PRESTON DAVEY CASE: THE TIMELINE OF 40 INJURIES AND THE FINAL HOURS THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

The case of 13-month-old Preston Davey has revealed a devastating timeline of repeated abuse, digital evidence and medical findings that prosecutors used to establish what happened during the final months of his life.

Preston had been placed with Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley in March 2023 as part of the adoption process. He died just four months later, on July 27, 2023. Both men have since been convicted in connection with his death.

 MORE THAN 40 TRAUMATIC INJURIES

A Home Office postmortem examination found that Preston had suffered 40 traumatic injuries during the period he was in their care.

The injuries included at least 30 external bruises, internal injuries involving his mouth and throat, injuries to his anus, bowel and bladder, and a healing fracture to his left upper arm that was determined to be non-accidental.

Prosecutors argued that the evidence showed a pattern extending over weeks rather than an isolated incident.

Phone photographs and videos recovered during the investigation became an important part of that timeline, documenting injuries and incidents involving Preston at different points between April and July 2023.

THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE

Investigators recovered extensive material from the defendants’ phones.

Among the evidence was a video recorded on July 24, 2023, showing Preston left alone in a bath for more than 14 minutes while visibly distressed and attempting unsuccessfully to get out.

Three days later, at approximately 4:45 p.m. on July 27, Varley recorded Preston lying on a bed and struggling to breathe.

According to the prosecution case, an earlier assault had occurred that day, followed by another assault that caused the obstruction of Preston’s airway. Police said Varley was the only person present in the house during those assaults.

THE FINAL HOURS

The timeline became crucial.

4:45 p.m. — Varley recorded Preston struggling to breathe.

6:24 p.m. — Preston arrived at hospital unconscious and in cardiac arrest.

7:20 p.m. — Doctors pronounced him dead.

Varley initially claimed Preston had accidentally drowned in a bath.

But investigators said that explanation was contradicted by medical evidence. Preston was reportedly completely dry when he arrived at hospital, and the postmortem established that his cause of death was acute upper-airway obstruction, not drowning.

 THE WARNING SIGNS HAD APPEARED BEFORE

The evidence showed that Preston had already been taken to hospital several times before his final day.

He was treated in May for breathing difficulties and a reported seizure, returned in June with a rash and bruising, and was taken back in July after suffering a fractured arm.

Police later discovered that the adults had given different explanations for how the arm injury occurred.

Investigators also found evidence that a video allegedly showing a toy box falling on Preston had actually been recorded 12 days before the date it was presented as an explanation for his bruising.

 THE VERDICT

After a seven-week trial at Preston Crown Court, Jamie Varley was convicted of murder, sexual offenses, child cruelty and offenses involving indecent images of Preston.

John McGowan-Fazakerley was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.

On June 18, 2026, Varley received a whole-life order, meaning he will remain in prison for the rest of his life.

McGowan-Fazakerley was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

THE DETAIL THAT PUT THE CASE INTO PERSPECTIVE

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the case is not a single piece of evidence, but the timeline itself.

Preston had been described as healthy and happy while living with his foster carers during the first nine months of his life. After entering the defendants’ care, investigators documented a succession of injuries and troubling incidents over approximately four months.

By the time he reached hospital on July 27, the medical evidence showed that he had suffered 40 traumatic injuries.

And the final video timestamp — 4:45 p.m. — became a crucial marker in reconstructing the events leading to his death.

ONE BABY. FOUR MONTHS. 40 INJURIES. ONE FINAL TIMESTAMP.

The evidence ultimately presented to the jury transformed what was initially described as a possible bath accident into a case involving a prolonged pattern of abuse that ended with Preston’s death.

The convictions and sentences have now been handed down.

But the case has also triggered wider questions about how warning signs involving vulnerable children are identified — and what happens when those warning signs are missed.