The evil killer who murdered his partner's two-year-old daughter had met the family on Facebook only months before he brutally subjected the toddler to an almost unimaginable level of violence. Kyle Bevan left 'beautiful, bright and busy' Lola James with catastrophic brain injuries and beat her until she was covered in over 100 bruises, puncture wounds and abrasions.
Little Lola, who has been described as a bundle of energy, was just a few months shy of her third birthday when she was killed by the monster, who had recently become her mother's new partner. The awful details of what happened in the early hours of July 17 2020 may never be known, as Bevan lied that the toddler had fallen down the stairs by accident while her mother, Sinead James, was sleeping upstairs and knew nothing of the incident.
Bevan and James met for the first time in February 2020, just months before Lola's murder when he sent her a friend request on Facebook, Wales Online reports. After exchanging messages, they met in person and Bevan who was basically still a stranger had moved into the family home within a matter of days.
Weeks before she met Bevan, James had come out of a violent and abusive relationship and had been receiving support from a number of agencies. She had completed courses for domestic abuse victim which told her not to invite adults into the family if she did not know them well or know if they were safe and if she was unsure about whether or not they used alcohol or drugs.
A health visitor said how James had told her she 'found Lola very demanding' and thought 'there’s something wrong with her' and 'wanted a doctor to sort it out'. The toddler's home environment was described as 'cluttered, dirty and smelling damp' and on occasions Lola seemed unwashed and had dirty feet.
There were some concerns about James' ability to stay on top of home conditions as a mother and when support was offered, she accepted it. At around the same time she met Bevan, James was advised to use the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme - commonly known as Clare’s Law - when starting new relationships.
The couple's short relationship history showed they frequently had raging rows with many of them conducted over social media. James struggled with depression while Bevan had a history of using the drug spice, abused cannabis, amphetamine, sleeping tablets, and Xanax as well as alcohol, which made him unpredictable and prone to outbursts of anger.
On one occasion before the toddler's murder, he had consumed a cocktail of Xanax and alcohol and started punching the walls of the house before grabbing a hammer and smashing up the property. James fled to a friend's house with Lola and forgave him after he later apologised for his behaviour.
Despite all of this, Bevan later told police in an interview that his relationship with James was 'pretty good 90 per cent of the time' and that their disagreements helped them 'become stronger'. James also received a 'mother to mother' text from the mum of a former partner of Bevan which warned her of his behaviour around children.
Their relationship continued after James showed the message to Bevan and to his mother who assured her it was nonsense. Swansea Crown Court heard details of an occasion when Bevan had been looking after Lola for the day and the toddler had been left with bruising to her nose and under her eyes.
Bevan told her the family dog had knocked Lola off the sofa and into the coffee table which James had accepted. The prosecution said at the trial that Bevan's unsettling behaviour should have been ringing alarm bells for James, especially as she has had her first-hand experience of domestic abuse and has been educated in recognising the signs.
However, James did not tell her health visitor or domestic violence officer that Bevan was living with her and also didn't seek help from the authorities or her family and friends. The day before the murder, James had a family day out with Lola and had gone to bed early while Bevan and the two-year-old played downstairs.
James said she was awoken at around midnight by a scream and a bang from her daughter's bedroom and when she went to see what had happened, she found Bevan and Lola sitting at the foot of the bed. Bevan claimed Lola had hit her head but he would take care of it as James said there were no marks on her daughter and she appeared to be okay and left them to go back to bed.
James went back to bed. When asked at trial why she had not put her daughter to bed James said: "I didn’t want the confrontation and he wanted to spend time with them... I thought a one off wouldn’t hurt." Only hours later, Bevan carried out the murderous assault on Lola in the early hours of July 17.
At around 6.30am, the child was seriously ill and had fallen unconscious after being battered black and blue. James, who said she is a light sleeper that wakes at the 'slightest noise', says she slept through the attack.
The trial heard that violent shaking and a possible powerful blow to the head were the likely causes of the bleeding in Lola's brain and deep in her eyes. The injuries suffered by the child were compared to those usually seen in casualties of high-speed car crashes.
Medics later discovered over 100 bruises and abrasions all over Lola's head, arms, legs, and body from bleeding in the ears to bruises on her feet. The pattern of linear bruises on her right thigh suggested some kind of unidentified weapon had been used.
It was also heard that if Lola had been conscious during the assault, it's likely she would have been screaming in pain but considering that no screams were heard, it leads to the chilling conclusion she was helplessly battered while she was unconscious.
Bevan did not seek medical help or wake James after the vile attack but instead spent almost an hour googling explanations for a child banging its head and going 'limp'. He also sent messages to his mother, who dialled 999 and requested an ambulance.
Bevan also took sickening pictures of Lola and even a video where he tries to prop up the child as she slumps back down to the ground. Bevan woke James at 7.20am to tell her that Lola had fallen down the stairs and the mum found her daughter unconscious with a swollen face and bruises on the sofa.
Lola was subsequently rushed first to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest and then to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The prosecution said Bevan had delayed seeking medical help to give him time to come up with a story about how Lola sustained her injuries.
It was also suggested that Bevan had tried to wash away the evidence of his assault as Lola's hair was wet, a temporary tattoo on her arm from that day had been washed off and police recovered a wet and vomit-stained Frozen onesie which had been hidden in the living room. Officers also noticed that the bathroom was a lot tidier and appeared to have been recently cleaned in contrast to the rest of the dirty house.
Lola sadly died four days later at only two years and nine months old inside the Noah's Children Hospital in Cardiff after sustaining fatal brain injuries. In police interviews, Bevan said he heard Lola accidentally fall down the stairs and that he had tried to resuscitate her and dressed her to keep her warm.
Bevan was subsequently charged with murder, while James was charged with causing or allowing the death of a child by failing to protect her from a foreseeable risk. The prosecution branded Bevan a 'bully and coward' as he refused to give evidence at the trial and answer questions under oath.
James did give evidence and told the jury she was unaware Bevan was a danger to her daughter and would have removed him from the house if she had known. The prosecution argued she had failed her daughter and prioritised her relationship with her partner over the welfare and safety of her daughter.
After deliberating for just under 10 hours over the course of three days the jury found Bevan guilty of murdering Lola, and found James guilty of allowing or causing her death. The pair will be sentenced on April 25.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
