A vulnerable young woman would not have taken her own life if she had been treated in a “loving” way, a court has heard.
Hairdresser Kiena Dawes, 23, left her nine-month-old daughter with a friend, along with a suicide note and took her own life on a railway line after suffering years of abuse from her partner Ryan Wellings, 30, Preston Crown Court was told.
Ms Dawes, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, who had a history of fragile mental health, left the note which said “I was murdered” and that Wellings had “killed me”.
Wellings, of Bispham, Lancashire, denies manslaughter, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour to Ms Dawes between January 2020 and her death on July 22 2022.
My opinion is that if Mr Wellings acted as alleged, it had a significant impact on (Ms Dawes) over time and it contributed to the suicide
She had been diagnosed with an Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), resulting in increased impulsivity, poor self-esteem and difficulty in relationships.
Prosecutors told the jury of seven women and five men that Wellings’s alleged violence was used to “grind” Ms Dawes down, leading to her taking her own life.
Expert prosecution witness, Dr Nicholas Kennedy, a forensic psychiatrist, told the jury on Tuesday: “My opinion is that if Mr Wellings acted as alleged, it had a significant impact on her over time and it contributed to the suicide.”
Paul Greaney KC asked the witness: “If she had been treated in an appropriate, loving way, do you think she still would have killed herself?”
Dr Kennedy replied: “I think at least, probably not.”
He said a series of factors had made a “more than minimal contribution” to the decision by Ms Dawes to take her own life.
These were her pre-existing EUPD, the deterioration in her mental health, alleged abuse by the defendant, the assault on her by Wellings on July 11 2022, 11 days before her death and the anniversary of the sudden death of her father.
Wellings’s defence claims Ms Dawes’s accusations against him are either untrue or exaggerated and that any injuries she suffered before her death were a result of his attempts to restrain her or accidental.
And Wellings’s defence also described Ms Dawes as a “troubled” woman, whose decision to kill herself was the result of “multiple factors”.
John Jones KC, representing Wellings, detailed Ms Dawes’s mental health history, citing counselling in school, diagnosis of anxiety and depression, alcohol misuse, self-harm and admissions to hospitals.
Defence expert witness, Seena Fazel, professor of forensic psychiatry at Oxford University, said someone with EUPD was nine times more likely to die from suicide than the general population and that suicide attempts in the past increased the chance of completed suicide in the future.
Prof Fazel also said suicide was an accumulation of risk factors and could not be reduced to one single factor, including in Ms Dawes’s case.
He described multiple risk factors in Ms Dawes’s case, including what he described as historical ones, such as past suicide attempts, a difficult childhood and family health problems.
I think it's difficult to know how to put it all together, it's quite complicated, there’s many things going on at the same time. I think there’s a number of factors that combined
He said there were also “precipitatory” or “proximal” factors including the alleged domestic violence by Wellings, financial problems and the anniversary of her father’s sudden death.
Prof Fazel added: “I think they contributed together, and its very difficult to isolate one from the other.”
Mr Jones asked what role the alleged violence and controlling or coercive behaviour by Wellings played in Ms Dawes’s suicide.
Prof Fazel replied: “I don’t know, is my view, partly because her mental state seemed to fluctuate.
“I think it’s difficult to know how to put it all together, it’s quite complicated, there’s many things going on at the same time.
“I think there’s a number of factors that combined.”
The trial continues.
