Three prisoners charged with murder of child killer at HMP Wakefield appear in court

Three prisoners have appeared in court charged with murder after a child killer was found dead in his cell.

Kyle Bevan, 33, died at HMP Wakefield on Wednesday morning. He was jailed for life for murdering his partner's two-year-old daughter, Lola James, in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in 2020.

Mark Fellows, aged 45, Lee Newell, 56, and David Taylor, 63, have been charged with Bevan's murder and appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court separately via videolink on Friday.

While Fellows and Newell spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and that they understood what had taken place, Taylor told the court: "I am innocent."

All three have been remanded into custody and are due to appear at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.

Swansea Crown Court heard Lola had suffered 101 separate injuries to her body, including a "catastrophic" brain injury.

Her injuries were so severe that they were likened by doctors to a high-speed car crash, and there was evidence of weapons being used.

Bevan claimed his stepdaughter, Lola, had fallen down the stairs after the family dog pushed her.

The girl's death came months after Bevan, a prolific drug user, moved into the home within days of connecting with Lola's mother, Sinead James, on Facebook.

James was sentenced to six years for causing or allowing the death of a child.

During the trial, she described Bevan as a "monster" who "needs to rot in hell" for taking her daughter's life.

Bevan, from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, had denied murdering Lola but was convicted in 2023 and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years.

Read more from Sky News:
Manhunt under way for another foreign national offender
A year on from Trump's win, an untold story emerges

The incident comes less than a month after paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was stabbed to death at the same prison.

Inmates Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, have been charged with his murder. Two more men from the prison have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

(c) Sky News 2025: Three prisoners charged with murder of child killer at HMP Wakefield appear in court