A mum convicted of letting her partner kill her two-year-old girl has been jailed for three years while he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 28 years for murder.
Lola James' stepfather Kyle Bevan inflicted “catastrophic” brain injuries on the infant in the early hours of July 17, 2020 while her mother lay asleep upstairs.
Police have released the harrowing 999 calls made as she lay lifeless.
The little girl's injuries were described as comparable with those found in car crash victims. More than 100 scratches and bruises were recorded on Lola’s body, and she also had extensive damage to both her eyes. She died in hospital four days later.
Lola’s mum Sinead James, 30, was found guilty of causing or allowing her daughter’s death while Bevan, 31, was convicted of murder by a jury at Swansea Crown Court earlier this month.
He had denied harming Lola, claiming the little girl's injuries were caused when the family dog pushed her down the stairs.
In a statement read to the court Lola’s father Daniel Thomas attacked her mother for failing to keep the infant safe and said: "Lola didn’t just die, wasn’t just taken from me in the worst way ever possible, she was brutally attacked - her tiny body was savaged in the evilest way, she didn’t stand a chance."
Lola's grandmother, Nicola James, speaking during the hearing, told Bevan: "Kyle, you took the young innocent life of my granddaughter.
"At the same time you have taken so much more than you can imagine. You killed my Lola and you have broken her family. I hope the time you have now you can understand what you have done."
Sentencing today, Mr Justice Griffiths said he was sure that by the time of the murder, James knew Bevan was not to be trusted with Lola. He sentenced her to six years imprisonment but said she would only serve three behind bars under current rules.
He said the assault carried out by Bevan was "sustained, deliberate, and very violent", and involved the use of weapons. He said he was satisfied the attack was an "exercise of power" over "the only person he could feel superior to" - a helpless child.
He said Bevan had shown no remorse for what he had done but at every stage had only shown concern for himself. The judge added he was sure the fatal assault was the culmination of months of physical child abuse at the hands of Bevan.
Bevan remained expressionless and showed no emotion as he was jailed.
James, was tearful throughout the hearing, particularly at hearing the victim impact statement from her mother, and cried when she was jailed.
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.
"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."
The judge went on to say James prioritised her relationship with Bevan over the safety of her family.
He said she failed to take effective steps to keep Lola safe, did not disclose the presence of Bevan in the house to the relevant authorities, and he has concluded that she was not coerced or intimidated into having Bevan in the house.
During the four-week trial, the court heard how Bevan and James met on Facebook in February 2020 and that Bevan moved into the family home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, within days of them knowing each other.
He remained living in the house throughout the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which Lola suffered a number of injuries while in his sole care – including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip.
Jurors were told that Bevan, a self-confessed “spice head”, then launched a “murderous” attack on Lola after staying up late with her, taking pictures of her on Snapchat, and used his final hours to cover his tracks instead of calling for an ambulance.
The jury were shown photographs Bevan had taken on his phone of marks on Lola’s back and extensive swelling and bruising to her head, eyes and lips.
A disturbing video Bevan sent to his mother showed him picking up Lola’s limp body, attempting to stand her on her feet before letting her fall to the floor – telling the camera: “She’s gone.”
Bevan did not ask his mother to phone for an ambulance for Lola until almost 7.30am, having only woken James up at about 7.20am.
More than 100 scratches and bruises were recorded on Lola’s body, and she also had extensive damage to both her eyes, with the injuries to her brain comparable with those found in car crash victims.
James told the court how she heard “a bang and a scream” coming from Lola’s bedroom just after midnight and ran there to find her daughter sitting on Bevan’s lap, with no visible injuries.
She described how Bevan reassured her, saying “I’ve got this”, before she went back to bed.
Hours later, she was woken by Bevan saying that Lola had fallen down the stairs – showing her a piece of the little girl’s tongue on his finger.
James dialled 999 in tears after finding her daughter unresponsive on the sofa, telling operators that Lola’s face appeared “swollen” and she was “really scared”.
In hospital, Bevan became aggressive with hospital doctors who questioned him over Lola’s injuries while she was in a life-threatening condition.
Text messages from Bevan to James showed him repeatedly telling her that their American bulldog Jessie was responsible for the incident, and questioning her about what she was going to tell the police.
James, who had been helped by domestic abuse support workers in the past, admitted Bevan “petrified” her and had previously used a hammer to smash up her home after consuming Xanax and alcohol.
Jurors heard how Bevan regularly used Xanax, Valium and cannabis, and that the couple both took amphetamines when the children were at James’ mother’s house.
Prior to the sentencing, John Hipkin KC, for Bevan said, in reality, given the defendant’s conviction for murder there is little or no mitigation he can advance on his client’s behalf.
David Elias KC, for Sinead James, said it is his submission that his client was in fear of the way Bevan might react were she to go to the police, a fear based on her past experiences of domestic violence at the hands of previous partners.
The judge told the barrister he didn't see that submission supported in the evidence heard at trial.
In a victim impact statement read out to the court by prosecution barrister Carina Hughes, Lola’s father Daniel Thomas said his daughter was "as bright as the golden sun, she was beautiful, charming and cheeky - her laugh would fill the room with pure joy".
He added that as a parent all he could hope for was that his daughter would continue to "grow with happiness and health" and "with the courage in her heart to know she could be anything, and do anything she wanted" but that will never be.
"I miss Lola every single day and my heart hurts every single day".
He said while he is grateful that James and Bevan were recognised for their roles in Lola’s cruel defenceless murder, that fact did not bring him any joy.
His statement went on: "As any parent can imagine, as any human can imagine, it will never come close to being enough.
"Lola didn’t just die, wasn’t just taken from me in the worst way ever possible, she was brutally attacked - her tiny body was savaged in the evilest way, she didn’t stand a chance. Lola’s little life was filled with filth and chaos at the hands of her mother who couldn’t even provide her with basic safety in her own home."
Back on April 4, after the verdicts were read out Mr Thomas called James and Bevan “cruel, evil people” and said he hoped they would “suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath”.
NSPCC Cymru said a child practice review, which will be carried out into Lola’s death, should establish whether more could have been done by agencies to prevent her death.
A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council confirmed a child practice review would take place into the death of Lola.
"We can confirm a child practice review is under way and this will be completed in accordance with statutory guidance," the spokesman said.
"We do not at this stage have an agreed timescale for publication however a copy of the report will be made available to media outlets in advance of publication."
They added: "Whilst Pembrokeshire County Council has had some historical involvement with Lola and her family, the local authority was not involved with the family at the time of her death or indeed at any time during the relationship between Kyle Bevan and Sinead James.
"The local authority continues to offer its sincerest condolences to Lola's family for their loss, recognising that this outcome will bring little comfort to them, given they have lost Lola so young and in such tragic circumstances."
