"The assault broke her": Young mum took her own life after years of 'violence, bullying and abuse' by her ex, court told

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A vulnerable young mum killed herself on a railway line after suffering two and a half years of abuse from her ex-boyfriend, a court heard.

Kiena Dawes, 23, dropped her daughter at a friend's house and left her phone which contained a note that said 'Ryan Wellings killed me' before taking her own life, a jury at Preston Crown Court was told.

Wellings was abusive and violent towards Kiena after the pair began their relationship in January 2020, the court heard. Kiena, who suffered from mental health issues, dialled 999 on 11 July, 2022 to report that Wellings had assaulted her in front of their young daughter.

When officers arrived at the flat, the bathroom towel rail was damaged and Kiena's head was bleeding - but Wellings denied assaulting her and claimed he had to restrain her because she had attacked him. READ NEXT: 'When Callum left home that day I never thought for a moment that he wouldn't return home' Kiena, a hairdresser from Fleetwood, Lancashire, took her own life on the railway track near Garstang, Lancashire, 11 days later - on 22 July, 2022.