Kiena Dawes's heartbroken mum vows 'I will give her a voice' after abuser cleared of manslaughter
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Kiena Dawes' heartbroken mum wept yesterday as she vowed to give her daughter a voice. Fighting back tears Angela Dawes said it was “almost impossible to put into words” the pain they were feeling and that “justice has not been done in the way we all hope”. Kiena’s boyfriend Ryan Wellings was cleared of manslaughter but convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour following a six-week trial at Preston crown court.
She took her own life in July 2022 after leaving their nine-month-old daughter with a friend and writing a suicide note saying, “Ryan Wellings killed me’. Speaking on the steps of the court after the jury returned their verdicts, 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.” Wellings could face a sentence for up to 10 years if maximum terms of five years are handed out for the separate counts of coercive control and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was convicted of the two charges by a jury after two-and-a-half days’ deliberations.
Paying tribute to her daughter, Angela revealed she had found it “almost impossible to put into words the impact of losing Kiena has been for her family, her beautiful baby girl and all her friends”. She said: “Kiena was glam, she was an extremely beautiful girl, she was totally the sweetest, kindest and gentlest girl I have ever known.”.
