The ex-boyfriend of a vulnerable young mother has been found guilty of assault and subjecting her to a prolonged campaign of abuse, but cleared of her manslaughter, after she left a suicide note claiming “I was murdered”.
A trial heard hairdresser Kiena Dawes, 23, had endured controlling and coercive behaviour for two years from former partner Ryan Wellings, 30.
Prosecutors alleged Ms Dawes’ suicide note, written on her phone, meant she had named and blamed her killer “from beyond the grave”.
Wellings, who denied all charges, was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour towards Ms Dawes after a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court, but cleared of her manslaughter.
Only one other defendant has been convicted in such circumstances before after Nicholas Allen admitted to the manslaughter of his partner, Justene Reece, in 2017.
Ms Dawes’ sister wept and her mother looked straight ahead as Wellings was cleared of manslaughter.
Wellings, who will be sentenced at a later date on the charges for which he was convicted, smiled and blew a kiss to his current girlfriend in the public gallery as he was led away.
The trial heard how on 22 July 2022, Ms Dawes, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, left the couple’s nine-month-old daughter at a friend’s house and took her own life.
Next to her daughter, she left a note on her mobile phone which read: “The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine.
“I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me. He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I didn’t deserve it.
“I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster. Don’t let bullies live free.”
Addressing her daughter, she then wrote: “I’m sorry I let you go … I’m so sorry I had to go.
“The world turned their back on me. I was strong. I had dreams. I had a future at one point. That was taken away from me.”
She added in the note she hoped her daughter was “kept away from the monster who is called her dad”.
The court heard how bubbly and happy-go-lucky Ms Dawes was “swept off her feet” in January 2020 after meeting Wellings, a landscape gardener from Bispham, who had a previous conviction for battering his ex-partner.
He had her name and face tattooed on his body within a week and proposed marriage within three months.
But the prosecution alleged that Wellings began physically and emotionally abusing Ms Dawes soon after, and she told a friend their relationship was a “fairytale (that had) turned into a nightmare”.
The court heard that after the couple moved to Dorset following the first Covid lockdown, a friend of Ms Dawes visited the flat in May 2020 to find it smashed up and she told her friend that Wellings had tried to strangle her with an iPhone charger cable.
The jury heard that on another occasion, Wellings accused Ms Dawes of sleeping with a friend of theirs, screamed at her she was a “s***”, threw a stool at her and told her to kill herself.
It was also alleged in court that, near the end of 2021 Ms Dawes told friends how Wellings had got a drill and “put it in my face and told me he would drill my teeth out of my mouth”.
Described by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC as an “entitled, aggressive bully”, his abuse of Ms Dawes included regular slapping and “ragging” by her hair and threats to “make her look like Katie Piper” by throwing acid in her face.
However Wellings maintained he never intentionally hit Ms Dawes and any injuries were a result of him “restraining” her.
She had been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder, resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships and had made previous attempts on her life, the court heard.
After she became pregnant, Wellings gave her a black eye and began criticising her weight, calling her a “fat little b*****” while contacting escorts and prostitute online, the trial heard.
Friends and her mother, Angela Dawes, warned Ms Dawes to “run a mile” from “toxic” Wellings, but a pattern developed of break-up and make-up, the trial heard.
A final assault 11 days before her death left her covered in blood after he kicked a door into her head causing her to black out, the prosecution alleged.
Wellings told jurors “I’m not a monster”, claiming Ms Dawes’ allegations were either untrue or exaggerated and any injuries to her accidental. He did however admit getting “heavy handed” with her, the court heard.
Three officers face disciplinary hearings over their handling of the case after it emerged Ms Dawes had called police at least five times reporting domestic problems with Wellings.
DCI Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Police, said Ms Dawes was a “devoted and loving mother” who was determined to give her child the best life she could.
“Ryan Wellings took Kiena’s love and in return launched a concerted campaign of emotional, mental and physical abuse,” he said. “Over a two-and-a-half-year period, Wellings broke her spirit.
“He isolated Kiena, belittled and abused her, controlled her, subjected her to violence and made her believe that she would never escape him.”
He paid tribute to Ms Dawes’ family, who sat through the harrowing trial, and urged other victims of abuse or coercive and controlling behaviour to reach out to police and domestic abuse organisations for help.
He added: “While we and Kiena’s family are disappointed that they didn’t come back with a manslaughter verdict, we are pleased the jury recognised that Wellings was guilty of criminal wrongdoing by the guilty verdicts they did come back with today.
“Kiena was a fun-loving, kind and sensitive young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. She was a mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend who died in extremely tragic circumstances.”
It can now be reported that Wellings’ mother and new girlfriend are under police investigation for allegedly “coaching” him to give evidence in a series of phone calls to prison during the court’s Christmas break.
Wellings is due to be sentenced on Thursday 16 January.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
