  Preston Davey with his mother Sarah Davey, who carried out a horrific crime as a teenager  Preston Davey, who died aged 13 months, was smothered and sexually assaulted Jamie Varley, 37, (left) was found guilty of murdering Preston and his boyfriend, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, (right) was also convicted of being complicit in his sex abuse and death Preston was born to Davey on June 16, 2022. When she just just 14, in 1998, Davey and 15-year-old Lisa Healey befriended a pensioner and then callously ended her life.  Their youth and the nature of the crime shocked the nation. The pair tortured 71-year-old Lily Lilley by squirting shampoo in her eyes, cutting her with a knife and tying a gag around her mouth so tightly that her dentures were forced down her throat, suffocating her. Five days later he was taken into the care of Oldham Council then later given to Varley and his partner for adoption.  Over a period of four months, the 'pure evil' couple physically, psychologically and sexually abused Preston, who they used as their 'plaything.' He died on July 27, 2023 after Varley, who was a head of year and safeguarding lead at a comprehensive school, twice sexually assaulted him while McGowan-Fazakerley, an accounts manager for a finance firm, was at work. The men rushed Preston to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him for 50 minutes, before he was pronounced dead at 7.18pm. A review is now underway to work out how the men were able to carry out their warped fantasies and harm the infant, whose adoption had not been legally finalised, under the noses of social workers. It is expected to examine whether political correctness or a fear of challenging the gay couple could have played a part in the state's failure to protect vulnerable Preston. The court heard that the infant, whose mother is notorious murderer and drug addict Sarah Davey, 42, was taken into the care of Oldham Council aged just five days, in June 2022. For the first nine months of his life, Preston was looked after by experienced foster carers Sandra and Paul Cooper, before being handed over to Varley and McGown-Fazakerley after they passed a series of 'robust' checks, in April 2023. Today, ahead of the sentencing, Mr and Mrs Cooper told the judge that the death of Preston had devastated their lives. Sandra Cooper, 58, (pictured) and her husband, Paul, were Preston's foster parents and looked after him for the first nine months of his life Convicts: Sarah Davey, 42, with Gary Nolan, 43, at the murder trial Lonely widow: Lily Lilley's body was dumped in a canal after she was tortured and killed by Davey They said they had planned for the tot, who was the 43rd child they had taken in during a 27-year fostering career, to be their final 'retirement' baby, but after his death they felt they had a duty to continue their work 'in Preston's memory.' The 58-year-old raised concerns about the men with social workers because they cancelled planned transition meetings and she had a 'gut feeling' they were hiding Preston from her after he went to live with them. Describing the infant as 'so content and happy, with sparkly smiling eyes,' Mrs Cooper said Preston's death had 'changed her perspective' on life. 'Paul and I have previously felt that the best option for all our foster children was to leave us happy and healthy to go and live with a new permanent adoptive family,' she added. 'We now struggle with this, and I will feel mistrustful and anxious about any of our children leaving our care to live with strangers. 'I am devastated about his death and I struggle when I think about what pain and torture he has been through before he died. 'Preston was wonderful, happy and lit up any room. We need to remember Preston as he was when he was in our care. He will remain in our thoughts and prayers forever.' Mr Cooper said Preston was an 'amazing little boy' and an 'absolute pleasure' to look after. He said the couple brought up the infant, whose smile was 'infectious,' like their own. Preston Davey's short, tragic life was bookmarked by murder, by his mother and then his adoptive parents He said Preston had his own 'little personality' and was 'thriving' when they handed him over to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley. 'We built a strong bond with him during his time with us (and) saying goodbye was extremely difficult,' he said. 'We believed at the time that this was the best thing for Preston and he was going to a loving family. What happened after this I still cannot bear to think about.' Mr Cooper said he struggles to sleep, cries every week and finds it painful to talk about the 'way his life was cut short.' 'Preston had his whole life ahead of him, one that should have been a happy life with a new family,' Mr Cooper said. 'I just wish we could have kept him. I will never ever forget him.' Statements from Ms Davey and Preston's father, Gary Nolan, 43, a criminal and drug addict who never met his son, were also read to the court. Ms Davey was jailed aged just 14 for murdering 71-year-old pensioner Lily Lilley, in Failsworth, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, in September 1998.  She and friend, Lisa Healey, 15, stuffed Ms Lilley's body into a wheelie bin and dragged it through the streets before dumping it in a canal, in a crime that shocked the nation. Ms Davey served 14 years before being released but has been in and out of prison for most of her adult life for breaching the terms of her life licence.  Her mother, Debbie Davey, 66, who already takes care of Ms Davey's older daughter, wanted to become Preston's legal guardian too, but shortly before his birth she was diagnosed with breast cancer, so social workers put him up for adoption instead. Addressing Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley directly, Ms Davey said she had trusted them to care for 'innocent and defenceless' Preston, adding: 'That trust was completely and unforgivably broken. '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.' She said giving up Preston, who she wanted to keep, was 'one of the worst days of her life' and her 'world ended' when she was told he had died. 'A part of me died with him,' she added. '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 will never forgive you for what you did to my son and what you stopped him from becoming and achieving in his life.' Ms Davey also said she is haunted day and night by what he suffered. 'Preston should be here today,' she added.  'He would be four years old. He should be getting ready to start school, learning, laughing, and living his life. Instead, he is forever thirteen 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.' Ms Davey said her son, who she described as her 'beautiful blue-eyed boy,' was 'loved beyond words' and 'deserved' to be with the people that loved him. She added that he was 'failed by the very people who were supposed to protect' him. Mr Nolan, a father of three daughters, said he had hoped one day to get his only back but his murder had stopped him from ever playing football with him or teaching him to ride a bike or celebrating his birthdays. He said he struggled to listen to the 'horrible' details of what Preston went through. 'No one should have to suffer like that, let alone a baby,' he said. 'It's disgusting. 'It makes me so angry that it has been allowed to happen.' 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