Yahoo News Vulnerable young mum was 'terrorised' before taking her own life
A vulnerable young mum who was found dead on a railway track near Garstang had been bullied, abused and assaulted for two and a half years, a court heard.
Kiena Dawes, 23, left a suicide note on her mobile phone saying she was "murdered" by her ex partner Ryan Wellings.
Preston Crown Court heard Kiena began a relationship with Ryan Wellings in January 2020 after meeting through family. Within weeks, Wellings had Kiera's name tattooed on his neck and two weeks later had a tattoo of her face on his leg.
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But difficulties emerged after just a month when after a row, Kiena messaged Wellings, saying: "Stop hurting me xxx". When lockdown was announced in March 2020, the pair went to live with Wellings' ex and his children, but soon after, Kiena left to stay with a friend in Dorset.
The following month, Wellings visited Kiena and on April 3, proposed to her on a beach. Kiena accepted the proposal, but her friend described the relationship as "marked by distinct highs and lows," Preston Crown Court heard.
"At one extreme Ryan Wellings bought champagne and other extravagant gifts to impress Kiena, and at the other extreme caused Kiena to be on edge around him and made belittling comments about her," Paul Greaney KC told the jury.
'Attacked with an iPhone charger'
During one row, Wellings tried to strangle Kiena with an iPhone charger, he said. However the following day, Wellings said he did not have the medication he needed for his mental health, Mr Greaney KC said.
The couple returned to Blackpool, but on July 20, 2020, Kiena was informed her dad had died suddenly. Mr Greaney KC said: "By then, a pattern had developed in which the defendant behaved towards Kiena in a way that was aggressive and violent, then apologised and showered her with affection.
"This was controlling and coercive behaviour – and it was criminal. In the end, it was to grind Kiena down."
The jury was shown text messages dating back to August 2020, in which Kiena said:
'You've f**king terrorised me'
'You're a headf**k and you know it will ruin me'
'You're a bully'
However the relationship continued.
'Abused when pregnant'
In a later police statement, Kiena described how around Christmas 2020, Wellings had grabbed her by her ponytail and dragged her around in front of his ex-partner and children. When she fell pregnant, a short time later, the emotional abuse escalated, she said.
During this time Kiena stopped taking medication for mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and emotionally unstable personality disorder. As her condition worsened, Kiena spent three weeks in hospital.
Wellings was supportive, visiting her and bringing food, and following her discharge Kiena went to stay in a crisis home before returning to live with Wellings.
But in a March 2022 witness statement, Kiena said: "When I returned home to live with him the abuse continued right away. He would tell me no one would ever believe me about him abusing me due to my mental health.
"He would say he doesn't want to be with me because I'm too fat. He would say that I am stuck with him and no one else would be with me.”
Mr Greaney KC said: "Ryan Wellings knew from February 2021 (even if he did not know earlier) quite how vulnerable Kiena was and knew that her vulnerability included a risk that she might take her own life.
"Furthermore, that Ryan Wellings told Kiena that people would not believe her if she complained about him because of her mental health problems was something that Kiena was to refer to again in the period before her death. She sometimes added that Ryan Wellings had told her that her child, once born, would be taken from her."
Photo of bruised eye
On July 5, Kiena told police Wellings had hit her in the face while she was heavily pregnant. She sent a photo of her bruised eye to a friend and colleagues at the salon she worked at noticed the injury, although she had tried to cover it up with make-up.
The following day Kiena messaged Wellings, saying he had "a bad demon inside him" and asked him to get help. Wellings said he wanted to be a better dad to their baby and would get help. "I promise I won't hurt you any more than I have," he said.
In October 2021, Kiena gave birth to their daughter. She said Wellings was "amazing" during labour and birth and she took him back, however the abuse continued, the prosecution said. By Christmas 2021, Kiena was scared of Wellings as he continued his controlling and violent behaviour.
"He knew she was vulnerable due to her mental health and was at risk of taking her own life," Mr Greaney KC said.
On January 4, 2022, Kiena made a note on her iPhone describing how her relationship had become emotionally abusive and she was "hit around the head" every week.
She wrote: "Recently I have noticed I have lost myself and how I usually manage things. I have started to believe I deserve this and I’m not good enough.
"He can be so perfect to me and a fantastic person but then this is in between. I have decided to leave and now my mum will not let me home or back near him at all.
"He has been texting and texting ringing etc telling me everything I want to hear. Promising me the world and I’m finding it hard to ignore as I feel lonely and like I do need him. He is saying I’m splitting my family up etc." She also made a call to Refuge, a national domestic violence charity, seeking support.
'He turned a drill towards her face'
On July 11, 2022, Kiena gave a witness statement to the police in which she described an incident in the earlier part of the year. She said during an argument, Wellings got a drill and turned it on towards her face, threatening to drill her teeth out. He also threatened to throw her father's ashes out of the window she said.
She said Wellings had dunked her head in the baby bath which "triggered my mental health". She felt suicidal and tried to jump out of the window, she said.
Mr Greaney KC said: "In this report, Kiena was herself drawing a clear link between the defendant’s violence towards her on the one hand and the deterioration in her mental health and increase in her feelings of suicide on the other."
On March 15, Kiena made a note in her phone setting out the violence and abuse. The same day she called the police and said she was in a domestic abuse relationship and needed Wellings removed from her home.
Wellings can be heard in the background, saying that he has done nothingwrong and referring to Kiena as an “absolute fruitcake” and a “f***ing weirdo”.
'Feared she wouldn't be believed'
Officers visited Kiena and who gave an account on police bodyworn camera. Her complaint was passed to detectives but Kiena said her mental health had deteriorated. She said she did not want to pursue the complaint against Wellings as she feared she would not be believed due to her condition.
However she agreed to reflect. When detectives contacted her again a week later, she had taken Wellings back.
Mr Greaney KC said: "When you have regard to all of the evidence, you will be sure, we predict, that the defendant used violence towards Kiena, threatened to damage her property, insulted and belittled her, encouraged her to harm herself, isolated her from her friends and family, took money and property from her and threatened to have her child removed from her.
"You will be sure that this behaviour had a serious effect on Kiena that the defendant knew orought to have known that the behaviour would have a serious effect on Kiena."
Mr Greaney KC told the jury: "In due course, in deciding the charge of manslaughter faced by the defendant you will need to consider why Kiena took the decision to end her own life. You may well conclude that as with many suicides, Kiena’s death did not have a single cause, but that instead several factors contributed.
"For example, we expect that the effect of the expert psychiatric evidence will be that Kiena’s underlying personality disorder undoubtedly played a part. You may also conclude that the recent anniversary of her father’s death and the way in which the police handled certain aspects of the aftermath of Ryan Wellings being arrested for the assault on Kiena on 11th July 2022 were also contributing factors.
"However, we suggest that when you have heard all the evidence, you will be sure that the defendant’s conduct towards Kiena also played a significant part in what caused Kiena to leave her child with a friend and then travel to and lay down on a railway line, knowing that her death was a certainty.
"The defendant’s violence, bullying and abuse weakened Kiena and made her more vulnerable to death by suicide, and the assault on July 11, 2022, broke her. The defendant’s unlawful acts continued to make a significant contribution to the decision that Kiena took to end her life on July 22, 2022.
On July 4, Kiera called the ambulance service after a collision while she was driving. She said she had really bad mental health and 'forgot she was driving' when she saw a train. She told the operator: "It wasn’t a suicide attempt (crying) … I know it’s just, I needed some help and I’m trying very hard not to feel like this."
'Attacked in front of daughter'
But on July 11, 2022, Kiena called 999 reporting she had been assaulted by Wellings. When officers arrived at the flat, the bathroom towel rail was damaged and Kiena's head was bleeding. Kiena said she had been assaulted by Wellings in front of her young daughter, the court heard
Wellings denied assaulting Kiena and claimed she had attacked him and he had restrained her. He said he kicked the door as he left which 'must have hit her in the head' but insisted he had not deliberately attacked her. He said the bruising to her arms was from different incidents when Kiena had attacked him and he had restrained her.
The prosecution said: "For two and a half years, Kiena had been in a relationship with a man who had assaulted her, bullied and demeaned her. The final assault had occurred in front of her child, leaving Kiena covered in blood.
"Throughout the whole of the period of the relationship, Kiena had been vulnerable by reason of her mental health,and Ryan Wellings had exploited that vulnerability. It is clear, suggests the prosecution,that despite a desire to see her daughter grow up, Kiena could not take any more."
On July 22, 2022, Kiena dropped her daughter at her friend's house. She left her phone which contained a letter, saying: "Ryan Wellings killed me."
Mr Greaney KC said: "The prosecution case is she is right." Wellings denies coercive control, ABH and manslaughter. The trial is expected to last five weeks.
