Preston Davey Trial

I also can’t wrap my head around the almost immediate moans about typical baby behaviours. Calling him annoying, a whingebag etc. He was a tiny baby whose wee world was turned completely upside down and then isn’t complying with what they envisioned parenthood to be. As a teacher, nevermind an adoptive parent, he should be trauma informed and have had some idea that it would take time for Preston to settle into his new life.

It also angers me that they did not call him by his given name. It again highlights thinking of this tiny wee human as an accessory who will slot into their lives

teabob said:

I also can’t wrap my head around the almost immediate moans about typical baby behaviours. Calling him annoying, a whingebag etc. He was a tiny baby whose wee world was turned completely upside down and then isn’t complying with what they envisioned parenthood to be. As a teacher, nevermind an adoptive parent, he should be trauma informed and have had some idea that it would take time for Preston to settle into his new life.

It also angers me that they did not call him by his given name. It again highlights thinking of this tiny wee human as an accessory who will slot into their lives

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It also angers me that they did not call him by his given name.

This struck me, too.

It was the only thing his addict mother could give him, and they took it from him to cut off any link with her. I think it said upthread that Elijah was Preston's middle name - presumably it fitted more with their image and they could claim they hadn't changed his name.

His grandmother wanted to take custody of him, I understand, but was diagnosed with cancer (heartbreaking on so many levels). II don't know what her prognosis was as regards life expectancy, but if she is still alive she must be broken beyond belief.

TheMiceInTheShed said:

It's terrible. Just terrible.

This is what ticking boxes and fulfilling "equality and diversity" quotas does - it places totally unsuitable people in positions where they can accidentally or intently - do harm, and ill-intentioned and incompetent people will gravitate towards it like moths to a flame., demanding their "rights", and the vulnerable and voiceless suffer - but somewhere an organisation can tick a box and bask in the glow of virtue.

Yet another baby has died in pain and terror, alone and helpless. Another social work department will doubtless claim that "lessons will be learned".

We all know that they won't, and that more children will suffer.

I know social workers are overworked - it is in so many ways a thankless task of drudgery - but so many babies and children suffer and die because the social workers are either frightened of the carers (in rough violent families of every class), or are blinded by the glamour of middle-class comfort/ professionalism or ticking a gay/ trans box and so ignore or miss signs that a blind man on a galloping horse at midnight would see clearly.

Bugger this for a system!

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There is (as far as I have seen) any evidence to suggest Preston was placed with those monsters to tick equality and diversity boxes. Happy to be proved wrong.

maytoseptember said:

I guarantee that adoption teams up and down the country are constantly told that they aren’t working hard enough to encourage potential adopters from diverse backgrounds. Which begs the question, are gay and BAME couples fast tracked through the system to tick some diversity boxes?

It should never be about not being heterosexual or not being white, it should be about who are the best, most informed, most secure people.

Seems to be a common thread in these stories of child murder that the “parents” (using scare quotes deliberately) were completely and utterly unprepared for the reality of caring for a distressed and traumatised infant who was a stranger to them. The fact we’ve had several cases like this over the last decade suggests that something has changed over the years. Easy to assume that the process of being approved is less vigorous, and babies are being inadequately safeguarded after placement.

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I honestly feel as if parents in general, adoptive and birth, are less and less prepared for infants every year.

I don't know if it's because family size has shrunken since widespread contraception so people have less familiarity with infants until they have one, or whether it's the relatively ease of a life with more technological advances making adults lazier; but you'd think with knowledge easily available to everyone at any time that early years understanding would be better than ever; but people seem more and more expectant of having children as like completing a video game level (ticked the house, marriage and dog box, better have kids) and less and less capable of recognising the impact they have on children.

There's just this idea they're these pre-assigned personalities - a baby isn't crying because that's literally a baby's only way to communicate, they're 'spoilt' and 'annoying'. Also there's the narcissism that the parent is the 'main character', like I think sharing parental stressors is a good way to vent, but somewhere along the line, it's become acceptable for people to speak about having children as if it's something that happened to them, and not something they chose - or in these two's case, eagerly persuaded.

Gotta say, also a massive red flag that the partner was safeguarding lead - I work in a CYP field, and safeguarding is incredibly backward on this.

There's a lack of Asian and male applications, so our council explicitly welcomes applicants from either of these backgrounds, if not both, so males benefit from positive discrimination.

In addition, a DSL (designated safeguarding lead) is a role which generally means better pay as well as potentially promotion to SLT (senior leadership team), and titles and pay packets have long been thrown at men in education to keep them (see the glass escalator effect also seen in nursing.) rather than decided on applicant's trustworthiness with children. Safeguarding also brings you into contact with vulnerable pupils in a way that a standard teaching role may not.

I can't read details. It's just too horrific. I hope that pair never see daylight outside a jail again. That is all.

i honestly think they adopted him specifically to abuse him. You don’t go from quasi normal (albeit angry and intolerant) parenting to sexual abuse within 4 months. They fooled everyone - the agency, the social worker, their friend and family, the panel. Every single person and authority who were supposed to safeguard failed Preston. As other people said, my heart is breaking for his family and his foster family.
My neighbour is now retired but fostered babies and very young children for years. Most of them keep in touch and they have a houseful every Christmas. They have 3 kids of their own but their foster kids also think of them as home. When it works, it’s beautiful

Wolf in sheep’s clothing. Are they being held on remand does anyone know? Haven’t seen it mentioned.

ChastityDingle said:

I can't read details. It's just too horrific. I hope that pair never see daylight outside a jail again. That is all.

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I hope they get the Ian (Watkins and Huntley) treatment in prison. It’s no less than what they doled out to that precious wee boy

I was watching an American true crime thing recently. A 6 year old girl was molested by a neighbour at a pool party. He lured her into a bedroom, showed her indecent images of him and another child on his phone and SA’d her. She told her mum when she went home who reported it. His DNA was found on her body and also images on his devices. He got 60 years and will serve every single one. It should be mandatory full life sentences for those who inflict this horror on innocent children

VeniVidiVicki said:

i honestly think they adopted him specifically to abuse him. You don’t go from quasi normal (albeit angry and intolerant) parenting to sexual abuse within 4 months. They fooled everyone - the agency, the social worker, their friend and family, the panel. Every single person and authority who were supposed to safeguard failed Preston. As other people said, my heart is breaking for his family and his foster family.
My neighbour is now retired but fostered babies and very young children for years. Most of them keep in touch and they have a houseful every Christmas. They have 3 kids of their own but their foster kids also think of them as home. When it works, it’s beautiful

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His mask slipped when he asked his friend for some of her medication (responsible of him!) and she told him no. He showed how manipulative he is. Telling her he can’t get medication himself because it will affect the adoption.

I'd like to know why they've both denied the charges. Was it their joint decision or were they advised?

MaineCoonMama said:

I'd like to know why they've both denied the charges. Was it their joint decision or were they advised?

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They might be going for a "cut-throat" defence, with each blaming the other.

It was suggested upthread that like many sexual perverts - especially when they know they're going to be convicted because the evidence is overwhelming - that want to re-live their most delicious moments by having them read out at the trial, and enjoying the horror of the jury, lawyers and any observers.

They will live off those moments In jail for a very long time if they get the chance. It will be all they have left. I just want every day of the rest of their foul lives to be lived in pain and terror, looking over their shoulder severy minute of every day. They don't deserve a single uninterrupted night's sleep from now until they either die naturally or another inmate ends them. And I hope that it is agonising.

VeniVidiVicki said:

i honestly think they adopted him specifically to abuse him. You don’t go from quasi normal (albeit angry and intolerant) parenting to sexual abuse within 4 months. They fooled everyone - the agency, the social worker, their friend and family, the panel. Every single person and authority who were supposed to safeguard failed Preston. As other people said, my heart is breaking for his family and his foster family.

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I think everyone was giving them the major benefit of the doubt, despite Varley "telling" on himself so much, he admitted having dark thoughts about suffocating Preston, which is exactly what ended up happening.
He admitted suicidal thoughts.
He called poor Preston all sorts, including a "joke" about murdering him.
He foreshadowed so much.
However, his three colleagues/friends did notice that he'd told them all different versions of how Preston had broken his arm and one colleague did ask for a welfare check to be done.
The welfare check was done by the headteacher of the school, not by social services, so it seems to me that the welfare check was on Varley, so to speak, to see if he was coping, and not on Preston?
Personally, I think when poor Preston's arm was broken was when he should have been removed from them. Varley always seemed to have an answer for everything, for example, inappropriate photos of Preston in the bath say, were "for the doctor".

Thank you @TheMiceInTheShed. I was just thinking there's no punishment suitable for these two. Maybe some prolonged Medieval style torture.

TheMiceInTheShed said:

They might be going for a "cut-throat" defence, with each blaming the other.

It was suggested upthread that like many sexual perverts - especially when they know they're going to be convicted because the evidence is overwhelming - that want to re-live their most delicious moments by having them read out at the trial, and enjoying the horror of the jury, lawyers and any observers.

They will live off those moments In jail for a very long time if they get the chance. It will be all they have left. I just want every day of the rest of their foul lives to be lived in pain and terror, looking over their shoulder severy minute of every day. They don't deserve a single uninterrupted night's sleep from now until they either die naturally or another inmate ends them. And I hope that it is agonising.

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Boiling water and sugar down their throats.

Prison is brutal for paedos. It’s worse for ones that SA babies. If they’re found guilty I hope they're in terror 24/7

If the photo of his red sore bottom was to send to the doctor, I’m sure that must be in Preston’s medical records and the GP could verify it. Another photo which was pixelated showed Preston’s private part erect, that’s what Jamie sent to John saying “that’s our boy”. I did believe both of these were innocent last week, but reading the cruelty, spite and vindictiveness of Jamie has changed my mind. I can’t believe they had him 3 months and tortured him so much, It’s beyond comprehension

I can’t believe they were/are pushing the drowning excuse when it was always going to be so easily disproven.

Ray_of_Sunshine said:

I can’t believe they were/are pushing the drowning excuse when it was always going to be so easily disproven.

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Arrogance, it's surprising how many people think they're smarter than the people trained to investigate such cases.

Jamie sounds like a nasty piece of work, his partner failed that baby too, I’d be interested in his defence as he was the one that went back to work but receiving the inappropriate photos. But also locked out of the house when his partner took Preston’s life. Did he lock him out to to horrible things? With Jamie being open about struggling to colleagues his partner should have escalated this or stepped up. This video shows the partner actually appears to be the dad whereas Jamie is distant. Poor baby, deserved better.

On reflection maybe I’m giving him some credit. I don’t want to. Preston deserved more.

dottynotty said:

Jamie sounds like a nasty piece of work, his partner failed that baby too, I’d be interested in his defence as he was the one that went back to work but receiving the inappropriate photos. But also locked out of the house when his partner took Preston’s life. Did he lock him out to to horrible things? With Jamie being open about struggling to colleagues his partner should have escalated this or stepped up. This video shows the partner actually appears to be the dad whereas Jamie is distant. Poor baby, deserved better.

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In reflection I appear to be giving him credit. Both of them failed Preston.