'Fairy tale' relationship became 'nightmare' - trial

A young woman allegedly driven to kill herself by her abusive partner said the relationship turned from "fairy tale to nightmare", a trial has heard.

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

The 30-year-old is accused of the manslaughter of Miss Dawes, who left a note saying "I was murdered ... Ryan Wellings killed me", the jury was told.

She left their eight-month-old daughter with a friend before taking her own life on a railway line on 22 July 2022.

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

Mrs Atherton explained: "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, from Fleetwood, communicating via Facebook messenger, said her posts did not show the "true side" of her life and sent Mrs Atherton photos of injuries allegedly caused by beatings from Mr Wellings, the court heard.

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

The jury heard Miss Dawes replied: "Been bullied till there's nothing left of me."

Mrs Atherton said Miss Dawes also said she was struggling to cope and felt tortured by Mr Wellings and his friends.

The court heard that shortly before her death Miss Dawes felt "let down" by Lancashire Police because after Mr Wellings was arrested for alleged assault on 11 July 2022, he abused her again in an apparent breach of his bail conditions, but no action was taken.

Debbie Green, who would do Miss Dawes' nail makeovers, said she went "downhill" after meeting Mr Wellings and "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," she said.

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

Ms Green said Miss Dawes told how Mr Wellings allegedly held a working drill to her mouth and would tell her to go and kill herself.

She said she had arrived at another appointment 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 had vowed to finally leave for good.

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

Two days later Miss Dawes killed herself.

Lawyers for Mr Wellings, of Bispham, Blackpool, have told jurors that Miss 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".

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

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

The trial continues.

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