Mid Wales man Kyle Bevan jailed for Lola James murder

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.

Lola's mum, Sinead James, was found guilty of allowing or causing her daughter's death. 

She was sentenced to six years.

Passing sentence at Swansea Crown Court, Mr Justice Griffiths said: “Lola was a very young child, two years and 10 months old. She was particularly vulnerable, not being strong enough to resist or old enough to tell anyone what was happening.

OTHER NEWS:

• Three men admit spate of burglaries across Wales, including in Powys
• Two Powys men to represent Wales as part of a pioneering disabled fishing team
• Why plan for Cloud Houses overlooking some fine Powys views was rejected

"Kyle Bevan was in a position of trust. Having assumed the role, as he described himself to the ambulance crew, of Lola’s stepfather.

“He started to hurt Lola at midnight, and he carried on until she was unconscious at 6.30am.

“He did not stop when Sinead James nearly caught him in the act when she heard Lola’s scream at midnight.

“This was a sustained, deliberate and very violent attack. The attack was completely unprovoked. There is no suggestion that Lola was playing up in any way before she was killed.

“For some of the injuries, Kyle Bevan used weapons. The attack would have caused both mental and physical pain and suffering before the onset of coma. It was the culmination of several months of physical child abuse.

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

Mr Justice Griffiths added: “Lola James was described by her grandmother as a character, who ‘loved life’.

“Her father said she was ‘always smiling and happy, a little ray of sunshine’, with a laugh which would ‘fill the room with pure joy’. Her photograph reminds us of a beautiful little girl. But you, Kyle Bevan, murdered her when she was only two years old and you, Sinead James, allowed her death.”

Turning to James, the judge said: “She had been trained through domestic abuse programmes to protect herself and Lola but she allowed Kyle Bevan into her household on the basis of a superficial initial impression.

"As evidence against him began to mount, she continued to hope for the best and leave Lola at risk. 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.

“She prioritised the relationship with Kyle Bevan over concern for Lola. This was never more evident than when she went back to bed after the scream and the bang which she heard from Lola’s bedroom, when Lola was with Kyle, only hours before Lola was murdered.”

He added: “There are weighty mitigating factors. She is very remorseful, as I saw when she gave evidence, and she is also genuinely devastated by Lola’s death.

"After Lola’s death, Sinead James cooperated as fully as she possibly could with the investigation. She has no previous convictions and nothing else which is relevant on her record.

“She is a victim of previous domestic abuse, and Kyle Bevan did create an atmosphere of intimidation in the home at times, which I accept as a mitigating feature.”