In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that Andrew Lloyd, then 37, formerly of Gwylfa Road, Townhill, Swansea, died while serving a life sentence for the murder of a 13-month-old baby. On Tuesday, 24 November 2020, the Prison Service confirmed that Lloyd had been found dead on 19 November 2020 at HMP Full Sutton. The court reported that in 2006, Lloyd was jailed for a minimum of 24 years for the “dreadful” killing of Aaron Gilbert in Swansea, West Glamorgan.
The investigation established that Lloyd subjected the infant to a four-week catalogue of “significant and extreme abuse” after moving in with his partner, Rebecca Lewis, in March 2005. South Wales Police reported that the defendant developed a hatred for the child, which involved picking him up by his ears, blowing cannabis smoke in his face, and biting him on the cheek. The prosecution reported that the systematic violence in Townhill, Swansea, was so severe that a neighbour likened the disfigured baby’s appearance to that of the “Elephant Man.”
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that the fatal injury occurred on 5 May 2005, when Lloyd violently shook the baby and caused his head to hit a wall while the mother was out shopping. Swansea Crown Court heard that a pathologist found almost 50 external injuries on Aaron’s body, covering him from head to foot. The prosecution reported that Rebecca Lewis, then 21, was also jailed for seven years for familial homicide and perverting the course of justice, marking a legal landmark in Wales and England for failing to protect her son in Swansea, West Glamorgan.
Mr Justice Langstaff noted that Lloyd had murdered the infant after a sustained period of brutality. For his actions in Swansea, West Glamorgan, the judge said that the defendant’s conduct was inseparable from the fatal assault. The judge noted that although Lloyd challenged his 24-year tariff at the Appeal Court in 2007, the appeal was rejected, with the court describing the case as an example of “vicious” and “abhorrent” cruelty toward a defenceless child.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Wales, Andrew Lloyd was handed:
Custodial Sentence: Life imprisonment (Minimum term of 24 years).
Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in December 2006.
Criminal Record: Convicted of murder.
Co-Defendant: Rebecca Lewis was jailed for seven years for familial homicide.
Location of Offence: Townhill, Swansea, West Glamorgan.
Outcome and Public Protection
Lloyd remained a high-risk Category A prisoner until his death at HMP Full Sutton. Due to the “monstrous and systematic” nature of the murder in Swansea, West Glamorgan, he was never deemed suitable for a reduction in his tariff or relocation to a lower-security facility.
Authorities state that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is conducting a standard investigation into the circumstances of Lloyd’s death in custody. His death occurred 14 years into his 24-year minimum term, meaning he would not have been eligible to apply for parole until at least 2030. The conclusion of his life sentence in prison ensures that the public in Swansea and across the UK is permanently protected from any further “vile” and “predatory” violence at his hands.
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