A couple has been sentenced for the murder of two-year-old Lola James in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Kyle Bevan, 31, has been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years for murdering Lola James, the daughter of his partner. Lola’s mother, Sinead James, has been sentenced to six years for causing or allowing her daughter’s death. The attack took place on 17 July 2020 and Lola died four days later. Medical experts noted 101 separate injuries to her body, including a “catastrophic” brain injury.
Brutal Attack and Cover-Up
During the trial, it was revealed that Bevan was responsible for multiple assaults on the children before he murdered Lola. After the attack, he did not get emergency help or wake up Lola’s mother. Instead, he tried to cover his tracks, moving Lola’s body around, callously photographing and filming it. Bevan claimed that Lola had fallen down the stairs after the family dog pushed her, but the court did not believe his story.
Family Devastated by Loss
Lola’s grandmother, Nicola James, appealed directly to Bevan before sentencing, but he showed no sign of remorse. Lola’s father, Daniel Thomas, said in a statement that Lola was “as bright as the golden sun” and that he missed her every day. Sinead James called Bevan a “monster” who “needs to rot in hell.” The judge described James as “very remorseful” and “genuinely devastated” about her daughter’s death. However, he said that she showed a “failure to respond to warnings about Kyle Bevan and his behaviour.”
The NSPCC Cymru has called for child protection to be made a “national priority” following Lola’s death. The charity’s assistant director, Tracey Holdsworth, said the girl’s future had been “cruelly taken away.” The Child Practice Review into Lola’s death must establish whether more could have been done by agencies to save her and prevent such tragic cases in the future.
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