Jamie Varley, the teacher handed a whole life order for the murder and sexual abuse of adopted baby Preston Davey, spent his first night at HMP Wakefield “sobbing and quaking” in his cell as fellow inmates delivered a chilling welcome, warning him they would make him pay, it has been reported.
Screaming prisoners banged on bars and hurled threats at the 37-year-old convicted killer as he was brought into the notorious Category A jail in West Yorkshire — known as Monster Mansion — immediately after being sentenced at Preston Crown Court, according to the Daily Star, which spoke to an insider with knowledge of events inside the prison.
“Varley was in for a rude awakening if he thought he would be getting an easy ride,” the source told the publication. “He is arguably one of Britain’s most hated men right now, and that stands in the prison too. There’s a bounty on his head, everyone wants to be the one to hurt him first, and he was made very aware of that as he entered the prison. The other prisoners knew he was coming and they waited for him.”
The reality of his sentence — from which there is no possibility of release — appeared to devastate Varley as the night wore on. “He was whispering to himself and spent the whole night just sobbing in his cell,” the insider said. “He must be thinking that an attack is inevitable, it is just a case of when.” The source added: “It was quite the hit home for how the rest of his life will be.”
Varley is currently being held in segregation, meaning he spends the majority of his time confined to his cell with round-the-clock monitoring from guards. Mental health professionals are expected to assess his psychological state, with the insider confirming he remains under 24-hour suicide watch. “High profile prisoners are often placed on this as a matter of protocol,” the source said. “But in this case it is probably called for and a real possibility. What has he got to live for?” The source added that guards faced a significant challenge keeping Varley safe, warning: “Every day he survives, the bounty will increase for taking him out.”
HMP Wakefield houses between 630 and 750 high-risk offenders, the overwhelming majority serving lengthy or indeterminate life sentences. It has previously held some of Britain’s most notorious criminals, including Harold Shipman, Levi Bellfield, Ian Huntley and Charles Bronson.
Varley was convicted after an eight-week trial of murder, sexual assault and a string of other child sex offences against 13-month-old Preston Davey, who was placed in his care as an adopted child. A post-mortem examination found Preston had suffered more than 40 injuries before his death in July 2023. The whereabouts of Varley’s partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, who was convicted of separate offences in connection with the case, remain unknown, though sources suggest he is likely being held at either HMP Manchester or HMP Full Sutton.
