By Sammy Jones-
The family of the man who was stabbed to death in a Stourbridge nightclub have launched a legal challenge against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after being informed that newly uncovered evidence is not enough to bring new charges.
Ryan Passey was killed at Chicago’s nightclub in 2017, and a man was subsequently charged with murder, but was acquitted after a trial in 2019. The man was cleared of murdering the amateur footballer and was also acquitted of an alternative count of manslaughter after the jury accepted he did not intend to harm him
Despite this new evidence, Ryan’s family say that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Stephen Parkinson, has declined to grant consent for an application to the Court of Appeal.
In a statement released today (Thursday, June 4), Ryan’s family said: “While we respect the office of the DPP and the gravity of such decisions, we cannot accept the reasoning behind this outcome.
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“Where it is clear to us as Ryan’s family that there is now strong evidence, previously unavailable at the original trial, indicating that someone who was acquitted may in fact be guilty, it is an affront to the very notion of truth and justice that this cannot be properly tested in court.”
According to Ryan’s family, this legal challenge against the CPS and the DPP has been launched not only for their loved one, but for every family that has been told that a ‘clear injustice must be endured’.
They said: “This is not about anger or revenge — it is about fairness, transparency, and public confidence. A justice system that cannot meaningfully respond to credible new evidence — without placing unbearable emotional and financial burdens on families — must be questioned.
“We will continue to speak out. We will continue to ask difficult questions. And we will continue to fight for Ryan by challenging the DPP’s decision in court — because Ryan deserves nothing less, and because no other family should have to endure what we have.”