My evil ex tortured me but I never reported him, then his gf took her own life – Kiena Dawes’ tragedy brought it back
Share:
HEARING the news of Kiena Dawes’ tragic death, Zoe Castle feels nothing but devastation. Mum-of-one Kiena, 23, took her own life after suffering years of abuse at the hands of her partner Ryan Wellings. On Monday, Wellings, 30, was cleared of manslaughter but convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault.
![[Portrait of a woman with a rose tattoo.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/i-tortured-evil-ex-i-964206645.png?strip=all&w=960)
For Zoe, 25, the news strikes a painfully familiar chord having been a victim of domestic violence herself. She says: “As I read about Kiena and everything she had endured, I was absolutely devastated. “Not just for her but for her mum and her family and friends.
![[Photo of a young couple embracing.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/i-tortured-evil-ex-i-964206558.png?strip=all&w=960)
“I saw myself in Kiena. Just like her, I was made to feel like a former shell of myself for years.”. Zoe, who is mum to Lexie, ten, spent two years suffering at the hands of Marc Masterton, 26, of Southsea, Hampshire. By March 2019 the pastry chef was black and blue, had lost 3st in weight and felt suicidal.
![[Mugshot of a man with light brown, wavy hair and a red beard.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/i-tortured-evil-ex-i-964206598.png?strip=all&w=862)
By some miracle she escaped, finding the courage to break free from her abuser. “As I read all the things Ryan Wellings did to Kiena during their two-year relationship, it broke my heart. It was exactly what I experienced,” she adds. “We both faced the same horrors every day. People don’t realise exactly how much abusers, like Marc, and Ryan, get into their victim’s heads.”.
![[Photo of Kiena Dawes.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2022-shortly-reported-missing-dawes-964098107_ab06b4.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Zoe was 18 when she met Masterton in 2017 while studying at catering college and she recalls him being a 'perfect gentleman' back then. Zoe, whose daughter Lexie was three at the time, says: “At first Marc was incredibly charming. He complimented me constantly and made me feel so special.
![[Close-up of a woman's face with blood and injuries.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/kiena-dawes-following-alleged-assault-797476703_1ed251.jpg?strip=all&w=528)
