Police officer found Kierna Dawes 'covered in blood' days

by · Mail Online

A police officer found Kiena Dawes 'covered in blood' days before she was allegedly driven to suicide by her abusive partner, a court has heard.

The 23-year-old was found dead on a railway track near Garstang, in Lancashire, having suffered multiple injuries when she was struck by a train travelling at 110mph.

She was allegedly the victim of a campaign of abuse by her ex-partner and fiancé Ryan Wellings - who is on trial accused of her manslaughter at Preston Crown Court. 

Wellings, 30, is also accused of assault and controlling and coercive behaviour towards the mother-of-one during their relationship between January 2020 and July 2022.

The prosecution allege Ms Dawes died as a result of his 'unlawful acts', as she left a suicide note saying: 'I was murdered…Ryan Wellings killed me'. 

The court heard that PC Stephanie Sawyer went to the home of Ms Dawes 11 days before she took her own life on July 22, 2022.

Jurors were told she had called 999 reporting a domestic incident and PC Sawyer described the scene when he got to her flat at around 10.30am on July 11.

She said: 'There was blood on the floor in the communal corridor. Kiena was sat on the floor with the door open with her daughter between her legs.

'Bright and popular' Kiena Dawes, 23, left her nine-month-old daughter with a friend then drove to a nearby railway line, lying across the tracks as an express train approached at 110mph
Wellings, 30, is on trial accused of her manslaughter and the prosecution allege she died as as a result of his 'unlawful acts'
It's alleged Ms Dawes was a 'deeply troubled' young woman with a long psychiatric history, which included previous attempts to take her own life

'She was covered in blood, on her hands, on her face. She was upset and she was crying. She had a cut to the right side of her head. There was a broken towel rail in the bathroom.'

The officer dressed Ms Dawes' nine-month-old daughter, who was taken to her grandmother's, and her mother was taken to hospital in Blackpool for treatment.

Read More

Boyfriend accused of killing Kiena Dawes threatened to 'throw acid in her face like Katie Piper'

Ms Dawes, 23, said in a police statement that Wellings had called her a 'schizophrenic freak' during the row.

He then 'launched' her into a bathroom radiator causing it to break from the wall and he had slammed the door towards her, hitting her head, causing her to black out and cutting her head.

Wellings was later arrested but said he had tried to restrain her from attacking him. Kevin O'Rourke, a domestic violence adviser at the hospital, told the court he spoke to Miss Dawes to complete a risk assessment.

His notes of what she told him detailed 'emotional and physical abuse', controlling behaviour, telling her to 'kill herself' and living 'in fear' of Wellings.

There were also earlier incidents of alleged domestic violence but Miss Dawes had decided she did not want to press charges.

Earlier, prosecutors alleged Wellings' violence, bullying and abuse weakened Miss Dawes, making her more vulnerable to death by suicide and the assault on July 11 'broke her'. 

Ms Dawes, pictured, wrote that she hoped her daughter is 'kept away from the monster who is called her dad'
'Ryan Wellings, pictured, exploited the vulnerability that this mental health condition generated and he made it worse,' it has been alleged

Miss Dawes, a hairdresser, had been diagnosed with an Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships, the court has heard.

Wellings exploited her mental health condition, it is alleged, and while the condition played a part in her decision to take her own life, so too did his abuse.

Read More

Mother left suicide note accusing her 'abusive' partner of 'killing her' before being hit by train

The court has heard that the couple met in January 2020 and an 'intense' relationship began, Wellings having Miss Dawes' name and face tattooed on his body a week after first meeting her and proposing marriage within three months.

Wellings denies attacking her and his lawyers say Ms Dawes was a 'troubled' woman, whose mental health issues pre-dated meeting him and her decision to kill herself was the result of 'multiple factors'.

The court had earlier heard that police installed panic alarms and changed the locks at her home after an alleged assault in March 2022.

She said Wellings had punched a wall, thrown a steak at the wall and 'tried to drown her in the baby bath'.

Following the incident, police installed a panic alarm at the flat and made safeguarding referrals for Kiena and her baby daughter, who was in the flat at the time.

However on July 11, a row broke out between Kiena and Wellings when she moved some of his belongings while vacuuming. Shortly after 9.30am, a notification was recorded that the panic alarm had been disconnected from the power source.

Kiena later told the police she had pulled the alarm from the wall in the hope it would alert help. She said Wellings would take control of the alarm system and tried to keep her away from the bedroom where it was installed.

The case continues.