'Fairy tale turned to nightmare' for young mum who took own life, court told

A mother who was allegedly driven to take her own life by her abusive partner said the relationship turned from “fairy tale to nightmare”, a court heard.

Preston Crown Court heard how Kiena Dawes, 23, had kept in touch on Facebook with her old school teacher, Nicola Atherton, who believed she was in a happy relationship with Ryan Wellings.

Wellings, 30, is accused of the manslaughter of Miss Dawes who left their eight-month-old daughter with a friend before taking her own life near Garstang, Lancashire, on 22 July 2022.

Miss Dawes told Mrs Atherton, who taught her at Lytham St Annes High School, Lancashire, the reality of their relationship, jurors heard.

The hairdresser, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, met Wellings in January 2020 and was “swept off her feet”.

He had her name and face tattooed on his body just a week later and proposed marriage within three months.

But it is alleged that Wellings began physically and emotionally abusing Miss Dawes soon after.

He is also accused of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour between January 2020 and July 2022, which he denies.

Mrs Atherton told the court: “She just said the first six months were a fairy tale but then it turned into a nightmare. Those were her exact words. Horrendous domestic violence. Horrendous physical abuse.”

Miss Dawes, communicating through Facebook messenger, said her posts on the platform did not show the “true side” of her life and sent Mrs Atherton photos of injuries allegedly caused by beatings from Wellings.

Mrs Atherton told her she was “best rid” of Wellings and suggested she break contact with, adding: “This is toxic.”

Miss Dawes replied: “Been bullied till there’s nothing left of me.”

Mrs Atherton added: “She said she was struggling to cope. She said she felt tortured by what Ryan and his friends were putting her through.”

The court heard that, shortly before her death, Miss Dawes felt “let down” and not supported by Lancashire Police because after Wellings had been arrested for allegedly assaulting her on July 11 2022, he had contacted her again with abuse, on the face of it a breach of his bail conditions, but no action was taken against him.

Lawyers for Wellings, of Bispham, Lancashire, told jurors that Miss Dawes was a “troubled” woman, whose mental health issues existed prior to her meeting him and that her decision to kill herself was the result of “multiple factors”.

Wellings told police any injuries were accidental from him trying to restrain her.

Debbie Green, who would do Miss Dawes’ nails, told the court she went “downhill” after meeting Wellings.

Ms Green said: “She went from being a happy-go-lucky girl to frightened all the time.

“It was always doom and gloom because of what was happening with Ryan.

“That he was battering her. Every appointment there would be something that would have happened.”

Ms Green said Miss Dawes told her of an occasion when Wellings allegedly held a working drill to her mouth, that he would tell her to go and kill herself and, at another appointment, she had turned up with a black eye and an arm “black” from bruising.

At their final appointment, she was “hysterical, crying” Ms Green said, after an alleged beating and vowed to finally leave him for good.

“I think she had had enough of being battered,” Ms Green told the jury.

Two days later Miss Dawes took her own life.

The trial continues.