Welfare Call In Wake Of Child Murder

A call for a report to safeguard the welfare of children be acted on in the wake of the murder of a child in the county was made to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Lola James died in hospital four days after a “sustained, deliberate and very violent attack” from Kyle Bevan in the early hours of July 17, 2020 at her home in Haverfordwest.

Bevan, 31, of Aberystwyth, was recently found guilty of Lola’s murder, and was jailed for life – serving a minimum of 28 years.

Sinead James, 30, of Neyland, was found guilty of allowing Lola’s death, and was sentenced to six years in prison.

During the course of the trial, the jury heard that Bevan and James met through Facebook in February 2020, and started living in the home  within weeks.

James had just got out of a domestic violence relationship, and as a previous victim of domestic abuse had access to support, but she “shut her eyes to the very obvious danger which Kyle Bevan posed to her children”, the court heard.

At the May meeting of the full council, Councillor Huw Murphy asked: “As safeguarding champion can I be reassured that following the conclusion of a recent criminal trial resulting in the conviction for murder of a Pembrokeshire child that the report presented to Social Care O&S on November 12, 2022, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults will be acted upon, and that the Child Practice Review (CPR) into this tragic event will be published on completion and returned to Social Care O&S to establish what lessons can be learnt to avoid such a tragedy in the future?”

Responding, Cllr Tessa Hodgson said a review was started following Lola’s death; restarted after the trial concluded.

She told members the review would be published after it was completed, but could give a timescale.

NSPCC Cymru’s assistant director Tracey Holdsworth has previously said: “The death of a child in such harrowing circumstances leaves many of us asking questions, and the Child Practice Review being carried out into the circumstances around Lola’s death must be robust in finding whether more could have been done to protect this little girl and how agencies working together can better prevent future tragedies.”