A thug accused of conducting a “campaign of abuse” against his former fiancée before she took her own life has today been jailed for a total of six years.
Ryan Wellings was found guilty of assault and controlling and coercive behaviour against girlfriend Kiena Dawes – but he was cleared of her manslaughter. Kiena, 23, at her wits’ end following years of violent abuse from 30-year-old Wellings, had left her baby girl at a friend’s home with a suicide note blaming the thug for her death, before her body was found on a railway line.
At his sentencing hearing today at Preston crown court the landscape gardener was described as “a clear and present danger to intimate partners” by Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC, who said the harm he caused Kiena was in the highest category. Mr Greaney described Wellings’ coercive control as an exceptionally serious example of the offence, saying it involved physical abuse and psychological abuse by a powerful man over two years.
His Honour Judge Robert Altham said Kiena was a “popular, vivacious and friendly” young woman. He said Wellings originally showed her affection – before going on to list all the time he had been violent towards her. “She had a history of mental illness. Through no fault of her own she was vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.”
Echoing the prosecutor, Judge Altham said Wellings had shown no remorse and is a “clear danger to any partner you have in the future”. He sentenced him to four years imprisonment for coercive behaviour and two years for attacking Kiena. He was also given six months’ jail for assaulting a friend. The sentences are to run consecutively.
Kiena Dawes took her own life after suffering domestic abuse at hands of Ryan Wellings
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In a victim impact statement presented to the court, Kiena’s mum, Angela Dawes, said: “I will never be able to live a normal life due to the coercive and controlling behaviour and assaults that Kiena suffered. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety for which I am supported by my doctor. I have also suffered from frequent nightmares.”
Addressing the impact on Kiena’s baby daughter, her mum’s statement said: “Her daughter has already asked me where her Mummy is. I have found it impossible to answer that question. As her daughter grows into a young lady herself, she has been robbed herself of a Mum to go to, or when she has children herself, her own mother to turn to, but I will step into this role for Kiena.”
And she warned: “Whenever Wellings is released from prison, I will be extremely concerned that he will do this again, he is a dangerous man. I am at a loss as to consider what impact him being released from prison will have on other women and children.”
In his impact statement, Kiena’s brother, Kynan Dawes, said: “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. 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.”
And in a wider message, he added: “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.”
During the trial it emerged Kiena had left a suicide note on her phone stating; “I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me.” She left her nine-month-old baby girl at a friend’s house before driving to a nearby railway line where she lay on the tracks and was struck and killed by a train.
Wellings went on trial accused of manslaughter but after a six week trial he was cleared. But he was convicted of the other two charges by a jury after two-and-a-half days’ deliberations.
Ryan Wellings carried out a campaign of abuse
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Speaking on the steps at Preston Crown Court after the verdicts on Monday, Kiena’s mum Angela told how she was now bringing up Kiena’s daughter. She said: “Although a manslaughter conviction has not been achieved, the convictions for assault and coercive control clearly demonstrate the perpetrators of domestic abuse will be held to account and imprisoned for what they have done.”
She said: “Kiena was glam, she was an extremely beautiful girl, she was totally the sweetest, kindest and gentlest girl I have ever known. Her baby girl was brought to my home a few hours after Kiena was found and has been in my care ever since. I find it hard to put into words how her wonderful baby girl won’t have her mother because of that monster.”
Loving mum Kiena Dawes with her baby girl
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Kiena Dawes took her own life after suffering domestic abuse
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The trial heard Wellings carried out a prolonged campaign of abuse before hairdresser Kiena died on a railway track near Garstang, in Lancashire, in July 2022. Wellings, from Bispham, Lancs, who had Kiena’s name tattooed on his neck within a week of meeting her, claimed their relationship was a “loving” one. He said she had injured herself, and he didn’t accept his conduct caused her death, while her underlying mental health issues may have caused her to take her own life.
The court heard Wellings’ abuse was a “significant factor” in Kiena’s decision to take her own life
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It was claimed in court the domestic abuse was a “significant factor” in Kiena’s decision to take her own life. Welling’s last attack coming just 11 days before she died. The jury heard about the suicide note Kiena, from Fleetwood, Lancs, left on her phone, which read: “The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine. No one will know what I went through.
“I was murdered. Slowly. They tortured me, till there was nothing left. I lost my fight but I didn’t give up my battle. I fought till the end. Ryan Wellings killed me.” The note went on: “I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster” and that she wanted her daughter “kept away from the monster who is called her dad”.
Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, told the jury: “The predominant thrust of what Kiena was saying in her suicide note was that Ryan Wellings, the defendant in this trial, was responsible for her death. “Kiena’s own words, ‘Ryan Wellings killed me’ represent the prosecution’s case, namely that the death of Kiena Dawes was caused by the unlawful acts of Ryan Wellings and that he is therefore guilty of her manslaughter.”
He said that the suicide note was a “significant piece of evidence” but it wasn’t the sole or even principal basis of the prosecution’s case as Wellings had subjected her to controlling and coercive behaviour and had treated her in an “abusive way” and repeatedly physically assaulted her.
Mr Greaney said Kiena had a personality disorder that can result in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulties in relationships and Wellings “exploited this vulnerability”. The jury heard about a series of incidents in which Wellings allegedly abused Kiena, some of which she made notes about on her phone.
The couple had met in January 2020 and Mr Greaney told the jury that Welling’s abuse had begun early in their relationship and there was “pattern” in which he behaved in an “aggressive and violent” way towards her and “then apologised and showered her with affection”.
They had lived together for a time in Dorset when, it’s claimed, Wellings had tried to “strangle” her with an iPhone charger and, in another incident, thrown a stool at her and thrown her to the ground, causing her to slash her foot on broken glass.
Mr Greaney said the abuse had continued when the couple moved to Blackpool and Kiena later contacted police and reported that Wellings had given her a “black eye” while she was pregnant.
The jury also heard phone messages she sent to Wellings in which she accused him of “terrorising” her. “You’re a head f and you know it will ruin me,” she also wrote. “You’re a bully.”
Wellings was also sentenced to a further six months for an offence of ABH after assaulting his friend Scott Fletcher after a night out in Preston. In August 2023, Mr Fletcher went to Preston with friends to watch football, along with Wellings who had gone without money and relied on his friends for drinks and taxis. When Mr Fletcher asked Wellings to pay him £20 for his share of a taxi the next day and reminded him he still owed £30 from a previous occasion, Wellings punched him in the face. Mr Fletcher needed stiches and lost around £2,000 of work as a self employed plumber.
For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit** www.aafda.org.uk**.