A harrowing video has been released showing pregnant Kiena Dawes in tears on her bed in front of police, moments after her violent ex-fiancé Ryan Wellings had fled following another brutal attack.
The footage was made public by Lancashire Police following Wellings’ conviction for assault. Kiena tragically took her own life due to the ongoing mental and physical abuse she suffered at his hands.
The video, captured on a police body camera, was recorded a year prior to Kiena’s death. At the time, in April 2021, Kiena was seven months pregnant and can be seen in the video, dressed only in a towel, absolutely terrified that her unborn child would be taken from her.
She confides in the police that Wellings threatened to inform social services about her having a mental health condition and that he’ll get her unborn child taken away at birth. Just over a year later, feeling unable to endure the abuse any longer, the 23-year-old took her own life and identified Wellings as her killer.
The 30-year-old, from Bispham, was found not guilty of her manslaughter on Monday (January 13) following a trial at Preston Crown Court. In the Lancashire Police footage an officer arrives at the scene to find a fragile Kiena, shortly after 4pm.
There are items strewn all over the floor and she is sitting on an unmade bed. Kiena’s first words are to ask about the whereabouts of Wellings. The officer tries to calm Kiena down, especially once she is told she is pregnant with her first child, reminding the woman the police are there to help, the Mirror reports.
Kiena Dawes took her own life after sustained mental and violent abuse from Ryan Wellings
She is asked if there is anyone they can call for her and Kiena quickly explains that is part of the issue. She has no-one she can call.
“I’ve got no-one who can help me, but he has a lot of people who can help him,” she says through upsetting breaths. “I’m trying to get rid of him, but he tries to take everything, he has taken all of my shoes, my jewellery, literally everything, he has people who come. He knows my dad is dead and can’t help me.”
The officer asks why she can’t talk to her mum, and Kiena replies: “Because she’s sick of it.”
The officer hears that this is the third call to the police, and Kiena says: “This is so bad, he says that because I have a mental health condition, you’ll take the baby off me. He’ll make you think I’m crazy. I’ve got a personality disorder. It has nothing to do with all of this.”
The policewoman assures her: “Listen, there are plenty of people with mental health issues that have children.”
Keina adds: “I know but he just says if I ring anyone to help, they’ll just take my kid, and he’ll get all of his family to just say I’m crazy. It’s so bad. I just need it to stop.”
Ryan Wellings
Wellings faced charges of manslaughter, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour towards Kiena during a trial at Preston Crown Court, which heard he carried out a prolonged campaign of abuse before she was found dead on a railway track near Garstang in July 2022. He was found guilty of assault and controlling and coercive behaviour, but not guilty of manslaughter.
The hairdresser, from Fleetwood, had vanished earlier that day after leaving her daughter with a friend along with a suicide note on her mobile phone which said she’d been “murdered” by Wellings. She suffered multiple injuries when she was struck by a Glasgow-bound train travelling at 110 mph.
This abuse was a “significant factor” in Kiena’s decision to take her own life, it’s claimed, with Welling’s last attack coming just 11 days before she died. The jury heard about a suicide note Kiena left on her phone, which read: “The end. I fought hard, I fought long. went through pain no one could imagine. No one will know what I went through.”
“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.” The note also said, “I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster” and that she wanted her daughter “kept away from the monster who is called her dad”.
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.
Subscribe to our new weekly newsletter THE COURT FILES and get all the biggest stories from Lancashire’s courts direct to your inbox