Life Sentences for Three British Inmates
Three British inmates have received life sentences for the murder of a convicted child killer in a high-security prison. Mark Fellows, 45, Lee Newell, 57, and David Taylor, 64, were involved in the attack on 33-year-old Kyle Bevan at HMP Wakefield in northern England back in November 2024.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured the trio entering Bevan’s cell and emerging about four and a half minutes later. Bevan, who was serving a life sentence for murdering his two-year-old stepdaughter, was later discovered with over 25 stab wounds.
At Leeds Crown Court, the three men were sentenced to life in prison, which in the UK means they won’t be eligible for parole. It’s worth noting that both Fellows and Newell had previously served sentences for earlier murders.
Mr. Justice McGowan commented that the defendants seemed to be “celebrating” after Bevan’s murder and that news of the child killer’s death spread quickly in the prison.
“You targeted him because of his conviction,” the judge stated, highlighting the brutality of the attack which inflicted numerous fatal wounds.
During the hearing, it was mentioned that Bevan was ambushed in his cell, where he was stabbed multiple times with makeshift weapons, including one fashioned from metal taken from a TV set.
After the assault, the three inmates left Bevan’s body on a bed, presumably to create the impression that he was merely asleep. The following morning, he was discovered during the prison roll call. His death was attributed to blood loss.
Bevan had been sentenced for the 2020 murder of Laura James, his partner’s daughter, who suffered severe injuries.
Additionally, Taylor received another life sentence on the same day for the murder of Alisha Apostlov Boyarin, 24, who vanished after a trip from Manchester to Durham in early 2022.
Interestingly, Taylor had previously confessed to the earlier murder but remained silent about the location of the victim’s remains. He also had a violent encounter with a police detective during an interrogation, in which he stabbed the officer but fortunately did not kill him.
This trio of inmates represents a small fraction of those serving life sentences in England and Wales, estimated to be around 75 for the most severe offenses.
