Preston Davey, another baby P.

Good point Terribull

I wondered the same thing TerriBull.
MollyNew is correct, paedophiles are highly skilled at presenting well and hiding their sexual interest in children.
The police will have gone through their mobiles and internet history with skill. They found nothing until the indecent photographs of Preston began.

Galaxy is right, all the training wouldn’t have stopped them.

This tragedy has highlighted the need to carefully support and supervise prospective adoptive placements. One of my concerns is the ease with which their excuses about bruises etc were accepted by medics and social workers. A fractured elbow accepted by A and E dr as accidental would have had me getting a second opinion by an experienced paediatrician.

I don’t see a social worker living with prospective adopters as a good idea. Very stressful . As I said earlier, more effective, independent, frequent visits by the child’s social worker, not only the adoption worker might have helped here. The key thing was an easy acceptance of excuses for multiple bruises , seizures the child never experienced until placement and that fracture.

These two are unusual and whilst yes learn from this awful murderous abuse but remember most adopters are not abusers

I agree Galaxy. I don't know any details of this case because I couldn't bare to read them but this isn't about adopting a baby and being out of ones depth.

This is about depravity of the worse kind.

The child’s medical record whilst with this pair, culminating in a fractured arm would, in my area, have culminated in a hospital admission and a child protection conference. I haven’t read anything that suggests those things happened but will be looking for these discussions when the review report is published.

Did nobody notice the injuries sustained during his time with those scumbags?

I think social workers should be able to call in on adopters at any time without notice. In the same way as health inspectors can call on food shops. Why would anyone object if they have nothing to hide.

nightowl

The child’s medical record whilst with this pair, culminating in a fractured arm would, in my area, have culminated in a hospital admission and a child protection conference. I haven’t read anything that suggests those things happened but will be looking for these discussions when the review report is published.

I agree nightowl. The seizures, the fractured elbow should have led to a S47 investigation. I’ve read it didn’t happen. That the dr at A and E accepted the explanation for the fracture. Fractures in infants are unusual and this one imo didn’t fit the explanation given that it happened when Preston was out in his cot and twisted,
. Paediatricians experienced with fractures usually describe whether it’s caused by a yank, a twist etc. I hope the review will examine the role of A and E. In these circumstances Preston’s sw should have been asking for a opinion from an experienced paediatrician, where it seems a busy A and E doc involved, I might be wrong of course

Miss A yes the injuries and hospital visits were known and noticed. One of the obvious things missing was an experienced safeguarding sw and health visitor to question the events. The idea that the Independent reviewing officer conducted Preston’s review alone with no discussion with his sw or anyone from health is shocking imo

The whole thing is shocking, in rhis this day and age.
What the hell has gone wrong that a tiny child can be systematically abused, in every way, and nobody steps up to stop it, and protect him
The poor, poor little soul

I keep thinking of that poor baby absolutely shattered (probably after sexual abuse the prosecution said) eyes on his cheeks and the bastard Varley shouted ‘BOO!’ at him and videoed it for his own sick pleasure. It breaks my heart every time I think of his confused and tired little face -
and and yet that poor baby suffered so much worse in his short life
- it doesn’t bear thinking about.

I've deliberately not read about it.
Baby P stayed with me after following the case, and then the other poor little mite, hobbling around, crying "Nobody loves me..." I hsppened on that having avoided it, but nothing could have prepared me for it.

Of course they could have been stopped…..
There’s a litany of clues

He told his sister the baby was dead meat for waking him in the night
He told a school colleague he had dark thoughts about drowning the baby
The neighbours reported extended crying many times
The hospital saw injuries, a fracture even
The abusers mothers bathed the baby and saw him regularly didn’t she see bite marks on his little bum, or fear in his eyes

They all let him down hugely and why ?
The partner should have the same sentence, life without parole, they should both die in prison and have some dished out treatment during their journey,

There should be an enquiry into why they adopted with seemingly little supervision, heads should definitely roll or it will happen again and we ll all be on here commenting

I agree Bluebell, "the dead meat" comment to the sister was a few days in. The dark thoughts about drowning the baby would surely prompt a reaction from the colleague "why have you adopted, why?" There didn't seem to be a desire to nurture and parent this little boy right from the outset. What sets it apart from some of the other cases where such awful abuse has taken place, one of the parents is the natural parent and the abuse often starts when a new and sometimes dominant partner comes on the scene. In this scenario, it was an adoption. Complaining so soon afterwards about something they didn't have to do! Red flags in every sense, why would two men with careers that took them out of the house every day, invested in the superficiality of Instagram lifestyling want to take this on? Why would they want a baby? What would a baby add to an established comfortably off life free of constraints and commitments? Varley was screaming down the phone at the partner, left alone to cope, whilst he was on a business trip. Couldn't sound more unprepared to be a parent if he tried. In fact describing the pair as "the fathers" does an enormous disservice to fathers. From the outset they came across as unsuitable prospective parents, there are loads of couples who I'm sure would fit that profile far more and from what I read have to jump through hoops, now I wonder about the whole selection process and what scrutiny did these two have to undergo or was there more to it The foster mother from her experience had her concerns and I think such people should be allowed to play a pivotal role in a post adoption assessment. Such a lovely little boy handed over to a couple of child abusers Unforgiveable!

Their reluctance to build a good relationship with Preston’s primary attachment figure, his foster mum would have ben a huge, waving red flag

His mother and sister should have reported him but we all know they never would. Did they know he was abusing him? We will never know.
I hope he is sweltering in his cell now and terrified for the rest of his life. And the same for the other one.

Iam64

I wondered the same thing TerriBull.
MollyNew is correct, paedophiles are highly skilled at presenting well and hiding their sexual interest in children.
The police will have gone through their mobiles and internet history with skill. They found nothing until the indecent photographs of Preston began.

Galaxy is right, all the training wouldn’t have stopped them.

We have to face the probability that these two men, especially Varley, set out on the adoption journey intending to abuse any child they adopted.

How two intelligent men could not realise that to do what they did, meant that inevitably they would be found out and would end up where they have ended up, is what defeats me.

MOnica, I’ve been wondering if their plan to adopt did include fantasies of sexually abusing a very young child, grooming the infant to see sexual abuse is ‘normal’

I can’t believe these two had never shared fantasies they then lived out on this defenceless baby. Sex offenders increase their behaviour as the early stages no longer satisfy them. I’ve seen a couple of Facebook reels of Vardy at the hospital and in police interviews. Emotionally unstable narcissist ? I struggle to believe this side of his personality was hidden throughout the assessment or on placement

Meanwhile, the person who came to assess my work colleague and partner saw fit to report that his partner had a "miserable face".

We’ll Miss A - stunning lack of professional assessment there

I'm confused about the timeline, this atrocity happened back in '23, I think? Earlier this morning, I read an article in the Mail on line about a house these two men bought in the aftermath of the baby's death. On going back to the article to check the dates, it seems it's now behind the MailPlus paywall, so I couldn't verify the dates. I find it hard to believe whilst under suspicion, they were allowed to go about their lives to the extent of buying a house, taking out a mortgage, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened and they therefore must have been on the opinion they could just continue along life's path.

Varley I believe was going to take a year out to be the primary carer, horrifying because he was the orchestrator of the abuse and very much the dominant partner, although the other man was culpable too, but to a lesser degree. As others with experience in social work have posted, it does seem the scrutiny he was put under was pretty scant. I'm still wondering if there wasn't a tick box type of underlying reason for that. I find it horrifying that possibly the powers that be in such decisions may not make the interests of the child paramount, as we've seen in other cases.

TerriBull, I suspect the timeline is due to the serious delays in our courts. I read the DM article and share your horror, especially these two decorating their garden for Halloween, and at Easter, including an Easter bunny model so children could have their photographs taken with their face as the Easter bunny. I wonder if Varley continued to be paid adoption or sick leave before the guilty finding

In my area, a young man was seriously injured by a car driven by a 56 year old who tested positive for cocaine. The police are said by family of the victim to have been good. The court delays mean the perpetrator is still free to drive his cars. Everyone I know is shocked and horrified, as I understand it his licence can’t simply be taken until trial.

Thanks for the update Iam. Truly shocking, as is the case you've mentioned in your second paragraph. I agree surely the perpetrator should have lost his licence immediately.

Also given the seriousness of the offences these two were convicted off, were they on bail while the investigation continued. surely conditions were needed to protect children. The DM article includes comment from neighbours who had no idea their children might be at risk

I still do not understand why Varley turned on that child, so viciously, so vilely and so uickly, while he and his partner were still under supervision. He cannot have believed that he would get away with it, he must have known that sooner rather than later his attacks on the baby must fatally, or near fatally injure it. and that when that happened, he would have immediately be idntified as the attacker.