The brother of a young mum who took her life after domestic abuse said he is glad the world can now see what a monster her boyfriend was.
Kynan Dawes introduced his sister Kiena to Ryan Wellings in January 2020, when both were single. But when he learned Wellings had assaulted his sister in a jealous, booze fuelled rage at their home in Dorset, Kynan and his best friend Kurt Birtwistle set off to ‘have it out with Wellings.’
As they travelled from Blackpool they received a call from Kiena who asked them to turn back. During the trial at Preston Crown Court, Kynan broke down as he described receiving a FaceTime call from his sister on July 11, 2022, after she was attacked at her flat in Fleetwood.
In a victim impact statement, read by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC, he said: “I’ve no idea why but I blame myself for what has happened to my sister. I introduced Kiena to this monster, and I will regret that for the rest of my life.
“I shouldn’t as a brother be blaming myself for someone else’s actions, but I do wish I had put a stop to the relationship and what was happening to Kiena. I find it personally disgusting that men hit women, and I hope that the sentence Wellings receives shows people worldwide why this behaviour is not OK.
“People need to start realising you can’t go round hurting the people you are supposed to love.”
Kiena Dawes described her partner Ryan Wellings as a “monster” and a “bully” who had “killed me”
Wellings, 30, of Bispham, Lancs, has been jailed for six years for ABH and coercive control of Kiena. He was also jailed for a further six months for assaulting a friend who ‘belittled him’ on a night out in 2023. However he was cleared of Kiena’s manslaughter.
Kynan said: “My feelings around what happened to Kiena have been made worse by the fact that Wellings has showed absolutely no remorse for how he treated her. To be honest though this does not shock me. He said he loved her and claimed that he never did anything wrong.
“However, afterwards all he did was go into protection mode and hide because he knew exactly what he had done. At least now he can spend the rest of his life being viewed as an abuser and person who beats up women.
“I want to acknowledge the people who have followed this case online, on the news and in the papers. I want people to see that domestic violence is not OK and men should respect their partners by showing them nothing but love and kindness.
“I also want to say to the people who may be suffering domestic violence to seek help and remove yourself from the situation. Go the Police or if you don’t feel you can do this speak to family or friends.
“I want to thank the Police Officers and anyone involved in getting together all the evidence and witness statements that made this trial possible. I appreciate it’s been a long, hard two and a half years work for you all and I could not be more grateful for the effort that has been put in.
“I would also like to thank the jury for the long six and a half weeks they have sat in on this case and for being open minded and understanding of what my sister Kiena went through.
“I just want to show my full respect that you as a group of individuals who never knew my sister Kiena believed what she said, and you have found this disgusting thing of a person guilty.
“I do feel that justice has been served. Kiena wanted Ryan Wellings to be held responsible for what he put her through and, perhaps more importantly, the world now knows what a monster he is.
“That’s sufficient enough for me and hopefully for Kiena too. Kiena, I love you. I’ll miss you every second until we meet again.
“Give dad a hug from me xxxxxx lots of love Kynan.”
You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health.
Here are some groups you can contact:
Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.org, in confidence.
Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill.
PAPYRUS: Suicide prevention charity offering professional help and support to children, young people and anyone concerned for someone struggling with life. Call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039 967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.
Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression. No helpline, but it offers useful resources and links to other information.
Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Click here to visit.
Bullying UK: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying. Click here.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy. There is a helpline: 0800 58 58 58 or visit the website.
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