A third prisoner involved in the murder of a child killer within his cell has been handed a whole life order, a sentence his two accomplices were already serving.
Convicted killers Mark Fellows , 45, Lee Newell, 57, and David Taylor, 64, fatally stabbed Kyle Bevan at high-security HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire last November. They then tucked him into bed, leaving him to bleed out.
Bevan, 33, was serving a life sentence with a minimum 28-year tariff for the 2020 murder of his partner’s two-year-old daughter, Lola James, in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire .
Fellows and Newell were already serving whole life orders when they killed Bevan, meaning they will never be released.
The judge, Mrs Justice McGowan, imposed “new and separate” whole life orders on both of them for Bevan’s murder.
Taylor was given a whole life order for Bevan’s death, on top of the offences he was on remand for at the time.
These were the murder of missing 24-year-old Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin – a vulnerable woman he was in a relationship with but had grown tired of – and attempting to murder a police officer in an interview room at another high-security jail.
Mrs Justice McGowan jailed Taylor for life with a minimum term of 20 years for Ms Apostoloff-Boyarin’s murder and handed him a 30-year sentence for the attempted murder of the officer.
Mark Fellows was been found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of murdering child killer Kyle Bevan. (Greater Manchester Police)
She then imposed a whole life order for the death of Bevan, as it was a second offence of murder.
After thanking the trial jurors who had attended the sentencing hearing, the judge said: “I’ve never had to sentence someone for a third murder, and in two of these defendants’ cases that’s what just happened.”
Fellows was the only one of the three to attend court for the hearing, with Newell and Taylor joining by video-link from prison.
The court heard Newell was first jailed for murder in 1989 after strangling his female neighbour, who was in her 50s at the time, after she refused to give him money.
He was then given a whole life order in 2013 after strangling a prisoner who murdered a child and leaving him in his bed, with “a chilling similarity to… the circumstances of Kyle Bevan’s death”.
Fellows, a hitman known as “the Wakefield Dexter”, had committed two gangland murders and was given a whole life term in 2019.
He had formally applied to move from Wakefield not long before Bevan’s killing because of his dissatisfaction with the regime there.
Taylor had recently been transferred to Wakefield.
The court heard Taylor boasted about his ability to make makeshift weapons “out of all sorts”, and after Bevan’s death some were found in a bottle of chilli sauce in his cell, although they could not be matched to the fatal attack.
When Taylor appeared on video-link for hearings before the jury was sworn in, he was escorted into a room at Full Sutton prison, near York, by a number of officers in full riot gear.
They had to remove two sets of handcuffs from him before he was allowed to sit and listen to lawyers discuss fears over the danger he posed.
A CCTV grab showing the movement of Mark Fellows, Lee Newell and David Taylor at HMP Wakefield (CPS/PA) (PA Media)
The judge was told there had been concerns from prison authorities that Taylor had somehow managed to secrete a weapon in his body – for some weeks – but this could not be found.
The judge was also told prison authorities wanted all three defendants to be handcuffed if they gave evidence in the witness box but, in the end, none of them took to the stand.
The trial heard there was “a lot of tension in the prison at the time” and there had been two other serious attacks in the weeks leading up to Bevan’s death – one in which paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was stabbed to death and one in which David Minto, who murdered 16-year-old Sasha Marsden in Blackpool in 2013, was seriously injured.
Jurors heard that unlike other jails, vulnerable prisoners were not separated from other inmates at Wakefield.
The regime at the time meant “main prisoners” such as Fellows, Newell and Taylor “had to mix with, in a distorted moral hierarchy, other criminals that were beneath them” such as child killers, prosecutors said.
The court heard the three defendants had a hostility to people who had committed offences against children and Fellows and Newell had expressed a desire to be transferred away from Wakefield.
Bevan “kept himself to himself” and would mainly stay in his cell, often asking to be locked inside, jurors were told.
Kyle Bevan was murdered in prison last November (Dyfed-Powys Police/PA) (Dyfed-Powys Police)
On the day of his death, he was seen on CCTV walking to his cell, followed by the three defendants, who were just seconds behind.
Taylor could be seen taking something from his waistband as he went in.
The court heard it is not known “who did what” inside the cells, but that Bevan was likely held by his arms while being stabb…
Read the full article at The Independent →📄Source document: Judgment by Mrs Justice McGowan
10 reports
The IndependentIndependentCenter2 days agoThree prisoners—Mark Fellows, Lee Newell, and David Taylor—were given whole life orders after they fatally stabbed Kyle Bevan in his cell at HMP Wakefield. Bevan was serving a life sentence for the 2020 murder of his partner's two-year-old daughter. Fellows and Newell were already under whole life orders for previous crimes, while Taylor received a whole life order for Bevan's murder in addition to sentences for other offenses.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without overtly biased language or framing. It reports on legal outcomes and does not take a stance on the morality or justice of the sentences. The content focuses on the legal proceedings and does not emphasize any particular ideological perspective.
Official sources cited
- court Judgment by Mrs Justice McGowan
Daily MailIndependentCenter2 days agoThree of Britain's most dangerous prisoners—Mark Fellows, Lee Newell, and David Taylor—stormed the cell of child killer Kyle Bevan at HMP Wakefield and stabbed him to death. The attack occurred in November 2025, and all three attackers were already serving whole life terms for previous murders. Bevan had been imprisoned for killing his partner's two-year-old daughter. Taylor was awaiting trial for the murder of Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin, whom he confessed to killing but has not disclosed details about.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal incident involving multiple convicts and does not present any overtly biased language, framing, or emphasis toward political ideologies. It provides factual details without apparent slant.
Daily MirrorParty-alignedCenter2 days agoThree convicted murderers—Mark Fellows, Lee Newell, and David Taylor—were sentenced to whole-life terms for stabbing Kyle Bevan, a notorious child killer, to death in his prison cell at HMP Wakefield. Bevan was incarcerated for murdering a two-year-old girl in 2020. Fellows and Newell were already serving whole-life sentences for other crimes when they killed Bevan. Taylor received a whole-life term for Bevan's murder in addition to existing charges related to the killing of Alisha Apostoloff-Boyarin and an attempted murder of a police officer.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without overtly biased language or framing. It reports on legal outcomes and does not take a stance on the morality or justice of the sentences. The tone remains neutral, focusing on the facts of the case and the judicial decisions made.
Official sources cited
- court Judgment by Mrs Justice McGowan
Sky News (UK)IndependentCenter2 days agoThree prisoners have been given whole life sentences for the murder of a fellow inmate.
Bias read (Center): The article reports a legal outcome without apparent ideological framing. It does not use emotionally charged language or emphasize any particular political perspective. The focus is on the legal consequences of the crime rather than on political implications.
The IndependentIndependentCenter3 days ago Three prisoners guilty of murdering child killer left ‘tucked up in bed’ after fatal stabbingThree inmates, Mark Fellows, Lee Newell, and David Taylor, were found guilty of murdering Kyle Bevan, a convicted child killer, at HMP Wakefield. Bevan, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of his partner's two-year-old daughter, was found stabbed to death in his cell, having sustained 25 stab wounds. The attack occurred amid heightened tensions in the prison, with prior incidents including the killing of musician Ian Watkins.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual details of the court case without overtly biased language or selective emphasis. It reports on the legal outcome and provides context about the defendant's criminal history and the prison environment without apparent ideological framing.
The IndependentIndependentCenter6 days ago Teen Googled ‘what happens if you kill’ minutes after stabbing girl to death, court hearsA 16-year-old boy stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death in December and later searched online for 'what happens if you kill' while at a train station, according to court proceedings. The teenager claimed he 'accidentally' stabbed the girl with a large knife and expressed remorse afterward. He was arrested shortly after.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal incident without overtly favoring any political perspective. It presents facts from court testimony and does not include commentary or framing that suggests a political bias.
Official sources cited
- court Bristol Crown Court
Sky News (UK)IndependentCenter6 days ago Two teens charged with murder over fatal stabbing of man in busy parkTwo teenagers have been charged with murder after a 21-year-old was fatally stabbed in a park in Essex.
Bias read (Center): The article reports a straightforward criminal charge without any apparent framing or emphasis that suggests political bias. The content is factual and does not include commentary or context that would indicate a particular ideological leaning.
The IndependentIndependentCenter9 days ago Murderer drove 50 miles with partner and children in car to kill business associate over debtsA murderer drove 50 miles with his partner and children in the car to kill a business associate over debts. The killer fled after the stabbing but returned briefly to retrieve the mobile phone he had dropped.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal act without taking a stance on political issues. It focuses on the facts of the crime and does not include any biased language, framing, or emphasis that would indicate a political lean.
The IndependentIndependentCenter12 days ago Electrician jailed for life for stabbing partner to death and blowing up London homeAn electrician named Clifton George was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years for murdering his partner, Annabel Rook, by stabbing her 31 times during an argument. He later caused a gas explosion in their London home. George denied murder but was found guilty by a jury. The court described George as having a volatile temperament and noted Rook’s positive qualities based on testimony from friends and family.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a criminal case without taking a stance on the defendant or victim. It presents facts from the court proceedings and includes quotes from the judge, providing balanced information without apparent bias toward either party.
Official sources cited
- court Snaresbrook Crown Court Trial
Sky News (UK)IndependentCenter12 days ago Prisoners guilty of murdering child killer found 'tucked up in bed' in his cellThree prisoners have been found guilty of murdering a child killer who was stabbed to death in his cell and left 'tidily tucked up in bed'.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a legal outcome without apparent ideological framing. The phrasing 'child killer' is emotionally charged but commonly used in such contexts. No explicit bias in word choice or emphasis is evident.
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