WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT – EXCLUSIVE: As Preston Davey’s evil adoptive parents rot away in prison, an ex-convict reveals what life really looks like inside for criminals convicted of the worst offences
A giggly child with gorgeous curls and a bright smile, Preston Davey’s spark was cruelly stamped out by the men tasked with keeping him safe.
The 13-month-old tot died at the hands of his evil adoptive father Jamie Varley, after months of sexual abuse, physical assault and psychological torment. Varley’s partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, also played a part Preston’s death and joined in on the sickening abuse.
This week, Varley was handed a whole life order for his despicable crimes – a sentence so rare that it is reserved for the worst of humanity. McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was sentenced to 25 years for allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault of a child. He will serve a minimum of 16 years behind bars.
After showing no remorse in the dock, the monstrous pair are in for a rude awakening about how peadophiles and child killers are treated behind bars, a convicted murderer tells the Mirror.
Steve Gallant is now be a changed man, having been released from prison and awarded a Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his part in stopping the infamous London Bridge attacker while on day release. But he knows the grim reality of life behind bars, having spent 16 years in prison alongside some of the country’s most dangerous offenders.
He tells the Mirror that Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley will be regarded as the the lowest of the low inside. “Neither of them have got previous convictions, which means they are utterly naive to what they can expect to happen.
“The gangster or the armed robber is at the top of that hierarchy, but the sex offender, or somebody who might be called a ‘grass’, will be at the bottom of the pile and they’ll be treated badly throughout the system. This hierarchy of morality has been around for a long time.
Because of the nature of their offences, the sick duo will be likely kept in a vulnerable prisoner unit of a Category A prison – where offenders convicted of the most violent and serious crimes are caged.
This will mean they are moved around the prison separately from the general population and will use different spaces, even their own visiting rooms. But that y doesn’t necessarily mean they will be safe from attacks.
“There’s still a hierarchy that exists there,” Steve warns. “Ian Huntley was on a similar unit in Frankland. Even in those environments, they’re not safe.”
“There will be staff around them, but when you step into the Cat A prisons where these two will end up going, the vulnerability and the dangerousness of those types of prisons is such that even those on VP units are very hostile towards each other.”
Both will likely be put on suicide watch in the immediate aftermath of their sentencing, but Steve warns this probably won’t protect them from attacks either.
“I was convicted many, many years ago and put on suicide watch, but I wasn’t segregated. I was still able to mingle, there was no extra surveying of me. It just meant someone would come to my cell and ask me if I was OK and then they’d leave again. So it doesn’t really add much to the protection.”
“Prisons are very violent places, very hostile. Right across the board, no matter what prison you’re in, there’s violence everywhere. I’m not saying that just to play it up. You’re talking about people with some serious issues, confined in a very small space for years on end, and that creates a very volatile situation.”
Attacks in Category A prisons are often done using improvised weapons, Steve tells us, because “people have time on their hands”. Homemade shivs, a kind of improvised knife, are created by sharpening the end of object. The ex-con says that when he was in prison, pool cues were closely monitored and had to be handed back after a game to avoid them being sharpened and used in an attack.
“There’s also hot water,” Steve explains. “Everyone has a kettle in their cell. Small kettle for probably about two cups worth. These kettles are designed not to reach excessive boiling temperatures, but they’re still obviously very, very hot. I mean, you get that thrown on you and would get scarred quite badly.”
From his time in Frankland, Steve describes another type of improvised attack, which was conducted by prisoners collecting tiny tubs of butter “the size of a thumbnail,” and cooking them down, extracting the water, to create Ghee. “It’s called gheeing someone up,” he explains, “So they’re geeing that person up, throwing oil over them.” On one occasion, a prisoner had hot water then hot oil thrown upon them while Steve was in prison.
“Sometimes people get their cells burnt out,” Steve explains. “An inmate would wander into their cell. They would get a cardboard box, fill it with cardboard, set it alight, put it under the bed, and then walk out the cell, shut the door. If it didn’t burn itself to pieces, the smoke would destroy it.”
Discussing the fate that Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley might face on the lowest rung of the prison hierarchy, Steve says: “They’ll be ostracised in different ways anyway because of their offence, but I think if they do anything to upset somebody, that will certainly increase the chances of them being attacked, because they are already vulnerable and very likely to be disliked.
“No one’s going to support them. No one is going to back them up. These wings are full of people with very predatorial tendencies – if they see weakness, they’ll go for it. So if you’re isolated on your own, you’re vulnerable.”
The pair aren’t likely to make any friends inside, similar to Ian Huntley, who Steve points out was “naturally reviled” because of the nature of his crimes and how high-profile his case was.
“Varley is going to be very, very vulnerable, even on the VP unit, because of what he did to that child, make no mistake about it. And my assumption is that at some point he’s probably going to get targeted.”
When it comes to getting a prison job, Steve doesn’t think this is likely to happen anytime soon. “They won’t know the system. They’ll be completely naive to it. Someone who knows the system will go in, they’ll get the best jobs, they will know how to apply for them, they know how to position themselves. I doubt very much that getting a job will be their priority.”
Steve also says that it’s unlikely that the pair will be forced to pay for protection as long as they remain on a VP unit, telling the Mirror that when he was incarcerated, this kind of extortion mainly occurred with those in the normal wings.
After sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, the man tasked with leading the harrowing murder investigation, said: “Jamie Varley is an evil and monstrous individual who sexually, physically and mentally abused a vulnerable baby for his own sadistic pleasure. It was this abuse that ultimately led to little baby Preston’s death. I struggle to imagine the horror that Preston endured in his short life.
A Child Safeguarding Practice Review will resume now the criminal proceedings have completed, looking into any potential missed opportunities that could have saved Preston’s life.
The NSPCC say about the horrifying case: “This trial and sentencing hearing have revealed the full extent of the pain and suffering endured by Preston Davey in his short life. To learn of the abuse inflicted on him by Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley before his murder is harrowing and deeply upsetting, and it must drive thorough and meaningful review and scrutiny.
“There are clearly important lessons from this terrible case, and the Child Safeguarding Practice Review must establish whether more could have been done to protect Preston, and how we can learn from any failings to prevent future tragedies where possible.
“At the same time, it is vital to remember that we can all help keep children safe. By asking questions – sometimes difficult ones – and by sharing information or concerns with someone who can help, we can create a safer environment for children to grow up in and help ensure that no child falls through the gaps.
“Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare or safety can call 0808 8005000 or email [email protected], but if a child is in immediate danger, always call the police on 999.”
Steve Gallant runs an organisation – Own Merit CIC – that helps limit reoffending by tackling homelessness in prison levears – details of his work can be found at www.stevegallant.co.uk