Ryan Wellings subjected the mother of his child, Kiena Dawes, to years of hell before her suicide, and has now gallingly claimed he wants custody of their daughter when he is released from jail

Ryan Wellings, 30, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for assault and coercive and controlling behaviour after Kiena Dawes, 23, left a suicide note calling her partner a “monster” who had “killed me”. Wellings was seen smiling as he left the dock following his sentencing.

A charity which supports women has said it deals with the kind of domestic abuse experienced by Kiena Dawes every day and violent controlling behaviour by a perpetrator was "sadly not a rarity".

Ryan Wellings was jailed for the domestic abuse of Kiena Dawes, who took her life in 2022. In a Facebook post, he vowed to seek custody of his daughter upon release

Kiena Dawes' death has "paved the way" for more abusers to be held accountable over their victims' deaths, a legal expert says. The mum-of-one took her life following a two-year campaign of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of thug Ryan Wellings.

Judge Altham says "given the gravity of the Ryan Wellings' offending, there's no prospect of a sentence other than immediate custody".

Kiena Dawes' abuser has made a shameless vow to get custody of their child after being jailed.

Monster' abuser Ryan Wellings is facing a tough time in prison after being convicted of tormenting his fiancée Kiena Dawes, with a legal expert warning that he will likely be subjected to targeted attacks and isolation from fellow inmates.

The young mother's relationship with Ryan Wellings, 30, turned from "a fairytale to a nightmare", the judge says, before she took her own life in 2022.