Ryan Passey: We won't give up in bid to change jury law, vows family of Stourbridge stabbing victim

Ryan Passey’s father said he was fully prepared for push back following their calls for juries to explain their verdicts in the most serious cases.

But he is adamant change is needed to ensure other families are not “failed” by the criminal justice system, as the family say they were, and insisted they would not be going away.

Ryan’s parents, from Quarry Bank, were left devastated when the man accused of murdering him was cleared after the 24-year-old was stabbed to death at Chicago’s in Stourbridge in 2017.

Their calls for juries to give reasons for their verdicts in the most serious cases have gained support from some influential MPs and are set to be discussed in the House of Commons.

But they were dealt a blow by the Ministry of Justice last week, which said it has “no plans to make these changes”.

Ryan’s father, Ade Passey, and family friend and campaign spokesman, Jason Connon, admitted their disappointment at the MoJ’s stance, particularly as they had an encouraging meeting with Justice Minister Alex Chalk last year, but said they had no intention of giving up.

The family is also in the midst of a civil claim against Kobe Murray, who was acquitted of murdering amateur footballer Ryan. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July at Liverpool County Court. Around £50,000 in legal fees so far have been met thanks to donations to the Justice for Ryan campaign.

Mr Murray admitted stabbing Ryan but claimed he did so in self-defence, which was accepted by a jury which found him not guilty.

Mr Connon said he was determined to give more openness in trials by allowing the families of victims to find out why a jury has come to its conclusion.

He said: “It’s been a long and difficult journey. One of the frustrations is just how little support there is for families after these acquittal verdicts and that’s something that needs to change as well. It’s taken us nearly four years to get where we are now. If we can get this change in law it will be momentous. It will help families in the future.”

Mr Connon said the family had not been surprised by the MoJ’s reaction or by criticism that the change could undermine the traditions of confidential jury deliberations, which go back centuries.

“We fully expect it,” he said. “We know to get this change in law is going to be a massive, massive ask. I suppose I take inspiration from Anne Ming. She was a lollipop lady from up north. She changed the biggest change in our criminal justice system, the double jeopardy law. We take confidence from campaigns like that.

“We can’t get these changes we’re asking for until these conversations start taking place. Sothe fact it is now being debated in Parliament and among MPs is a good thing. It’s exactly what we want.”

Other MPs have said the proposals should be looked at, while the family have the support of local MP Suzanne Webb.

Mr Connon said: “We’re in communication with Alex Chalk’s office. We’re not expecting him to say ‘oh yeah brilliant, I’ll make those changes’, of course, but for the argument saying no, there are more people saying ‘actually, let’s look at this, is it time for change, is it time we shine a light on our jury system?’.

“That’s why we’re asking for the reasons from juries in serious crime cases – not in every, and people get confused with what we’re asking for sometimes. They think ‘every court case juries have got to give reasons’. No, only where the stakes are so high such as cases like this where it’s murder or manslaughter we think the jury should give those reasons.”

Ryan’s father said the campaign had given the family something to focus on. He revealed they had not yet scattered Ryan's ashes as they did not feel they had been able to put him to rest.

Mr Passey said: “You’ve only got to look on social media at the following for our campaign. Our jury system has failed, it failed in this case and it needs to be looked at.

“Going forward, if we can get to where we want to get, we’ve left a legacy for Ryan and it obviously doesn’t happen to anyone else. We just want answers.

“It’s very hard but we’re just keeping ourselves strong... it does keep us going. Jill, his mother, struggles.”

Mr Connon said: “I don’t think we can underestimate the psychological impact that these decisions have on families.

“We said when we walked out that court and we walked down those stairs we would never give up fighting. We’ve got the energy and the drive and we will never give up until we get justice for Ryan.”