Lancashire man found guilty of assault after partner’s suicide
|
Version 0 of 5. Ryan Wellings also guilty of controlling behaviour but cleared of manslaughter of Kiena Dawes, who left note saying she was ‘murdered’ A man accused of driving a young mother to suicide through domestic violence has been found guilty of assault and prolonged controlling behaviour but cleared of her manslaughter. Ryan Wellings, 30, was blamed from “beyond the grave” for the death of his partner, Kiena Dawes. Wellings denied manslaughter and was found not guilty by a jury after a six-week trial at Preston crown court. He was convicted of assault and of coercive and controlling behaviour and will be sentenced at a later date. Dawes, a 23-year-old hairdresser and mother of an eight-month-old baby, took her own life in July 2022, leaving a note on her phone that read: “I fought hard. I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine … I was murdered. Slowly … Ryan Wellings killed me.” But the defence barrister, John Jones KC, said Dawes had been a “very troubled young lady” with a history of mental health problems and suicide attempts. In his closing speech Jones said the couple’s “party lifestyle” of alcohol and drugs had been a “recipe for disaster”. He said their “fairytale” relationship had ended in turmoil because of Wellings’ temper and Dawes’ mental health difficulties – and their liking for cocaine. He told the jury: “This corrosive and destructive combination was to bring heartache to them both, and death to one. It was a recipe for disaster. Mental health on one side, drug abuse and temper on the other.” The jury heard that Dawes, from Fleetwood, and Wellings, from Bispham, both in Lancashire, had met in January 2020. More details soon … In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org |