This is when a mother accused of causing or allowing the death of her two-year-old daughter confessed that she was “really scared” to a 999 operator – when photos of their squalid home surface.
Sinead James, 30, was heard panicking on the phone to emergency services after finding her daughter Lola injured and unconscious at the home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
Audio of the mother-of-three’s alarming phone call was released earlier today as the Swansea Crown Court jury retired to consider the verdicts.
On the recording, James can be heard sobbing into the phone as she reveals that the baby is unresponsive and her head and eyes appear to be bruised and swollen.
It comes on the same day shocking photos of the house were released by the prosecution, showing old takeout boxes, cigarette butts and an unwashed onesie.
Sinead James (pictured), 30, was heard panicking on the phone to emergency services after finding her daughter Lola injured and unconscious
The mother of three is accused of causing or allowing the death of her two-year-old daughter Lola (pictured)
Prosecutors allege that Lola was the victim of a frenzied and brutal assault at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, Kyle Bevan, just hours before she called 911 on July 17, 2020.
Lola tragically died in hospital four days later, and doctors found 101 bruises and scrapes on her body. She also had retinal damage and catastrophic brain damage.
Bevan, 31, from Aberystwyth denies Lola’s murder, claiming her injuries were caused by the family’s dog pushing her down the stairs.
During the two-minute clip, which played to the judges during the four-week trial, James said, “My partner, because I was in bed, was with her.
“She fell down the stairs she has, from top to bottom, and her head is all swollen and she bit off the tip of her tongue or something.”
“She moans when I try to wake her up, but her eyes are all swollen too. I’m really scared,’ she sobbed.
When asked what caused the fall, James said, “The damn dog, I attacked her and she just fell.”
James gave evidence and told the court how she had been awakened by a bang and a scream from Lola’s room the night before, on July 16.
She said she ran to the room and found Lola sitting on Bevan’s lap, with no visible injuries.
Kyle Bevan (pictured) denies murdering little Lola, claiming family dog pushed her down stairs in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
Shocking photos of the squalid house at Swansea Crown Court were also shown during the trial today
James told the court that Bevan reassured her by saying “I got this,” and Lola told her “I love you mama” before going back to bed.
Hours later, at around 7:20am, James said Bevan had woken her up to say that Lola had fallen down the stairs and presented a piece of her daughter’s tongue on his finger.
She went downstairs and saw Lola sitting on the sofa with her forehead and lips swollen. James said it was during the police interrogations that it dawned on her that Bevan could allegedly be responsible for Lola’s death.
She said, “I never thought he would kill my children, never in a million years. He’s a monster.
“If I had gotten him out of the house, my daughter would still be alive. I have to live with that every day. I beat myself up every day. He must rot in hell.’
James said she accepts that she “failed” Lola, but did not cause or allow her death. She told officers that Bevan was frightening to be around, that she was afraid of him and that he humiliated her. She described how she had become a “shadow of herself” with him.
James said Bevan regularly used xanax, valium and cannabis, and they both used amphetamines, but only when the children were at home with her mother.
Photos of the house showed old takeout boxes and cigarette butts on a wooden table
The Crown Prosecution Service also released this photo, which shows an unwashed bodysuit
James said Bevan woke her up to say Lola had fallen down the stairs (pictured), and presented a piece of her daughter’s tongue on his finger
She also said he “smashed” her house with a hammer after she took Xanax on May 14, 2020, forcing her to protect her children by taking them to a friend’s house at 10:30 p.m.
Facebook messages between the pair that were read to the court revealed that Lola had previous injuries while under Bevan’s exclusive care in the months leading up to her death, including a nosebleed and a gash on the lip.
Recordings from Bevan’s phone the morning of the fatal incident show a number of internet searches, including a 6:32 am search that said, “My two-year-old just put a bag on his head and has gone all limp and is snoring, what is going on?’
Five minutes later, he took a screenshot of a website advising to seek medical attention.
He also took some photos of Lola’s injuries and a video he sent to his mother, Alison Bevan, in which he can be seen demonstrating that she is unconscious by trying to get her up before she falls to the floor.
However, the court heard that he waited until 7:28 a.m. to ask his mother to call an ambulance.
Caroline Rees, prosecutor, claimed he used the hour to fabricate lies and cover his tracks.
The court was told that when officers arrived at the home, they found the bath to be spotlessly clean, despite the rest of the property being dirty and messy.
Paramedics also noticed that Lola was wet, and a wet, vomit and bloodstained onesie was later retrieved from a corner of the living room.
Ms Rees claimed the evidence suggested Bevan had tried to clear up signs of his abuse.
Medical evidence adduced by the prosecution concluded that Lola’s injuries were unlikely to have been caused by a fall from a carpeted staircase and were more “consistent with gross head trauma and physical assault.”
The jury will resume its deliberations on Monday at 10 a.m.