Kiena Dawes' devastating beyond grave suicide note that nailed abusive thug boyfriend Ryan Wellings
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Kiena Dawes at first thought her relationship with Ryan Wellings was a 'fairytale', but tragically it turned into a nightmare. The mum-of-one took her own life on July 22, 2022, after suffering from two years of violence and abuse at the hands of her partner and the father of her child. Today, Wellings has been found guilty of assault, coercive behaviour and prolonged domestic violence towards Kiena, but cleared of her manslaughter.
During a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court, jurors heard that the bubbly and happy-go-lucky hairdresser from Fleetwood in Lancashire had been "swept off her feet" after meeting Wellings in January 2020. The landscape gardener, from Bispham, had a previous conviction for battering his ex-partner, the mother of his twin girls, in January 2020.
Within a week of meeting Ms Dawes, Wellings, 30, had her name tattooed on his body and three months later, he proposed to her. But their whirlwind relationship soon soured, with Wellings, who regularly enjoyed cocaine and drink binges, flying into fits of rage.
Kiena had been diagnosed with a personality disorder - a condition exploited by the defendant - resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships. Leaving her nine-month-old daughter with a friend, Kiena wrote a suicide note on her phone stating: "Ryan Wellings killed me". The note meant she had named and blamed her killer "from beyond the grave", Wellings' trial heard.
The extent of the horrific abuse was outlined to the jury in hundreds of text messages sent between the pair. He was described by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC as an "entitled, aggressive bully" and by Ms Dawes’ friends as a "horrible little b*****d" with a jealous streak, he did not like being answered back – which, "triggers his anger".
