‘Toddler described by mum as a terror’
THE mother of a toddler who allegedly died after a “frenzied” attack described the toddler as a “terror” and “pain in my a**e” in texts, a court has heard.
Lola James died in hospital on July 21, 2020, after suffering the kind of brain injuries usually seen in highspeed car crashes or falls from a great height.
Her mother’s boyfriend, Kyle Bevan, 31, denies murdering the toddler and claims the little girl died when she was knocked down the stairs by the family’s American Bulldog Jessie.
He is on trial at Swansea Crown Court alongside Lola’s mum, Sinead James, 30, who stands accused of “causing or allowing” her daughter’s death at the home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. She denies the charge.
Yesterday, it was heard James had told a health visitor she found Lola “very demanding”, adding “there’s something wrong with her” and she “wanted a doctor to sort it out”.
It was heard the home environment was described as “cluttered, dirty and smelling damp”.
Lola had appeared unwashed, with dirty feet. There were also concerns about James’ ability to stay on top of home conditions, and support was offered which was accepted.
Health visitor Lesley Steadman said she first saw James in November 2019 when the defendant had raised concerns about Lola having “tantrums” and thought she might have ADHD.
Ms Steadman said she had no concerns. The witness said James said Lola was a “busy child” and struggled to sleep. The living room was described as “tidy but cluttered” and Lola’s feet were described as dirty.
After a cancelled appointment in March 2020, Ms Steadman said further calls were made and a letter sent to James but she had stopped responding. The witness spoke to James in June who said she had a female friend staying with her, but she made no mention of a male partner.
A number of texts from James were read to the court where she described Lola as a “terror”.
It said: “Pain in the a**e LMAO, she’s a terror. She’s started Flying Start to help with her behaviour. She don’t sit still, constantly beats me up LMAO.”
In another message, James referred to Lola as “a little bitch” after she woke up screaming following a bad dream.
Further messages between both defendants also saw Bevan talk about Lola falling.
One message said: “She smashed her face around to be fair. I have said about those stairs and leaving toys at the bottom. I bet that won’t teach her lol, she’s mad…. If that jar would have smashed she would never have looked the same again.”
On another occassion he said: “It really upset me. She woke up crying, I was having a p***, I went to see what was wrong and she was stood in her cot and she dropped to the floor really quickly. I presume she bit her lip on the way down. As I tried to help her she was making stupid noises and kicked right off, spat at me and making a horrible noise….. I feel like you don’t trust me any more.”
Bevan, of Aberystwyth, and James, of Neyland, deny the charges.
The trial continues.