The grief-stricken family of a mother who wrote “I was murdered” in a desperate suicide note believe her voice has “not been fully heard” after her abusive ex-partner was cleared of manslaughter.
In her final message to the world, mother Kiena Dawes claimed “Ryan Wellings killed me” and “ruined every bit of strength I had left”, after she endured two-and-a-half years of torment.
Hours later, the bright and popular hairdresser, aged just 23, took her own life after dropping off her nine-month-old daughter with a friend – leaving the suicide note on her phone which she left next to the infant.
In only the second prosecution of its kind, Wellings was charged with manslaughter over her suicide as jurors were told he threatened to douse her with acid and drill out her teeth in a brutal campaign of abuse. On Monday, he was found guilty of assault and subjecting her to coercive and controlling behaviour, but cleared over her death following a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court.
Wellings, 30, who had previously been convicted for hitting another ex-partner, smiled and blew a kiss to his new girlfriend from the dock as he was led to the cells.
open image in galleryWellings, 30, was found guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour but cleared of manslaughter (Lancashire Police/PA Wire)
In a heartbreaking statement outside court, Kiena’s mother Angela said that “justice has not been done in the way we hoped” as she described her daughter as a “rare gem”.
Angela, who is now raising Kiena’s infant daughter, said: “I honestly cannot put into words just how much it breaks my heart that her beautiful baby girl doesn’t have her mummy here because of that monster.
“I truly hope that no other young lady or child has to go through what he did to my daughter and her baby.
“Although a manslaughter conviction has not been achieved today, the case and the convictions of controlling and coercive behaviour and assault clearly demonstrate that the perpetrators of domestic abuse will be held to account and in prison for what they have done.”
Thanking the prosecution team, Angela added: “Today was for you, Kiena, and I’m sorry that your voice has not been fully heard and that justice has not been done the way we all hoped.”
In her desperate note – described by prosecutors as her account from “beyond the grave” – Kiena shared the devastating toll of her whirlwind relationship with Wellings, a landscape gardener from Bispham, Lancashire.
“I fought hard, I fought long,” she said. “I went through pain no one could imagine. No one will know what I went through. I was murdered…
“He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t ask for it. I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster. Don’t let bullies live free.”
open image in galleryKiena took her own life after two years of coercive and controlling abuse (Lancashire Police)
Prosecutions for manslaughter following a suicide are rare, despite an estimated three women taking their lives each week in England and Wales after suffering domestic abuse.
Grieving families and campaigners have called for more abusers to be held to account for driving their victims to suicide, with figures showing 93 abuse victims took their own lives in the year to April 2023.
Following the verdict, Julia Dwyer, head of services at Refuge, said they remain “steadfast in our position that there is an undeniable link between domestic abuse and suicide” after a study found one in four victims had felt suicidal.
“Refuge stands in solidarity with Kiena’s family, and everyone who has been affected by domestic abuse,” she said.
“Improved recognition of how domestic abuse can directly cause trauma and suicide is paramount in ensuring as many victims/survivors as possible are able to get justice, and we will continue to campaign for a world where no more lives are taken by the crime that is domestic abuse.”
open image in galleryPhotos shown to the jury reveal Kiena’s injuries following a final alleged assault by Wellings before she took her own life (Lancashire Police)
A spokesperson for Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), a charity which supported the Dawes family, said that while the police investigation was thorough in this case, all too often probes are “inadequate, superficial, or non-existent” following an abuse-related suicide.
“Nothing will bring Kiena back or compensate for the unimaginable and heartbreaking loss suffered by her loved ones,” they said.
“We stand in solidarity today and every day with Kiena’s family and with all families facing this uniquely tragic form of bereavement, and we will continue to fight for justice for those left behind after fatal domestic abuse.”
The trial heard how Kiena, of Fleetwood, Lancashire, told a friend how her “fairytale” romance with Wellings, who got a tattoo of her name on himself within weeks of their meeting in January 2020, had “turned into a nightmare”.
A few months into their relationship he smashed up the Dorset flat they were staying in during lockdown and tried to strangle her with a phone charger cable, she told a friend.
This was to become a pattern which saw Wellings attack Kiena – who had a history of mental health struggles and had attempted suicide in the past – before apologising and showering her with affection, the prosecution said.
open image in galleryKiena transformed from ‘a happy-go-lucky girl’ to someone who was ‘frightened all the time’, a friend told the court (Lancashire Police)
A few weeks later, in late May 2020, Wellings accused Kiena 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, the court heard. Kiena fled from the house but later returned to him.
In July of the following year, by which time the couple had returned to Lancashire, she called the police to say he had given her a black eye while she was heavily pregnant with their daughter.
But Wellings told her no one would believe her because of her diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, which had seen her hospitalised in the past, and said her baby would be taken away. So when officers arrived, she told them it was just a verbal argument.
In messages sent to a friend during their relationship, Kiena said Wellings had threatened her, saying: “I’ll throw acid in your face and watch it burn.”
open image in galleryHidden notes on Kiena’s mobile phone documented how she was treated by Wellings (Lancashire Police)
Another friend Debbie Green, who would do Kiena’s nails, told the jury she transformed from “a happy-go-lucky girl” to someone who was “frightened all the time” during the relationship.
In a witness statement made to police in March 2022, but never signed, Kiena also recounted how he held a drill to her face and threatened to “drill my teeth out” in a row, which also saw him threaten to throw her late father’s ashes out of the window.
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.
Giving evidence, Wellings, who denied all charges, told the jury Kiena’s bruises were from his attempts to restrain her. Asked if he had raised his fist to her, he told his lawyer John Jones KC, defending: “No. I was restraining her. When she’s hitting me I used to stop her by grabbing her arms.”
Mr Jones told the jury Ms Dawes had serious mental health difficulties and had previously made several “clear and determined” suicide attempts, including three before she met Wellings.
He described their fraught relationship, which also included cocaine use, as a “recipe for disaster” but argued Wellings was not responsible for her death.
Wellings is due to be sentenced on 16 January for the assault and controlling behaviour charges.
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 jo@samaritans.org, 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.