A man has been found guilty of assaulting and coercive controlling a Fleetwood mum who went on to take her own life.
Ryan Wellings (30) was found guilty of domestically abusing 23-year-old Kiena Dawes (pictured below) following a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court.
On July 22, 2022, British Transport Police found Kiena deceased on the railway line near Barnacre.
She had been reported missing a short time earlier having left her young daughter with a friend, along with her mobile phone which contained a suicide note.
The jury heard how Kiena was introduced to 30-year-old Wellings in January 2020. Within the first few weeks, he had Kiena’s named tattooed on his neck, and two weeks later he had a portrait of her face tattooed on the back of his left leg.
However, within a month of the relationship Wellings started to become abusive.
By April 2020, Wellings had proposed to Kiena who had moved down to Dorset temporarily during Covid lockdown to stay with a friend. During that month, the friend noticed that Wellings’ behaviour towards Kiena would change dramatically – buying extravagant gifts one minute and belittling her the next.
The following month Kiena and Wellings moved in together. On May 3, 2020, Kiena’s friend went to their flat and found it trashed. Kiena told her that Wellings had attempted to strangle her with an iPhone charger.
Kiena told police that Wellings had thrown a chair at her, after accusing her of being unfaithful. He verbally abused Kiena, told her to kill herself and threw her to the floor causing her to cut her foot on some smashed glass.
He later sent her a message saying: “So disgusted in my life for scaring you like that.”
Assaulted
In October 2020, Kiena took out the tenancy on a flat in Fleetwood and in the December, told Wellings she was leaving him. He demanded all the money from her bank account. He then assaulted her in front of children and Kiena ran out of the property in fear. The following day Wellings apologised, and they got back together.
Kiena fell pregnant in February 2021, and Wellings began to emotionally abuse Kiena on a daily basis. Such was the deterioration in Kiena’s mental health, she became suicidal.
Because of her vulnerable mental state, Wellings told Kiena that if she reported him to the authorities her child would be taken off her as soon as it was born.
In April 2021, Kiena kicked Wellings out of the flat because he had been cheating on her. She packed all his belongings and put them outside, but that resulted in Wellings’ associates making threats, including to set her car on fire. Wellings updated his Facebook profile to show him sitting in a car, smiling and holding a lighter.
The following month Kiena – a hairdresser – told one of her customers that, during an argument in her flat Wellings had smashed up a memorial area she had made for her late father.
In a police statement in July 2021, Kiena said: “I was about six months pregnant when Ryan gave me a black eye and he hit me to the floor. Ryan tried to explain to family it was self-defence because I was apparently insane. I rang the police straight away. Prior to police arrival he was telling me that if I continued I would get our baby taken away from us as soon as it was born and that this would all be my fault. On police arrival Ryan’s attitude changed and he put on an act, he was very pleasant. I told police it was just a verbal argument because I was scared about our baby and losing Ryan.”
Wellings later texted Kiena to say: “I’m so sorry for everything. I love you.”
In October 2021, Kiena’s baby was born and although Wellings’ behaviour initially improved, he soon became verbally and physically abusive again.
Kiena wrote in a statement: “When the baby was born and throughout labour he was amazing with me so I thought it was perfect and to stay with him. It wasn’t long till he was hurting me again. I told him I didn’t want anything happening around the baby. I started to get hit around the head every week now even if it’s just a slap. But he’s made me believe that’s acceptable because I argue back with him. This would happen in the car, in the house, anywhere.”
Kiena later wrote in a statement that around the turn of that year, Wellings became violent again and threatened to drill her teeth out of her mouth with a drill and throw her dad’s ashes out of the window.
Kiena later described an incident at the start of March 2022 where Wellings dunked her head in a baby bath, which left her feeling suicidal.
Four days later Kiena made an entry in the notes section of her iPhone of all the abusive and threatening thing Wellings had said to her.
There were several incidents during June and July, but on July 11, 2022, Wellings subjected Kiena to such a serious assault, it rendered her unconscious.
In a 999 call, she said: “It’s a domestic violence. He’s knocked me out, but I’ve just woken up on the floor. There’s blood everywhere, but I can’t get the baby because I’m covered in blood.”
During the attack Wellings removed the remote for a panic alarm which police had previously fitted so Kiena was uncertain how to activate it and summon help.
Wellings, now of no fixed address but last of Houseman Close, Blackpool, will be sentenced at the same court on Thursday.
Loving mother
DCI Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Police, said: “Kiena Dawes was a devoted and loving mother who, despite her personal challenges, was determined to give her baby girl the best life she could.
“Ryan Wellings took Kiena’s love and in return launched a concerted campaign of emotional, mental and physical abuse. 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.
“I would like to thank the jury for their considered verdict in what has been an extremely harrowing and complex case. 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.
“I want to praise the Dawes’ family for the dignified manner in which they have behaved during this highly emotional trial. Day after day they have sat in court and listened to the truly abhorrent way in which Wellings behaved towards Kiena.
“While lessons will undoubtedly be learned from this case, I want to take this opportunity to appeal directly to anyone who finds themself in an abusive relationship or knows or suspects someone else might be. Please make contact with the authorities or reach out to domestic abuse organisations for help and support.
“Although today’s headlines will understandably be about Ryan Wellings and today’s verdict, I don’t want Kiena, the victim, to get lost or forgotten about. 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.”
