Kyle Bevan was two and a half years into a minimum sentence of 28 years after he beat and killed two-year-old Lola James in Pembrokeshire in 2020
Kyle Bevan(Image: PA)
A man who brutally murdered a toddler in her west Wales home has died in prison, it has been confirmed. Kyle Bevan was handed a minimum jail term of 28 years in April 2023 after he carried out a “sustained, deliberate, and very violent” attack on two-year-old Lola James at a house in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on July 17, 2020.
On Wednesday evening it was confirmed that Bevan has been found dead at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, where he was serving his sentence, at the age of 33.
During a trial at Swansea Crown court in 2023 it was heard that Lola was attacked so badly by her mother’s partner that she was left with the kind of injuries usually found in car crash victims. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
Following his assault on Lola, Bevan tried to say the girl’s injuries were caused accidentally when she fell down the stairs after being knocked over by the family dog. In truth, she had sustained around 101 injuries at the hands of Bevan, including a severe brain injury.
Examination of the child’s eyes showed serious and extensive damage to both retinas while a scan showed catastrophic and fatal brain injuries. She was rushed to Withybush Hospital but died four days later, on July 21, 2020, having never regained consciousness.
Little Lola James, who was killed in her west Wales home by thug Kyle Bevan(Image: PA)
Despite his non guilty plea a jury found Bevan guilty of murder and he was sentenced to life in prison. You can read much more about the evidence that convicted Bevan here.
Lola’s mother Sinead James was also jailed for six years for the offence of allowing or causing the death of a child. At the time of Lola’s death her mother and Bevan had only been in a relationship for a few months after getting to know each other on Facebook.
Judge Mr Justice Griffiths said the assault carried out by Bevan was “sustained, deliberate, and very violent”, and involved the use of weapons. He said the attack was an “exercise of power” over “the only person he could feel superior to” – a helpless child.
He added that Bevan showed no remorse for his crime during the trial process and only seemed concerned for himself. Police are now investigating Bevan’s death in custody, as is the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
A spokeswoman for the prison service said: “HMP Wakefield prisoner Kyle Bevan’s death was confirmed on November 5. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.”
Bevan’s death is the second high profile death of a prisoner at HMP Wakefield in less than a month. In October, disgraced former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins died from a stab wound to the neck inside the prison.
Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013, with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences – including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
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