Ryan Wellings’ new girlfriend, who staunchly stood by him in court, laid flowers for his victim Kiena Dawes in a chilling twist causing distress among the friends of the heartbroken mother.
Kiena, 23, suffered abuse at the hands of her brutal fiancé Wellings for years before tragically taking her own life in July 2022. The hairdresser, from Fleetwood, left a note on her phone which read: “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.”
Landscape gardener Wellings, of Fleetwood, denied manslaughter during his trial but was found guilty of coercive control and abuse after a campaign of terror left Kiena feeling like there was nowhere left to turn. He will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Thursday (January 16) from 2pm.
Throughout the harrowing six-week trial, one person sat loyally supporting the convicted bully – his new girlfriend, Emma Croft, who is now said to have chillingly laid flowers for Kiena, the Mirror reports.
Emma, who bears a striking resemblance to Kiena with her long brown hair, has faithfully supported Wellings, 30, at court. After his guilty verdict was read out on Monday (January 13), Wellings smiled at Emma and blew her a kiss as he was led away.
All the while, Kiena’s sister could be seen weeping as the verdict was read out. And now Kiena’s best friend, Kirsty Brunn, has revealed that Croft laid flowers in memory of Kiena.
Kirsty took to Facebook to express her fury at Emma’s actions in recent months, writing: “She’s even took flowers for Kiena.” Kirsty said: “The few occasions I was able to be present in the court gallery she acted like she was a celebrity smirking and smiling with pure smugness.”
She claimed that Emma and Ryan became a couple in April 2024, just months before he was remanded in prison, and said: “Emma Croft and Ryan Wellings are both vindictive weird individuals and deserve to rot together.”
Wellings blew Croft a kiss in court after being found guilty of coercive control
Alongside the post, Kirsty, who Kiena previously called her ‘best friend’ on social media, shared screenshots of Emma’s Facebook posts. One showed Emma wishing Kiena a “happy heavenly birthday” in August 2022.
The other showed Emma reposting Kiena’s brother’s status in July 2022, when he shared where people could lay flowers for his late sister. Emma reposted it with a tribute that read: “Heartbreaking [broken heart emoji] the most beautiful girl inside and out [heart emoji] thinking of all your family and little girl xxxx.”
It was revealed yesterday that the beauty salon where Croft worked had publicly shared she no longer works there. The Powder Room beauty salon in Bispham reassured its clients that she was no longer an employee.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, it said: “In regards to recent media coverage, we would like to inform our clients that Emma Croft no longer works at the Powder Room.” It is unclear exactly when Croft’s employment at the business ended.
Harrowing details of the violent abuse suffered by Kiena were played out in court. The trial was told how Wellings assaulted Kiena her while she was pregnant, and issued horrifying threats to drown her in a bath, drill her teeth and ‘make her look like Katie Piper’ by throwing acid on her face.
The brave mum left a suicide note that said ‘Ryan Wellings killed me’
In the suicide note penned on her phone, Kiena had said her relationship with Wellings, which started in early 2020, turned from “fairy tale to nightmare”. During the following two years, he would regularly slap his partner, “rag” her by her hair and drained her of money while she worked two jobs and he was unable to hold down work.
Along with Wellings’ mum Lisa Green, Croft is now under police investigation after allegedly coaching him before he gave evidence. While on remand, Wellings made a number of calls to the pair, who attended the trial. While allowed to speak to family and friends from HMP Preston, he was not legally permitted to discuss the case with them.
Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, told the court: “He has repeatedly discussed the content and nature of the evidence with Emma Croft and Lisa Green, during giving evidence and over the Christmas period. The assessment of the prosecution is that the defendant has misconducted himself, as has Lisa Green and Emma Croft.
“What has occurred here is effectively a scheme to coach the defendant in the evidence he’s giving. There’s going to be an investigation into this by the police because, on the face of it, there’s been a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.”
You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health.
Here are some groups you can contact:
Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.org, in confidence.
Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill.
PAPYRUS: Suicide prevention charity offering professional help and support to children, young people and anyone concerned for someone struggling with life. Call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039 967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.
Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression. No helpline, but it offers useful resources and links to other information.
Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Click here to visit.
Bullying UK: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying. Click here.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy. There is a helpline: 0800 58 58 58 or visit the website.
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