Kyle Bevan jailed for Lola James murder, mum Sinead also jailed

Lola suffered “catastrophic” brain injuries in the early hours of July 17, 2020, and died in hospital four days later.

Bevan, 31, of Aberystwyth, denied that he caused Lola's ultimately fatal injuries, insisting that the family dog knocked her down the stairs.

However, after an almost month-long trial, he was found guilty of murder.

Sinead James, 30, of Neyland, was found guilty of allowing her daughter's death. 

She was sentenced to six years. James will serve up to half of this in custody, before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Lola James died in hospital as a result of injuries inflicted by Kyle Bevan on July 17, 2020. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)

Caroline Rees, prosecuting, said: “Lola was an extremely vulnerable child. She was only two years and 10 months at the date of her death.

“Her injuries were extensive. One doctor commented this was the most battered and bruised child she had ever seen.”

Ms Rees said Lola suffered 101 surface injuries, adding they were the severity you would see in a car crash or a fall from a great height.

She said that Bevan delayed in calling for medical assistance after Lola was rendered unconscious – in fact he did not call for an ambulance at all, instead instructing his mum to do so an hour later.

He used that time to attempt to cover his tracks, washing Lola, cleaning the bath, hiding the vomit-stained onesie, and dressing Lola in clean clothes.

Bevan had a “volatile and unpredictable temper”, Ms Rees said, that put the family in fear – with James taking her children from the house on the night of May 14, 2020.

She said that James “failed to take any steps to protect Lola James” from Bevan.

“She failed to respond to interventions and warnings about his behaviour,” she said – pointing to the support she receive through the Freedom Programme, her independent domestic violence worker, her friends and family, and the “mother-to-mother” warning she received from the grandmother of Bevan’s daughter.

Kyle Bevan was found guilty of murdering Lola James. (Image: Facebook)

John Hipkin, representing Bevan, said: “The defence of Kyle Bevan accept there is little or no realistic mitigation for Kyle Bevan.”

David Elias, representing James, said: “She was fearful of Kyle Bevan, certainly by the end of the relationship.

“She feared if she phoned the police that Kyle Bevan would react in the way a previous partner, or previous partners, had.

Mr Elias admitted James hadn’t been in fear of Bevan throughout their whole relationship.

“She really did believe Kyle Bevan was to be her protector,” he said. “But as we know, that relationship changed.”

Sinead James was found guilty of allowing Lola's death. (Image: Athena Picture Agency)

He argued that James was taking action to protect her family, being in contact with her domestic violence officer the day before the attack on Lola, asking Bevan for information so she could have a Clare’s Law background check on him, and removing her children from the house when he had taken Xanax and smashed a light switch with a hammer.

A statement from Lola’s dad, Dan Thomas, was read out in court.

He described Lola as “beautiful, charming and cheeky” and said “her laugh would fill the room with pure joy”.

Nicola James also paid tribute to her granddaughter, who she said was her “cheeky monkey”.

Addressing Bevan directly, she said: “You didn’t just take Lola from our family. You took away the happy childhood her sisters should have had.”

Summing up, Mr Justice Griffiths said: “I am sure from the evidence at trial that Kyle was responsible for multiple assaults on the children.”

He listed each of the injuries the children sustained while in the care of Bevan between April 19 and July 17.

“Taken together, it is compelling,” he said, adding that Lola’s murder was “the culmination of several months of child abuse”.

“I am sure Kyle Bevan did this as an exercise of power,” he said. “An assertion of superiority over the only person he could feel superior to – a helpless child.

“He has no remorse at all. At the time he did not even simulate sadness about Lola’s injuries or condition.

“He was openly concerned only about himself.”

The judge continued: “I am sure that by the time of the murder Sinead knew Kyle was not to be trusted.

“She had been taught to protect herself and her children, but she allowed Kyle Bevan into her house on the evidence of a superficial initial impression.

“She was surrounded by supportive friends and family. She was connected with social services. She always had places of refuge, but she shut her eyes to the very obvious danger which Kyle Bevan posed to her children.

Lola James was only two when she was murdered. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)

“She prioritised the relationship with Kyle Bevan over concern for her children.

“She showed herself willing and able to remove herself from her house, but she always brought the children back and left them in his sole care.”

NSPCC Cymru’s Assistant Director Tracey Holdsworth said: “Lola died because of Kyle Bevan’s brutality and the abject failure of her mother, Sinead James, to protect her.

“However, the death of a child in such harrowing circumstances leaves many of us asking questions and the Child Practice Review being carried out into the circumstances around Lola’s death must be robust in finding whether more could have been done to protect this little girl and how agencies working together can better prevent future tragedies.

“We must make child protection a national priority. The Welsh Government has rightly committed to transforming children’s social care and it is crucial this leads to systemic changes that ensure children like Lola are better protected.

“We can all look out for children’s welfare, and anyone concerned about a child can call the NSPCC free helpline on 0808 800 5000, or email help@nspcc.org.uk. If a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.”