Ryan Passey: Family hold positive talks with Home Secretary in law campaign
The family of a 24-year-old footballer stabbed in a Black Country nightclub have met with the Home Secretary to discuss a change in the law to appeal against acquittals in criminal cases.
Ryan Passey died from a knife wound after an argument broke out in Chicagos nightclub, in Stourbridge, in August 2017.
In February 2018, Kobe Murray was found not guilty of the murder and manslaughter of Ryan following a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Mr Murray admitted stabbing Ryan, but said it was an accident.
Ryan's family and friends set up the Justice for Ryan campaign – calling for a change in the law.
The family want juries to give reasons on how they have reached their decisions so they can be challenged and families be given the right to appeal against acquittals that are considered "perverse" in serious criminal cases.
The family of the keen footballer, as well as campaigners, met Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday.
They posted on their Justice for Ryan Campaign Facebook page: "Team Justice For Ryan have just come out of a very productive meeting with the Home Secretary. Thank you for your time Sajid Javid.
"We will never give up until we get the Justice our Ry deserves."
Campaigner and family friend Jason Connon said: "The meeting with Sajid Javid went extremely positively. Again we have highlighted the issues with our case – it is something he wants to assist Ryan's family where justice is concerned.
"There are further discussions to be had and we have another meeting with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) later this month.
"Today we are meeting with the Barry Sheerman MP, the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Miscarriages of Justice, which we are hoping will be another positive meeting.
"For Ryan to be stabbed to death in a nightclub and the person responsible to walk away, we believe is perverse. We are fighting for that change in the law."
He added: "Ryan was killed unlawfully. We launched our campaign on February 6 last year, straight after the court case and we are still fighting. We have a lot of support and it was completely the wrong decision when knife crime is so high.
"It was unlawful and it shocked a lot of people.
"It is a struggle for Ryan's parents – they find it difficult to talk about the case. Not only are they struggling with losing their son, then the one who admitted stabbing him walked free from court and they have to live that nightmare daily."
Ryan lived in Brierley Hill. He was a keen football player who also ran his own window cleaning business.
Following his death, hundreds of people turned out at his funeral at St James’s Church in Wollaston, Stourbridge.
The family have also launched a petition backing their campaign, which has so far attracted 42,265 signatures. To view the petition, visit www.change.org/p/justice-for-ryan-ryan-s-law.