Preston Davey – the failures of safeguarding, what must change so this can never happen again
As a solicitor with more than 20 years' experience representing families following deaths, serious failures in public services and some of the most tragic circumstances imaginable, there are very few cases that truly leave me lost for words. The death of Preston Davey is one of them.
Preston Davey, the 13 month old baby who was horrifically murdered by those supposed to protect and love him. Preston was taken into care at 5 days old and was placed into the care system by Oldham Council. A vulnerable baby, taken for his own protection, should have been given every opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home. Instead, the very systems designed to protect him appear to have failed him in the most catastrophic way imaginable.
He was taken from his mother Sarah Davey, 42, who had been jailed for murder of an elderly pensioner in 1998. Sarah said she will never forgive his adoptive parents for abusing her son, adding: “The reality of how he suffered is something I will carry for the rest of my life.”[1]
What should have been the start of a beautiful new life with adoptive parents turned into one of the most shocking cases I have ever heard: the story of unimaginable abuse and ultimately the death of a child who was entirely dependent upon others for his safety.
The question arises: how was this allowed to happen when there were multiple opportunities to identify warning signs?
The public reaction has been one of understandable shock, horror and disbelief. How could this happen? How could a child who was already known to the care system suffer such abuse without effective intervention? And perhaps most importantly, were there opportunities to prevent his death?
Those questions cannot simply be brushed aside.
Failures of the State
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said the harrowing case was a “failure of the state and the safeguarding system” and vowed to find out what had gone wrong. She said: “I need to know whether we could have prevented Preston’s murder.”
We need to ask questions about the safeguards that should have operated around Preston. We know that when he died, he had suffered over 40 non-accidental injuries. So from a safeguarding perspective, we need to know:-
- Were warning signs missed?
- Were concerns appropriately reported and escalated?
- Were assessments carried out effectively?
- Did agencies share information in a timely and meaningful way?
- Most importantly, if opportunities existed to identify risk, why were they not acted upon?
These questions demand answers, not only for Preston and his family, but for every child currently relying upon the protection of the safeguarding system.
Growing support for a Public Inquiry
The calls for a Public Inquiry to examine this are growing. Both the public and MPs want to know how these failures in safeguarding allowed the tragic death of baby Preston.
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb and Fylde MP Andrew Snowden are calling for an inquiry to find out how the adoption went ahead, to "ensure that nothing like this happens again".
Webb said: "There are fundamental questions that remain unanswered: why were repeated signs missed? Why did the systems designed to protect him fail so catastrophically?"
He added: "We can't allow this tragedy to be treated as an isolated case; there needs to be accountability, transparency and lessons learned."[2]
He is absolutely right.
A Public Inquiry is precisely what this case requires. It would provide the necessary framework to examine systemic weaknesses, confront uncomfortable truths and, most importantly, make recommendations capable of protecting children in the future. My involvement in the Thirlwall Inquiry, which examined the circumstances surrounding events at the Countess of Chester Hospital during Lucy Letby’s tenure, reinforces my view that this is the appropriate route in a case of this seriousness.
Investigations into the failings have already begun, but this just isn’t enough in a case where there are so many inter-agency failings. We need transparency and a full and fearless investigation that leads to visible and real change. A Public Inquiry is the right vehicle for this.
For those reasons I stand with those calling for a Public Inquiry. Let us be Preston’s voice and do everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.