The new girlfriend of Ryan Wellings who loyally backed the brute throughout his trial eerily laid flowers for Kiena Dawes, it has emerged. Grief-stricken friends of the brave mum, who suffered years of domestic abuse at the hands of her violent fiancé before sadly taking her own life aged 23, were shocked by the macabre twist.
Hairdresser Kiena, who endured years of torment from Wellings, left a heartbreaking message on her phone stating: “I was murdered. Slowly. They tortured me, till there was nothing left. I lost my fight but I didn’t give up my battle. I fought till the end. Ryan Wellings killed me.”
Wellings was found guilty not of manslaughter but convicted of assault and controlling and coercive behaviour after a relentless ordeal that trapped Kiena in despair. He received staunch courtroom support from his new partner, Emma Croft — whose appearance strikingly echoes Kiena with her long brunette locks, reports the Mirror.
Ryan Wellings
(Image: Lancashire Police/PA)
Despite a conviction at Preston Crown Court, Wellings had the audacity to smile and kiss towards Croft as he was escorted from the courtroom following the verdict announcement on Monday as Kiena’s sister was visibly distraught.
Kirsty Brunn, Kiena’s best friend, laid bare her outrage at Croft’s behaviour. On Facebook, she blasted: “She’s even took flowers for Kiena. The few occasions I was able to be present in the court gallery she acted like she was a celebrity smirking and smiling with pure smugness.”
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Kirsty said Croft and Wellings, from Fleetwood, reportedly became an item in April 2024, and scathingly remarked: “Emma Croft and Ryan Wellings are both vindictive weird individuals and deserve to rot together.”
Backed up by screenshots of Emma’s Facebook activity, Kirsty highlighted one of Emma’s posts wishing Kiena a “happy heavenly birthday” from August 2022 and another reshared post from July 2022, regarding where to place tributes, which Emma captioned: “Heartbreaking [broken heart emoji] the most beautiful girl inside and out [heart emoji] thinking of all your family and little girl xxxx.”
Emma Croft with Ryan Wellings
Yesterday, The Powder Room beauty salon in Bispham posted on social media to announce Croft is no longer employed by them. In a statement on Facebook, the salon reassured clients with the message: “In regards to recent media coverage, we would like to inform our clients that Emma Croft no longer works at the Powder Room.”
The exact date of Croft’s departure remains unknown.
The court heard distressing details of the abuse endured by Kiena at the hands of her partner. During her pregnancy, Wellings subjected her to violent attacks and made chilling threats to drown her, drill into her teeth, and ‘make her look like Katie Piper’ by throwing acid on her face.
Kiena’s suicide note, found on her phone, described how her relationship with the landscape gardener, which began in early 2020, quickly descended from a “fairy tale to nightmare”. Over two years, Wellings frequently hit her, pulled her hair, and financially exploited her while she maintained two jobs and he struggled to find employment.
Both Wellings’ mother, Lisa Green, and Croft are now under investigation by the police for allegedly coaching him prior to his testimony. While on remand, Wellings made several calls to both women, who were present during the trial.
Although he was allowed to contact family and friends from HMP Preston, discussing the case with them was against legal regulations.
Kiena Dawes
Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, informed the court: “He has repeatedly discussed the content and nature of the evidence with Emma Croft and Lisa Green, during giving evidence and over the Christmas period. The assessment of the prosecution is that the defendant has misconducted himself, as has Lisa Green and Emma Croft.
“What has occurred here is effectively a scheme to coach the defendant in the evidence he’s giving. There’s going to be an investigation into this by the police because, on the face of it, there’s been a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.”
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