Jamie Varley has been sentenced to a whole life order for the murder and sexual abuse of his adopted 13-month-old son, Preston Davey. The 37-year-old former teacher was found guilty on Monday. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, an ex-public schoolboy and financial sales manager, received a 25-year prison sentence for allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty, and one count of sexual assault of a child.
What Is a Whole Life Order?
As of 2026, approximately 70 living prisoners in England and Wales are serving whole life tariffs. These sentences are reserved for the most exceptionally heinous crimes, including serial murders, politically or ideologically motivated killings, sadistically motivated child murders, or the murder of emergency workers.
Notable Criminals with Whole Life Orders
Serial Killers
- Lucy Letby (2023): The neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She received multiple whole life orders.
- Rosemary West (1995): Convicted alongside her husband Fred West for the torture and murder of 10 young women and girls, including their own daughter. Fred West died by suicide before trial.
- Dennis Nilsen (1983): Murdered at least 12 young men and boys in London, dismembering their bodies. He died in prison in 2018.
- Peter Sutcliffe (1981): Known as the 'Yorkshire Ripper,' he murdered 13 women and attempted to murder seven others. He died in prison in 2020.
- Ian Brady & Myra Hindley (1966): The 'Moors Murderers' who tortured and killed five children in Greater Manchester. Both received whole life tariffs retrospectively and have since died.
Murderers of Public Servants and Police
- Wayne Couzens (2021): A serving Metropolitan Police officer who used his warrant card and Covid-19 powers to kidnap, rape, and murder Sarah Everard. He received the first whole life order for a single murderer without political or terrorist motives due to extreme abuse of police powers.
- David Fuller (2021): Murdered two young women in 1987 and sexually abused over 100 corpses in hospital mortuaries over 12 years.
- Dale Cregan (2013): Lured police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes to a hoax burglary call and killed them with a gun and grenade. He also murdered a father and son in a gangland feud.
Terrorists and Ideological Extremists
- Ali Harbi Ali (2022): An Islamic State fanatic who assassinated MP Sir David Amess at a constituency surgery.
- Thomas Mair (2016): A far-right extremist who assassinated MP Jo Cox in her constituency.
- Michael Adebolajo (2014): One of two Islamist extremists who murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby outside Woolwich Barracks in 2013.
- Khairi Saadallah (2021): Stabbed three men to death in a park in Reading in a lone-wolf terrorist attack.
Jamie Varley now joins this infamous list, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
