The trial of three convicted killers accused of murdering a prisoner at HMP Wakefield continued on June 15. Double murderer Mark Fellows, nicknamed 'The Iceman', is on trial alongside David Taylor, 64, and Lee Newell, 57. They all deny murdering Kyle Bevan, 33, who was found dead in a cell at the high-security West Yorkshire prison on November 5 last year. Bevan, jurors heard, murdered his stepchild.
Prosecution Case
Prosecutors allege the trio worked as a 'team'. Bevan, Leeds Crown Court heard, was followed into his cell before being stabbed 25 times. Taylor was allegedly heard by a nurse to shout, in the vicinity of Newell: 'Nice working with you and The Iceman.' Jurors heard Fellows was a contract killer who murdered two 'gangland kingpins', Paul Massey and John Kinsella, and that Taylor allegedly referred to Fellows as the 'Wakefield Dexter'.
Bevan had been convicted and sentenced for the murder of his stepchild in 2023, jurors were told. He was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 28 years. On June 12, jurors were told Fellows told officers at the beginning of his police interview: 'I'm just going to sit here in silence.' Jason Pitter KC, prosecuting, claimed the alleged murder of Bevan may have been committed amid a 'desire to be transferred'.
Defendants and Legal Representation
The trial judge is Mrs Justice McGowan. The prosecution is represented by Jason Pitter KC, Fellows is represented by Nick Johnson KC, Taylor is represented by Jeremy Dein KC, and Newall is represented by Joe Stone KC. Fellows (15/9/80) of no fixed address; Taylor (26/4/62) of no fixed address; and Newell (5/10/68) of no fixed address all deny murder.
Key Evidence Presented
On June 12, the court heard agreed facts. DC Barratt became involved on November 5. At Wakefield prison, she introduced herself separately to Fellows, Newell, and Taylor, telling them they were arrested on suspicion of murder. Fellows replied 'Okay', Newell said 'no', and Taylor made no comment. Fellows declined legal advice, Taylor declined a solicitor, and Newell made no comment during his police interview. Fellows told officers: 'I'm just going to sit here in silence' and made no further comment.
PC Nadeem Kazi testified that he spoke to Taylor after his arrest. Taylor said 'my legal team will make minced meat of this b******t' and mentioned he could 'make a shiv out of anything'. Taylor also said he had 'watched CCTV of the incident' showing him 'walking into a cell' and leaving after five minutes with 'nothing in his hands', adding of the body: 'It could have been anyone.'
Nurse's Testimony
Prison nurse Hannah McCrump gave evidence. She said she met Bevan previously and was working on November 5 when an emergency alarm, known as 'code blue', was raised. She went to Bevan's cell and found him stiff, with rigor mortis set in. She checked for a pulse and found none; he was 'cold' and his skin was a 'grey-blueish colour'. She could not see injuries initially. An ambulance was called.
McCrump said she knew the three defendants had been separated from others, and Taylor was moved to a different prison afterwards. Before Taylor was transferred, she made checks on him. She said his interaction was 'normal', but he was shouting to other people in the unit, specifically 'Lee Newell and Mark Fellows'. She heard him say: 'Nice working with you and The Iceman.' He also referred to one of them as the 'Wakefield Dexter' and said 'not guilty all the way'. She described him as 'cocky'.
Prison Officer Statements
Richard Green, a prison officer at Wakefield, provided a statement. He said he works on A wing, which houses 170 prisoners. He conducted checks throughout the night. He said Fellows was a category A prisoner, checked hourly. He checked on Fellows at midnight and saw him lying in bed. He checked on Bevan, who was category B, and saw him lying on his front. Green said Newell and Fellows were 'sociable, and friendly together'. He added that Fellows was in charge of menus and keeping the area clean, and that he was 'always polite but occasionally shouts and rants at others'. He said Fellows is a 'germaphobe' and has a dislike of offenders who committed crimes against children. Green said around two weeks before Bevan's death, Fellows applied to move prisons, citing the new governor as a reason.
Another prison officer, Ionut Adescu, said he locked the cell doors on the evening of November 4. He looked into Bevan's cell and saw him with a blanket over him up to his neck, appearing asleep. There was no sign of disturbance. Around 8:15 am the next morning, he heard a shout that Bevan had been discovered in his cell.
Discovery of Body
Justin Barrett, the officer who found Bevan, testified. He said he was informed by a colleague that something was wrong. He went to Bevan's cell and saw him lying on his stomach with his face to the side. He thought he was asleep. As he got closer, he saw his face was 'blueish' and there was 'blood around his neck'. He said Bevan's body was 'very stiff' and he appeared dead. Barrett had known Bevan for a couple of years and described him as 'very reserved'.
CCTV Evidence
Detective Constable Martin Baldwin compiled CCTV footage from the prison. He said Bevan was last seen entering his cell on the afternoon of November 4, and the 'last people in his cell' were the three defendants. CCTV clips showed interactions between the defendants on November 1-4. On November 4, at 5:43 pm, Bevan walked out of cell 11 on the fours landing. Fellows and Taylor were outside. Bevan then went to his own cell, followed by Newell, Fellows, and Taylor. Four minutes and 39 seconds later, at 5:48 pm, the three defendants left the cell. Mr Pitter said: 'Mr Bevan does not enter that cell again alive.'
A clip showed a 'mark' on Newell's left hand that was not there earlier. Another clip showed a 'mark' on the front of Fellows' right lower tracksuit bottoms. At 6:18 pm, Fellows returned to landing four and moved his hand towards the lighting panel. At 6:26 pm, the three met on landing two. At 7:30 pm after lights out, an officer checked on Bevan's cell but did not enter. Bevan was discovered deceased at 8:14 am the following morning.
Background on Defendants
Jurors heard that Fellows murdered 'gangland kingpin' Paul Massey and John Kinsella. He was serving a whole life order. Prison officer Mr Hoe agreed that Fellows had 'very severe OCD' and a colostomy bag. He said Fellows and Newell would 'sometimes talk' but 'didn't seem particularly to be friends'. The trial continues.
