The jury has retired to consider whether a man is guilty of causing the death of his partner, who took her own life after reporting domestic abuse.
Ryan Wellings, 30, denies controlling and coercive behaviour, ABH and manslaughter after the body of Kiena Dawes was found by a railway in Lancashire in July 2022.
Kiena, a hairdresser from Fleetwood, left a note on her mobile phone which said “Ryan Wellings killed me”. She said she had been “murdered slowly” by two years of physical and emotional abuse during her relationship with Wellings.
The couple met in January 2020 and quickly began a relationship. In the first week, Wellings had Kiena’s name and face tattooed on his neck and body and within three months he had proposed to her on a beach in Dorset.
But Kiena later told friends her “fairytale turned into a nightmare” due to Wellings’ drink and cocaine fuelled abuse. It is alleged Wellings frequently hit Kiena around the head and on July 11, 2022, slammed a door into her so hard it caused her to black out.
Kiena had a panic alarm fitted at the flat they shared in Fleetwood after she said she had been assaulted by her partner and had her head dunked in the baby bath. On one occasion she said Wellings had turned a drill on her and threatened to drill her teeth out. She also said he had threatened to throw acid in her face, ‘like Fearne McCann’s boyfriend’.
Wellings, a landscaper from Bispham, admits they argued but insists he did not abuse Kiena. He says her claims were exaggerated or “fully made up” although admits they would say nasty things and he sometimes restrained her when she became aggressive towards him.
During one such incident, Kiena suffered a black eye while she was seven months pregnant, however Wellings said the injury was accidental and happened while he was defending himself.
The prosecution says Kiena was particulalry vulnerable as she had a history of suicide attempts and mental health difficulties including emotionally unstable personality disorder which caused extreme emotions and fear of abandonment. Wellings was aware of Kiena’s health difficulties and says she was “very poorly” at the time she took her life.
The jury at Preston Crown Court must decide whether Wellings abused and assaulted Kiena, and whether that abuse caused her death on July 22, 2022.
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