Lancashire Police have issued a statement after a man was acquitted of killing ‘devoted and loving’ mother Kiena Dawes. The young mum, 23, ended her own life after describing her relationship with Ryan Wellings as a ‘nightmare’.
On Monday (January 13), Wellings was found not guilty of manslaughter, but found guilty of assault and prolonged domestic abuse. He denied the charges of manslaughter, assault, and coercive and controlling behaviour following the death of Kiena, who left their nine-month-old daughter with a friend before taking her own life on a railway line on July 22, 2022.
A six-week trial at Preston Crown Court heard that their relationship had been a ‘recipe for disaster’. It was alleged that Ms Dawes killed herself following campaign of domestic violence at the hands of Wellings. Ms Dawes had written a suicide note saying, “Ryan Wellings killed me.”
Kiena Dawes took her own life -Credit:PA Media
But giving their verdict in court today (January 13), jurors found him guilty of assault and prolonged domestic violence, but cleared him of manslaughter.
Wellings, 30, had denied manslaughter but became the first defendant to be tried before a jury accused of the unlawful killing of his partner after her suicide following domestic violence. Ms Dawes’ suicide note, written on her phone, meant she had named and blamed her killer, ‘from beyond the grave’, Wellings’ trial heard.
Ryan Wellings, 30, who has been found guilty of assault and prolonged domestic violence towards his partner, 23-year-old Kiena Dawes -Credit:PA
Jurors heard Ms Dawes, a hairdresser from Fleetwood in Lancashire, had suffered two years of violence and abuse at the hands of Wellings. She had been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder, resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships, a condition allegedly exploited by the defendant.
Following the jury’s verdict, Lancashire Police issued a powerful public statement, describing Kiena as a ‘devoted and loving mother’ who was ‘determined to give her baby girl the best life she could’. They urged victims of domestic violence to report it to the police. Wellings is due to be sentenced later this week at Preston Crown Court.
The statement read: “On 22nd July 2022, Kiena was sadly found deceased by our British Transport Police colleagues on the railway line near Barnacre. Kiena 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.
“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.
Kiena Dawes with her baby daughter
“Kiena had the foresight to keep a hidden note on her phone, disguised as a shopping list, to record the vile, abusive things Wellings would say to her.
“This has been an extremely harrowing and complex case. While we and Kiena’s family are disappointed that the jury didn’t come back with a guilty 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.
“Although today’s headlines will understandably be about Ryan Wellings, but we 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.
“We want to appeal directly to anyone who finds themselves in an abusive relationship or knows or suspects someone else might be. Please make contact with us or reach out to domestic abuse organisations for help and support.”