Ryan Wellings, a 30-year-old landscape gardener from Bispham, Lancashire, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for assault and coercive and controlling behaviour against his late partner, Kiena Dawes. The sentence was handed down at Preston Crown Court on Thursday by Judge Altham, who noted that while Wellings bore no criminal responsibility for Dawes' death, he had subjected her to prolonged abuse.
Dawes, a 23-year-old hairdresser from Fleetwood, took her own life on 22 July 2022 after leaving the couple's nine-month-old baby at a friend's house. A jury found Wellings guilty of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour on Monday but acquitted him of manslaughter. In a suicide note found on her phone, Dawes described Wellings as a 'monster' and wrote: 'I was murdered. Slowly … Ryan Wellings killed me.'
The court heard that Wellings' abuse included regular slapping, pulling her by the hair, an attempt to strangle her with an iPhone charger, and threats to throw acid in her face or use a drill to remove her teeth. After Dawes became pregnant, he gave her a black eye and called her a 'fat little bitch' while contacting escorts online. Police were called multiple times, but Dawes declined to press charges after Wellings threatened that their daughter would be taken away.
A final assault left Dawes needing hospital treatment, and she made a statement to police. Wellings was arrested but later broke his bail conditions without being remanded, leaving Dawes feeling let down by the authorities. She died four days later. Three Lancashire police officers now face disciplinary hearings over the case.
In victim impact statements, Dawes' mother, Angela Dawes, said the trial had 'violated' her daughter again, while her brother, Kynan Dawes, expressed regret for introducing Kiena to 'this monster'. Wellings, who has a previous conviction for assaulting a former partner, showed no reaction as he was led away.
