Kiena Dawes' devastating beyond grave suicide note that nailed abusive thug boyfriend Ryan Wellings

Kiena Dawes at first thought her relationship with Ryan Wellings was a 'fairytale', but tragically it turned into a nightmare.

The mum-of-one took her own life on July 22, 2022, after suffering from two years of violence and abuse at the hands of her partner and the father of her child. Today, Wellings has been found guilty of assault, coercive behaviour and prolonged domestic violence towards Kiena, but cleared of her manslaughter.

During a six-week trial at Preston Crown Court, jurors heard that the bubbly and happy-go-lucky hairdresser from Fleetwood in Lancashire had been "swept off her feet" after meeting Wellings in January 2020. The landscape gardener, from Bispham, had a previous conviction for battering his ex-partner, the mother of his twin girls, in January 2020.

Within a week of meeting Ms Dawes, Wellings, 30, had her name tattooed on his body and three months later, he proposed to her. But their whirlwind relationship soon soured, with Wellings, who regularly enjoyed cocaine and drink binges, flying into fits of rage.

Kiena had been diagnosed with a personality disorder - a condition exploited by the defendant - resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships.

Leaving her nine-month-old daughter with a friend, Kiena wrote a suicide note on her phone stating: "Ryan Wellings killed me". The note meant she had named and blamed her killer "from beyond the grave", Wellings' trial heard.

The extent of the horrific abuse was outlined to the jury in hundreds of text messages sent between the pair. He was described by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC as an "entitled, aggressive bully" and by Ms Dawes’ friends as a "horrible little b*****d" with a jealous streak, he did not like being answered back – which, "triggers his anger".

His abuse of Ms Dawes included regular slapping and "ragging" by her hair and threats to use a drill to take out her teeth. He threatened to "make her look like Katie Piper" by throwing acid in her face. He also sponged cash off her, securing and leaving 22 jobs and draining her of money while she worked two jobs.

After she became pregnant, Wellings gave her a black eye and began criticising her weight, calling her a "fat little b***h" while contacting escorts and prostitutes online. Friends and her mother, Angela Dawes, warned Ms Dawes to "run a mile from toxic" Wellings, but a pattern developed of break-up and make-up. He excused his behaviour, saying, "It was only a slap," and apologising profusely.

More than once, police were called to their home, but Wellings threatened Ms Dawes that he would have their daughter taken off them if she told them what was happening, so she declined to help prosecute. Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, read Ms Dawes' suicide note to jurors.

It read: "The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine. I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me. He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I had dreams. I had a future at one point. That was taken away from me."

Wellings told jurors “I’m not a monster”, claiming her allegations were either untrue or exaggerated and any injuries to her accidental. He did, however, admit getting “heavy-handed” with her.

A final assault “broke” Ms Dawes, with Wellings leaving her needing hospital treatment after throwing her at a bathroom radiator and knocking her out by closing a door in her face. It was following this attack that she made a statement to police, and her tormentor was arrested.

He then broke his bail conditions but was not locked up, leaving Ms Dawes feeling let down by police. Four days later she killed herself. Three Lancashire Police officers face disciplinary hearings.

Ms Dawes had been described as a “very troubled young lady” who decided to end her life not because of Wellings, but because of “multiple factors”. She had also made a number of suicide attempts in the past, before she met Wellings.

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