Lola James: mum let ‘monster’ boyfriend murder daughter, 2, in horror attack causing 100 injuries

A mother and her “monster” boyfriend have been found guilty over the death of a two-year-old girl.

Lola James was fatally attacked at her home in Wales and died in hospital four days later after suffering “catastrophic” brain injuries in the early hours of 17 July last year.

The toddler’s stepfather Kyle Bevan, 31, denied her murder a few months after moving into the family home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, and claimed Lola had fallen down the stairs after being jumped on by the pet dog.

But the 31-year-old was found guilty of murder by a jury at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (4 April), while Lola’s mother Sinead James was found guilty of causing or allowing the toddler’s death. It took the jury just under 10 hours to reach a verdict.

During the four-week trial prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said Mr 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.

Jurors were previously shown photographs of Lola’s injuries taken by Mr Bevan which showed marks on her back and extensive swelling and bruising to her head, eyes and lips.

A video of Lola that Mr Bevan had taken in the morning and sent to his mother, Alison Bevan, was also played in court. The footage showed the two-year-old unconscious and badly injured as Mr Bevan attempted to get her to stand on her feet before letting her fall to the floor, before telling the camera: “She’s gone”.

The court was also shown several internet searches he made for information about babies suffering head impact and loss of consciousness.

Phone records also show that Mr Bevan googled “Two year old child has just taken a bang to the head and gone all limp and snoring. What’s wrong”, at about 6.30am. The prosecution also noted that none of the searches included reference to a child falling down the stairs.

Mr Bevan did not ask his mother to phone an ambulance for Lola until almost 7.30am, having only woken Ms James up at about 7.20am.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said that, despite this being an indication of fatal injuries, Mr Bevan waited another hour before calling for an ambulance for the tot. Lola was found lying unconscious with a bruised and swollen face when paramedics arrived at the home, and she also appeared to be wet.

Ms Rees said it is believed that the two-year-old had been scrubbed clean, even of the children’s transfer tattoos which she appeared to have had on her arm the day before the attack.

Investigators also noted that the bath was spotlessly clean despite the rest of the house being generally dirty, and a vomit and blood-stained grey onesie was also found in the corner of the living room.

Police believed Mr Bevan had tried to clean up after putting Lola in the bath, either to revive her or to clean her of blood and vomit after his attack. Ms Rees said: “Rather than face up to that which he did to the little girl, he immediately tried to save himself.

“Rather than immediately call the emergency services as would surely be natural had this been an accident, as he now says, he took time to concoct excuses and lies. He tried to take a coward’s escape by trying to place false blame upon the family dog and suggesting that Lola must have fallen down the stairs.”

More than 100 scratches and bruises were recorded on Lola’s body, and she also had extensive damage to both her eyes. Her brain injuries were compared with those found in car crash victims.

Several medical experts said the injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall down carpeted stairs and were more likely the result of “abusive head trauma and physical abuse”.

The court also heard that Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Mr Bevan’s care.

It was accepted that mother-of-three Ms James was asleep at the time of the incident and did not take part in the vicious assault that led to her daughter’s death.

But it was the prosecution’s case that Ms James, a previous victim of domestic violence, failed to protect Lola from Mr Bevan, “instead choosing to prioritise her relationship with him over her own daughter’s physical safety”.

Ms Rees said: “She knew her children had sustained injuries whilst in Kyle Bevan’s care in the past and knew that he had a nasty and violent temper, particularly when under the influence of drugs.”

Giving evidence, Ms James called her partner “a monster” and told the jury: “I never thought he would kill my children, never in a million years. If I had gotten him out of the house my daughter would still be alive today.”

Friends of James gave evidence that they disliked Mr Bevan and did not think he was suitable to have around children. But despite repeated warnings Ms James did not end the relationship and said “he was too far into my head. I can’t explain it”. She claimed to have become a “shadow of herself” during their relationship.

James’ barrister, David Elias KC, said she had “done right by” Lola throughout her short life and she could not have known the significant risk of harm he posed.

Mr Bevan’s defence counsel John Hipkin KC said the fact his client took drugs “does not make him a child murderer”. It was heard that Mr Bevan was a regular user of Xanax, Valium and cannabis, and that the couple both took amphetamines when the children were at Ms James’ mother’s house.

NSPCC Cymru’s assistant director Tracey Holdsworth said a review into Lola’s death must establish whether more could have been done by agencies to prevent her death and called for the Welsh Government to make child protection a national priority.

She said: “This is another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on. 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.

“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.”

The pair are due to be sentenced on 25 April.