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Man, 30, cleared of manslaughter after partner's suicide note blamed him
The Guardian
|January 14, 2025
A man accused of driving a young mother to suicide through domestic violence has been found guilty of assault and prolonged controlling behaviour but was 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 on Thursday.
Dawes, a 23-year-old mother of a nine-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.
This story is from the January 14, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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