A former teacher, Jamie Varley, 37, has been jailed for life for killing 13-month-old Preston Davey during sexual abuse in July 2023, in a case prosecutors described as one of the most shocking and horrific they had handled. A former colleague and friend of Varley has now suggested a possible motive, claiming he lashed out at the baby after discovering that his partner had been unfaithful.

Varley, a former head of year, was convicted alongside his partner, 32-year-old sales manager John McGowan-Fazakerley, who was found complicit in Preston's death and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The pair were convicted by a jury last month after an eight-week trial. The colleague, who had known Varley for around 15 years, told The Sun she believed he found messages revealing an ongoing affair based in Manchester, where McGowan-Fazakerley worked, and that the discovery "caused a lot of problems". Preston was smothered and sexually assaulted.