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 July 17 2020.
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 hours after to cover his tracks instead of calling for an ambulance.
The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevan’s care.
It was accepted 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”.
The pair will be sentenced on April 25.
