Overview

• On June 16 at Preston Crown Court, Judge Robert Altham set an eight-week trial starting April 14, 2026, and remanded both Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley in custody.
• Varley, 36, faces charges including murder, manslaughter, assault by penetration, multiple counts of child cruelty and offences related to indecent images of a 13-month-old boy.
• McGowan-Fazakerley, 31, is charged with allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child.
• Preston Davey was pronounced dead at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on July 27, 2023, after being rushed there in an unresponsive state.
• Victim’s family members sat in the public gallery and were visibly distressed during Monday’s hearing.