Children's Commissioner calls for changes to safeguard children after Preston Davey tragedy

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said she is “deeply concerned” about the safeguarding failures that cost murdered tot Preston Davey his life.

Dame Rachel de Souza, who has specific responsibilities towards children in care and those supported by a social worker, has written to Helen Grant, Member of Parliament for Maidstone and Malling & Shadow Solicitor General following concerns raised by Preston Davey deserved better, demand a national public inquiry campaigner Paula Hudgell.

Thirteen-month-old Preston Davey was murdered by the man who was in the process of adopting him. The man he came to know as ‘dad’.

Less than four months after moving in with his adopted dads in Staining Road, Staining, little Preston was sexually abused, physically assaulted, and left with more than 40 non-accidental injuries. He was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times. Social workers visited regularly. His abusers even admitted to having dark thoughts about him. And still, nothing stopped it.

Killer ex-South Shore Academy teacher Jamie Varley, 37, was sentenced to a whole life order for murder, child cruelty, sexual offences and indecent images relating to Preston. His now ex-partner and financial salesman, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was jailed for 25 years for allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.

Prominent campaigner Paula Hudgell who along with her inspirational son, Tony, managed to convince the Government to establish a child cruelty register joined The Post and the Blackpool Gazette at 10 Downing Street last week armed with the voices of more than 120,500 supporters, as we delivered our petition calling for a national public inquiry to the Prime Minister.

When Tony was just 41-days-old, he was brutally beaten by his birth parents and left with fractures all over his body. He was left for up to 10 days without medical help and tragically, as a result of the abuse, lost both of his legs.

Paula and her husband Mark fought for four years to get his birth parents convicted, and they were eventually given the maximum sentence available at the time, which was 10 years.

After that, they campaigned for Tony’s Law, which helped increase sentences for child cruelty offences. It is because of the Hudgell family Preston Davey’s killer and abuser Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley were given such long sentences.

This year, after eight years of campaigning, the Child Cruelty Offender Register was finally agreed and made law.

Prior to the petition presentation in London, Mrs Hudgell asked her MP, Helen Grant, to write to the Children’s Commissioner raising her concerns.

Responding to the Maidstone and Malling MP, Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Thank you for taking the time to write to me and for sharing Paula's concerns. Preston Davey's case is truly harrowing and represents a clear failure of the safeguarding system.

“As Children's Commissioner, I have specific responsibilities towards children in care and those supported by a social worker. I am deeply concerned by the circumstances of this case and the failure of agencies to keep Preston safe. I will continue to follow developments closely.

“Paula is right to say that we have seen tragedies like this far too many times before. Meaningful change is needed to ensure that no child experiences similar harm.

“As with many serious safeguarding failures, the shortcomings identified so far are sadly familiar: a lack of professional curiosity, insufficient information sharing and, most importantly, a failure of agencies to work together effectively in Preston's best interests. That is why I am calling for stronger national child protection arrangements, including the establishment of a Child Protection Authority and the introduction of a Single Unique Identifier for children. These reforms have the potential to strengthen accountability, improve information sharing and deliver better safeguarding outcomes.

“I also look forward to reading the findings of the independent safeguarding review and hope that it will establish a fuller understanding of what happened in Preston's case. Once the review is published, I will respond to its findings and carefully consider the need for further inquiry. In the meantime, I would be very pleased to work with you to help advance the important reforms needed to better protect children.”

The Lancashire Post and Gazette’s campaign has been backed by Blackpool MP Chris Webb, Preston's birth parents Sarah Davey and Gary Nolan as well as celebrity campaigners including global superstar Ellie Goulding, the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson Carrie Johnson, Oscar winner Olivia Colman, Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp, campaigner Paula Hudgell, high profile campaigner Hetti Barkwood-Nanton, Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge, and Laura Trott MP Shadow Education Secretary.

Helping fight for justice for Preston Davey at Downing Street, Paula Hudgell said: "I'm here to help deliver the petition for a statutory national inquiry in the case of Preston Davey. All these cases are very close to my heart - my adopted son himself was abused as a baby and wasn't expected to survive either and, as a result, lost both of his legs.

“The Preston Davey case is probably the most horrific, horrendous, heinous case I've been following - I've managed to change a law for sentencing, so that's why I follow these cases.

“I think it's absolutely hit everybody how sad this case was and how it's affected the whole nation and that's why it need a national public inquiry rather than just a local inquiry where it's all swept under the carpet like Tony's case was."

What is the petition calling for?

The petition is calling on a national public inquiry to answer the following questions:

- Why were repeated warning signs - three hospital admissions, an abuser's own admission of dark thoughts, routine social worker contact - not acted on?

- Should children placed outside their home authority automatically be assigned a local social worker with direct oversight of their care?

- How are repeat hospital admissions for children in care shared between the NHS, the placing authority, and the authority where the child lives?

- Are adoption vetting procedures rigorous enough to stop prospective adopters hiding behind a false front?

We need you to sign this petition and demand the government acts.

Join our calls for a public inquiry by signing our change.org petition here