Inmate Murder Trial
Prosecutors Detail Brutal Stabbing of Inmate Kyle Bevan in HMP Wakefield Murder Trial
Key Points
Prosecutors said Bevan suffered not just “major blood vessel” injuries, but stab wounds that “penetrated his jugular vein, aorta and his heart,” along with additional injuries “thought to have been caused by a different pointed weapon.”
Details of alleged evidence recovery included that a folded piece of metal made from a television (with Bevan’s blood on it) was “stashed behind a TV,” while “other weapons” were found in David Taylor’s cell “in a bottle of chili sauce.”
The prosecution told the jury the defendants left Bevan with what it described as a “satisfied, job-done mood” (including the phrasing that they “emerged displaying ‘something of a satisfied, job-done mood’”).
Jurors were also told more about the prison’s operating rules: the wing had an “open door” policy that allowed prisoners to “freely interact during ‘association’,” and vulnerable prisoners were not separated from “main” prisoners.
According to one report, prosecutors characterized the assault duration as lasting “five minutes” and said it involved “at least one and probably more than one weapon,” with Bevan being stabbed “over 30 times,” rather than only 25.
Three inmates allegedly stabbed child killer Kyle Bevan more than 30 times inside his cell at HMP Wakefield on November 4, 2025, killing him in an attack that lasted under five minutes, Sky News reported. Bevan, 33, was serving a 28-year minimum life sentence for the 2020 murder of two-year-old Lola James. Prison guards found his body the next morning at the 8:25 AM roll call.
Mark Fellows, 45, Lee Newell, 57, and David Taylor, 64, now stand trial at Leeds Crown Court, each charged with murder. All three deny the charge. The trial began on June 10, 2026.
CCTV Captures a 'Satisfied, Job-Done' Exit
Prosecutors told the jury that CCTV footage shows all three defendants following Bevan into his cell. They emerged exactly 4 minutes and 39 seconds later. Lead prosecutor Jason Pitter KC said they left displaying "something of a satisfied, job-done mood," according to St Helens Star.
Bevan was then placed in his bed. No alarm was raised. Guards only discovered his body the following morning. Prosecutors say the attackers intended to kill or cause serious harm — and that the whole sequence was a coordinated, deliberate execution rather than a spontaneous act.
Stab Wounds Pierced His Heart, Aorta and Jugular Vein
Bevan suffered stab wounds that penetrated his jugular vein, aorta, and heart, St Helens Star reported. Prosecutors say he received at least 25 stab wounds and other injuries. Some reports put the total above 30. The court heard that at least one weapon — and probably more — was used in the attack.
One weapon was a piece of metal folded from a television set. Bevan's blood was found on it. It had been stashed behind a TV. NY Post reported that additional weapons were recovered from David Taylor's cell, hidden inside a bottle of chili sauce.
77% of Wakefield Inmates Were 'Vulnerable' — Yet Not Separated
Prosecutors told the court that around 77% of HMP Wakefield's inmates were classified as "vulnerable prisoners" — a label given to sex offenders and child killers — at the time of the attack, Sky News reported. Unlike most UK prisons, Wakefield did not keep vulnerable prisoners away from "main" prisoners like gangland killers.
The wing ran an "open door" policy during association periods, letting all prisoners move freely and mix. Prosecutors argued this created tension between the two groups. Just weeks before Bevan died, another high-profile inmate, Ian Watkins, was also stabbed in the neck at the same prison.
Who Are the Three Men Charged With the Killing?
Mark Fellows is already serving a whole-life term. He is a convicted gangland hitman known as "The Iceman," responsible for two assassinations in 2015 and 2018. Lee Newell, also on a whole-life sentence, has killed in prison before — he murdered convicted child abuser Subhan Anwar at HMP Long Lartin in 2013, according to St Helens Star.
David Taylor, 64, is the third defendant. NY Post reported that all three have nothing to gain from the legal outcome — Fellows and Newell are already locked up for life with no prospect of release. Prison experts say inmates in that position have "nothing to lose," and that killing a notorious child killer can raise their status inside prison walls.
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