In connection with the killing of a “happy and beautiful” two-year-old who was fatally mauled at her house, a mother and her “monster” boyfriend have been found guilty.
In the early hours of July 17, 2020, Lola James suffered “catastrophic” brain damage. She passed away in the hospital four days later.
Kyle Bevan, the mother’s partner, denied murder and said the family dog was to blame.
It was claimed that Lola had fallen down the stairs after being jumped on by the animal.
But a jury at Swansea Crown Court didn’t believe his story and convicted the 31-year-old of murder on Tuesday.
He had lived with the family in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire for just four months before killing Lola.
Sinead James, 30, Lola’s mother, had denied causing or allowing her death but was found guilty.
During the four-week trial, prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said Bevan had launched a ‘murderous’ attack on the little girl.
He used the hours after to cover his tracks instead of calling for an ambulance.
Mother-of-three James was asleep at the time and didn’t have a part in the vicious assault.
But the prosecution argued that James, who was said to be a victim of previous domestic violence, failed to protect Lola from Bevan.
Instead, she ‘chose to prioritise her relationship with him over her own daughter’s physical safety’, the court was told.
Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in the care of Bevan, who was a self-confessed ‘spice head’.
A disturbing video of Lola that Bevan took following the attack that killed her and sent to his mother was played in court.
It showed him demonstrating how the little girl was unconscious, by picking up her limp body and attempting to stand her on her feet before letting her fall to the floor, telling the camera: ‘She’s gone.’
Giving evidence, James called Bevan ‘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.’
Lola’s heartbroken dad previously said his daughter’s ‘beautiful smile’ will always be missed.
‘From the very first time I met my beautiful daughter, Lola Patricia James, my heart was filled with such joy, a happiness I’d never felt before, an unconditional love and need to always protect her for the rest of her life’, he said.
‘Not in a million years did I think her life would be snatched away from her in such a cruel way.’
Lola’s grandmother also paid tribute to their ‘bubbly and happy girl who kept everyone on their toes’.
‘Lola Patricia James, you were the constant light in our lives, the sparkle of our eye’, she said.
Bevan and James will be sentenced on April 25.