A mother and her “monster” boyfriend have been found guilty over the death of a two-year-old girl who was fatally attacked at her home in Wales.
Lola James died in hospital four days after suffering “catastrophic” brain injuries in the early hours of 17 July 2020. She was found to have sustained more than 100 bruises and scratches to her body, and damage to both her eyes.
Lola’s stepfather, Kyle Bevan, denied murdering the youngster a few months after moving in with the family in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, claiming Lola had fallen down the stairs after being jumped on by the pet dog.
But a jury at Swansea Crown Court convicted the 31-year-old of murder on Tuesday. Sinead James, Lola’s mother, had denied causing or allowing her death but was found guilty.
During the four-week trial prosecutor, Caroline Rees KC said Bevan, a self-confessed “spice head”, had launched a “murderous” attack on Lola and used the moments after to cover his tracks, meaning it was an hour before the alarm was raised.
The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevan’s care.
As she was hospitalised, Bevan told paramedics and police that he believed Lola had been pushed down the stairs by their dog, telling officers that he felt only partly responsible because he was making her a bowl of cereal at the time.
It was accepted that mother-of-three James was asleep at the time and did not take part in the vicious assault that led to her daughter’s death.
But it was the prosecution’s case that James, a previous victim of domestic violence, failed to protect Lola from Bevan, “instead choosing to prioritise her relationship with him over her own daughter’s physical safety”.
James said Bevan woke her up at 7.20am – nearly 50 minutes after he began searching the internet for information about babies sustaining head impacts, and nine minutes before Bevan’s mother, who he had contacted for help, called for an ambulance.
According to James, Bevan told her that Lola had fallen down the stairs, and showed her a piece of her daughter’s tongue on his finger.
As Bevan’s mother – who was not at the scene – called for an ambulance, James also called NHS 111, during which she described Lola’s face as “swollen” and said she was “really scared”.
Three medical experts were called to give evidence at the trial, and were all in agreement that the level of injuries Lola had sustained were not consistent with a fall down carpeted stairs.
“An extensive subdural haemorrhage is usually the result of a high-velocity road traffic collision where a child is thrown from the collision, or a fall from a great height, such as a fall from a balcony or bedroom window of more than 10ft,” said paediatrician Dr Deborah Stalker.
The court heard that James and Bevan met online in February 2020 and were soon living together as the country went into lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, with Bevan taking on parenting duties. Lola died four months later.
Describing Lola’s death as “another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on, NSPCC Cymru’s assistant director Tracey Holdsworth said it was “time to make child protection a national priority”.
“Lola deserved a happy and healthy future, but that was cruelly taken away by the horrendous actions of Kyle Bevan and the failure of her mother, Sinead James, to intervene,” said Ms Holdsworth.
“The Child Practice Review into Lola’s death must establish whether more could have been done by agencies to save her, and drive the action required to help prevent such tragic cases in the future.
“Now is the time to make child protection a national priority. The Welsh government has rightly committed to transforming children’s social care and it’s crucial this leads to systemic changes that ensure children like Lola are better protected.”
Welcoming the verdict, senior investigating officer DCI Gareth Roberts of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Bevan delayed raising the alarm and seeking medical attention for at least an hour after he inflicted the fatal injuries and in the time since he has shown no remorse, emotion or any care for Lola.
“Consumed by his own self-preservation, Bevan lied and fabricated an accidental stair fall to try and cover his tracks but, with the help of medical experts, we have been able to prove that his actions on 17 of July 2020 were deliberate, abhorrent and evil.”
Saying that Lola’s family had been supported by specialist officers throughout their investigation, he added: “I’d like to personally thank Lola’s family for the respectful manner that they have conducted themselves as this difficult investigation progressed.
“The love for Lola is clear and it is a tragedy that will be difficult to overcome, however, I hope this outcome brings some comfort.”
The pair will be sentenced on 25 April.
