A convicted murderer was heard to shout 'nice working with you and the Iceman' after a child killer was found stabbed to death in prison, a jury has heard. Convicted murderers Mark 'The Iceman' Fellows, 45, David Taylor, 64, and Lee Newall, 57, all deny murdering 33-year-old Kyle Bevan in HMP Wakefield, who was found dead in his own cell in the high security jail having been stabbed 25 times.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Bevan had been convicted and sentenced for the murder of his stepchild in 2023, and was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years. He was a 'vulnerable [at risk] prisoner' in the jail, where there had been 'tensions' between that category of prisoner and the other, 'main' prisoners.
Prosecutors alleged that the three defendants worked as a 'team' and moved to Bevan's cell in the jail, where he was said to have been stabbed with an improvised weapon or weapons. Jason Pitter KC, prosecuting, claimed the alleged murder of Bevan may have been committed following a 'desire to be transferred'.
Mr Pitter said that when he was being transferred out of the prison, Taylor was allegedly heard by a nurse to shout, in the vicinity of Newell, 'nice working with you and the Iceman'. Mr Pitter told jurors: 'Iceman being a nickname for Fellows. What was the work that they had done together with the Iceman? We say that was the killing of Bevan and them operating together to do so.'
Jurors also heard that Taylor allegedly referred to Fellows as the 'Wakefield Dexter'. Opening the case for the prosecution, Mr Pitter showed jurors CCTV footage which he claimed portrayed the defendants entering Bevan's cell in the prison, one by one.
Mr Pitter said: 'The prosecution say they followed him in there with real purpose. This case is about what that purpose was. He was stabbed 25 times around the neck and body with a sharp weapon. They then left him for dead, one after the other. Not before though, putting him to bed. Not our phrase, but a phrase we anticipate you will hear later in the evidence. Leaving him as if asleep. There it was that he on his bed, bled out, bled to death. His body then not discovered until the roll call in the prison the following morning.'
Mr Pitter said there had been 'particular issues' in the prison at the time of the killing of Bevan. He described the jail as a 'high secure' prison housing some of the 'most high risk prisoners'. He told jurors that it houses criminals who have committed the 'most serious' and 'morally offensive' crimes, including murder, 'gangland and organised crime' and those who have committed offences against children.
'Those are people who have chosen not to follow the rules and norms of society,' Mr Pitter said. 'They have committed offences warranting prison sentences.' At the time the prison was made up of 77 per cent vulnerable prisoners and 23 per cent 'main prisoners', the jury heard. The main prisoners had become of a 'different calibre', Mr Pitter said, in that there were more prisoners involved in 'more serious offences such as gangland offences and violence including murder'.
Jurors heard that vulnerable prisoners and main prisoners would mix on the same wing at Wakefield prison, and that there was an 'open door policy' for cells during association times, in comparison to other cells which had a 'closed door policy'. He said there was 'tension' between vulnerable and main prisoners.
Mr Pitter said: 'Main prisoners indicated that they didn't want to be housed in the same wing as vulnerable prisoners, particularly those who were sex offenders or those who had committed offences against children. There was also bullying of vulnerable prisoners.' He said there was an 'element of fear' among some vulnerable prisoners.
Mr Pitter said that in the weeks before, another murder took place in the prison. He said a number of vulnerable prisoners had 'expressed concerns' about their safety and 'didn't want to be there. He said that some main prisoners also 'didn't want to be there either'.
Mr Pitter said Bevan was a vulnerable prisoner. He had been convicted and sentenced for the murder of his stepchild in 2023, jurors heard. He was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years, and was housed in A wing of the prison, on the fourth floor.
Mr Pitter said Bevan kept 'himself to himself' and often stayed in his own cell. Lee Newall was 'in prison for life for murder' and was also on A wing, on landing two in cell 4. He had expressed 'dissatisfaction' with being at HMP Wakefield and a desire to be moved. He had 'expressed a dislike of vulnerable prisoners', jurors heard.
Jurors heard Mark Fellows was a category A prisoner serving a life sentence for 'two offences of murder and a conspiracy to cause really serious harm'. He was also on A wing, on landing two, in cell 5.
Mr Pitter said: 'You may hear of some issues he had and his health difficulties. Nothing though that would have stopped him interacting with his co-defendants and involving himself in the killing of Bevan. He had placed a formal application to be moved out of Wakefield, because of his dissatisfaction with the regime there, not long before the killing of Bevan. Fellows had spent time in an adjacent cell to Newell when they were at another prison. They were known to socialise and interact with each other, and also with Taylor, the third defendant when he joined them at Wakefield.'
Taylor was also on A wing, on landing two in cell 25. Mr Pitter said: 'He was also a category A prisoner and had recently been transferred to Wakefield Prison in relation to offences of murder of an associate which he had plead guilty to and attempted murder of a police officer whilst he was in custody, which he was subsequently convicted of.'
Mr Pitter added: 'The three of them together would sometimes interact but rarely on any landing other than two, which is where their cells were. None of them would readily associate with vulnerable prisoners, and had no obvious connections or dealings with Bevan.'
The prosecutor said that on Tuesday, November 4, there was 'increased interaction' between the three defendants. Mr Pitter said: 'It is following this that all three defendants move together. First to Taylor's cell before making their way a few minutes later, up to landing four. The prosecution say that you will be able to conclude in due course that was the three of them were readying themselves for action. That would include potentially arming themselves at some point. We will come back to that because whilst weapons were more prevalent within the prison, Taylor was someone who had ready access to makeshift weapons, and was to make boasts to that effect.' He claimed that the defendants moved to Bevan's cell as a 'team'.
Mr Pitter said: 'As soon Bevan left and made his way to his own cell the three defendants followed him in, only seconds behind. As we say, with real purpose.'
Mr Pitter continued: 'That was the last that Bevan was to be seen alive. As we began, it was four minutes and 39 seconds later that those three left Bevan's cell together, as if nothing had happened. Bevan did not. In short, whilst the three of them were in that cell with him, he was violently killed. That involved him being stabbed and injured over 30 times with at least one, and probably more than one, weapon. They had left him in such a way that he appeared to be asleep in his bed.' The prosecutor claimed the three defendants left 'as if nothing had happened'.
He added: 'Considering what had happened in that cell, you may conclude that there was something of a satisfied, job done mood amongst the three men which you will be able to discern from their actions in the few minutes after the fatal attack as they made their way back to their usual place on landing two.'
Jurors heard that an item of Fellows' clothing had become stained with blood and was disposed of. Blood was on Newell's hands, jurors were told. Mr Pitter said that Bevan was left 'face down partially covered on his mattress' and 'left deliberately to look as if he was asleep'.
The prison was placed in 'lockdown' after he was discovered during roll call on the morning of November 5. It was found that Bevan had been dead for 'some time'. A pathologist found there had been 25 stab wounds and 'multiple other puncture wounds'. Mr Pitter said: 'There were no real defensive injuries. Indicative of him not putting up any, or any real resistance to that knife attack. Unsurprising, as he was outnumbered.'
He says that an investigation was launched. Mr Pitter said: 'On the search of Fellows' cell, items were already boxed and tidied away. Not just in anticipation of the investigation, but in anticipation of being transferred out from Wakefield or that wing as each of them inevitably were. That may be of significance in considering what was behind their actions.'
He added: 'Bevan's blood was discovered on items worn by each of the defendants which assists to place each of them in the cell when he was bleeding, if it was not obvious already. In particular, the jogging bottoms that had been discarded by Fellows were also found to have Bevan's blood on. Therefore, it can be safely concluded that it was deposited there during the time when Bevan was attacked and killed.'
Mr Pitter said that an improvised weapon, a 'folded piece of metal from the back of a television fashioned into a point', was discovered and found to have Bevan's blood on it.
He added: 'Further weapons were recovered secreted in a container of chilli sauce from Taylor's cell. Those weapons could not be matched to the injuries but could not be scientifically excluded from having been used in the attack. At the very least it demonstrates the easy access of both of those defendants to weapons and is consistent with Taylor having an item in his waist band on entry into Bevan's cell.'
The prosecutor claimed that Taylor made a number of remarks after the alleged killing. He was said to have told a police officer following his arrest, after being shown CCTV, that it 'could have been anyone'. Taylor allegedly told the same officer that he could 'make a shiv [an improvised weapon] out of all sorts'. Mr Pitter added: 'On his transfer out of the prison, he was heard to shout by a nurse in the vicinity of Newell 'nice working with you and the Iceman'.
Mr Pitter claimed that Taylor also referred to Fellows as the 'Wakefield Dexter'. 'We will wait to see the significance of that name,' the prosecutor said. He also said he would be 'not guilty all the way', jurors heard.
Prosecutors also claimed that Taylor made a 'sinister but telling' remark to a prison officer after being transferred to HMP Manchester. Mr Pitter said: 'He [Taylor] complained that mains and vulnerable prisoners should not mix as they [the VPs] will get 'done in'. It may be that in conjunction with a desire to be transferred from that wing is what this was about. Whilst the prosecution do not have to and do not try to prove a motive, that would be a logical reason given their behaviour, their actions before and after and the words of Taylor. In essence them operating together for their own satisfaction and benefit in that regard.'
The prosecutor added: 'He went on to say that he witnessed an incident where a prisoner was 'put to bed' and he had watched them from across the landing and that he had looked in afterwards and the person looked to be asleep. He went on to say that he had congratulated the assailants. We agree with that and from their behaviour after, that included self-congratulation.'
Concluding his opening address, Mr Pitter told the jury: 'We will wait to see what it is said about precisely what occurred in that cell and why it is that the defendants are not guilty. It may be, we understand, suggested that there may have been some lawful reason and that Bevan was somehow the aggressor. That has to be considered in the context of their actions before and after and the extent of his fatal injuries. The prosecution say there is no evidence of that. There is evidence, though, clear evidence of three of them following Bevan's to his cell. A cell they had no business at. Evidence of the three of them going in there together. Evidence of the three of them leaving together. Evidence that three of them had left him 'as if asleep'.'
Fellows, Taylor and Newall all deny murder. The trial continues.
