Twisted Ryan Wellings posted a sick video blaming Kiena Dawes’ mum for her daughter’s death within an hour of leaving the police station after being charged with manslaughter.
The footage shows Wellings, 30, wearing sunglasses and singing in the passenger seat of a car “I’m driving around with a bottle of prosecco”. With loud music blaring in the background and holding the bottle up to the camera he rants: “I was told off an hour ago on a manslaughter charge. It’s all f***ing s**t.”
He then growls: “[Kiena’s mum] you’d better take the blame for abandoning your daughter and going off to Greece you f***ing slag”. Wellings was arrested after hairdresser Kiena, 23, took her own life after two years of domestic abuse and violence.
Haunting CCTV of last time Kiena Dawes seen alive after torture hell at hands of ex-fiancé
Kiena Dawes took her own life after a campaign of abuse from her partner
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Lancs Live/MEN Media)
She left their eight-month-old daughter with a friend before driving to a nearby railway line in July 2022. Hairdresser Kiena left a suicide note stating “I was murdered” and that Wellings had “killed me”. Wellings was found not guilty of killing Kiena after denying manslaughter, but was convicted of assault and guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour towards her.
During his trial at Preston Crown Court Wellings, a landscape gardener from Bispham, Lancs, told the jury he had recorded and uploaded the video to Facebook. Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, asked him: “You uploaded it on purpose to intimidate the Dawes family and show them who is boss.”
Wellings claimed he uploaded the video by accident and later deleted it
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Police Handout)
Welling claimed; “I did not know what I was doing. I know I did wrong and did some stupid things. That’s me hurting. Being blamed for killing my kid’s mum, the woman I loved.” He said he was sleep deprived and had downed prosecco and taken drugs. He said he uploaded it by accident and later deleted it.
The six-week trial heard that almost from the beginning of their relationship Wellings repeatedly subjected Kiena to controlling and coercive behaviour, abuse and violence over a prolonged period to “grind” her down.
She had been diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder – resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships. The court heard Wellings allegedly exploited her mental health condition, and while the condition played a part in her decision to take her own life, so too did his abusive behaviour.
Ryan Wellings was found not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of assault and guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour towards Kiena
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Lancashire Police)
Kiena blamed Wellings for her death in a suicide note
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Kynan Dawes / SWNS)
Kiena first met Wellings in January 2020 and was “swept off her feet”, the court was told. He had her name and face tattooed on his body within a week and proposed marriage within three months. But Kiena told a friend their relationship was a “fairytale that had turned into a nightmare”. She said she suffered regular violence from Wellings and threats, including using a drill on her teeth and acid to disfigure her.
On the day she died, Kiena left her baby daughter, still in her car seat, at a friend’s house. She then drove to a nearby railway line where she killed herself. She had left her mobile phone alongside the baby with her suicide note.
It read: “The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine. No one will know what I went threw. 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.”
Wellings, a landscape gardener of Bispham, Lancs, will be sentenced on Thursday.
Two women a week killed in UK by current or former partner
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
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Samaritans
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SANEline
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Mind
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