Fiancee of abuse-accused ‘knew nothing’ of past

Neil Kendall who was accused of abusing victim Dana Fowley with another man while her mother watched TV in the next room when she was 10-years-old, killed himself at the Oxgangs home of fiancée Gillian Ward, in February.

Ms Ward, a mother-of-two, today said that she had only learned of the allegations against Kendall after he took his own life, and that the revelations had left her feeling “physically sick”.

She also told how after Kendall’s death, police had arrived at her door to tell her that he had never separated from his wife, Pamela, who lived just six miles away in Leith.

It emerged that he had told his wife he was working in Newcastle, when in fact he had been shacked up with Ms Ward.

Kendall stood trial in September 2009 accused of raping Ms Fowley, although proceedings collapsed after the victim’s mother, Caroline Dunsmore, changed her evidence on the witness stand.

Ms Ward, who said that Kendall had killed himself the day after she ended their relationship, said: “I feel disgusted that I let him into my house and my heart. I didn’t know anything about his past. I was almost physically sick when I found out.

“I’ve been through every feeling since then – from 
being devastated and completely 
gutted to feeling betrayed.”

Recovery driver Kendall, 48, began dating Ms Ward last year, before he proposed in December and moved into her home on Hogmanay.

She said the relationship ran into trouble when he began spying on her, before they had a row and she told him it was over.

Ms Ward initially believed he killed himself because of the row, but now thinks he may have been worried about being hauled back into court under new double jeopardy laws which allow former suspects to be retried.

She added: “Maybe the case involving Dana was coming back to bite him, or the double life was getting too much.”