The family of Ryan Passey will attend the High Court next week to challenge a decision not to allow an application to overturn the acquittal of Kobe Murray in connection with the death of their son.
The judge refused permission for a judicial review on 27 August 2026, finding that the families objections amounted to 'disagreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions evaluative conclusions'.
The renewal hearing will be told that the DPP "failed to adequately consider the full findings of the West Yorkshire Police review, took an unduly narrow view of the significance of the fresh new evidence, and reached conclusions that should now be examined by the High Court". The family say that they are not asking the Court to determine guilt or innocence, but instead are asking for independent judicial scrutiny of whether the DPP's decision was reached lawfully and rationally.
A spokesperson for the Passey family said: "Ultimately, what we seek is straightforward. We want the DPP to fully reconsider all of the available evidence and findings discovered by the West Yorkshire Police Independent review and the West Midlands Police investigation and permit the case to proceed so that the Court can determine whether all the new evidence meets the legal test to be considered by the Court of Appeal.
"Only through that process can the facts be properly scrutinised in an open and transparent forum. As a family, it increasingly feels like a David-versus-Goliath battle. We have never sought special treatment. We have simply asked that all available evidence be properly reviewed to find the truth of what happened to Ryan.
"No family should have to spend nine years fighting for answers about how their loved one died. This hearing represents our final opportunity to ensure that the concerns identified by investigators receive the judicial consideration they deserve."
Ryan was just 24 years old when he was fatally stabbed at Chicagos Nightclub in Stourbridge on 6 August 2017. Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in February 2018 Kobe Murray who admitted to stabbing Ryan was found not guilty after advancing a case of self-defence.
Following an independent review conducted by West Yorkshire Police, serious concerns were identified regarding aspects of the evidence presented at trial. Those concerns were significant enough that West Midlands Police subsequently reopened and reinvestigated Ryan's case.
Senior prosecutors prepared an application seeking the Director of Public Prosecutions consent to refer the matter to the Court of Appeal under the provisions that allow acquittals in murder cases to be revisited when new and compelling evidence emerges.
The family added: "These developments are significant because they go directly to issues of credibility, reliability and the overall evidential picture.
"The central question for us has never simply been whether Ryan punched Murray. Rather, it is whether, when all the evidence now available is considered together, a jury could be sure that Murray was acting in lawful self-defence at the moment Ryan lost his life."
Following the criminal proceedings, the family pursued civil proceedings arising from Ryan's death and the civil court subsequently found that Ryan's death was unlawful.
The Judge ruled that Ryan was killed unlawfully and explicitly stated that Murray had engaged in a 'cover-up' to 'evade enquiry', and that the lies were so systemic that they warranted aggravated damages.
The family said: "There is another deeply troubling aspect in our fight for justice. In June 2026, officers from the West Midlands Police Homicide Review Team informed us that they had completed an assessment into further lies identified during the reinvestigation of the case.
"We were told that one allegation met the Full Code Test threshold and was being formally submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service for pre-charge advice. As we approach November and our hearing next week, we are still waiting for any decision from the CPS.
"We have cooperated with every review, every investigation and every legal process. We have waited patiently whilst agencies carried out their work. Yet despite being informed that a matter had reached the evidential threshold for referral to the CPS, many months have passed without any decision being communicated to us.
"We have endured countless reviews, reports, meetings and legal proceedings while continuing to grieve the loss of our son. Despite the emotional toll, we have remained determined and dignified because Ryan deserves no less. At times, it has felt like a battle of David versus Goliath. We are an ordinary family who lost our only son.
"Too often, it has felt as though we have had to fight at every step to have our voices listened to rather than being treated as a family seeking answers after such a devastating loss.
"We understand that difficult legal decisions must be made, but victims; families should never feel that their concerns are an afterthought and not subject to further scrutiny."
Jason Connon, Justice for Ryan Campaign Lead and Family Spokesperson, added: "We have consistently maintained that the justice system is unfair when it comes to acquittal verdicts.
"If new evidence emerges after a conviction, the Criminal Cases Review Commission can help challenge a potentially unsafe conviction - yet no equivalent government body can help challenge a potentially unsafe acquittal.
"For nine years, we have fought on our own to find new evidence. Now that this evidence has been found, the DPP is blocking our only route to the Court of Appeal. Where is the fairness in this?
"For nine years, we have fought on our own to find new evidence. Now that this evidence has been found, the DPP is blocking our only route to the Court of Appeal. Where is the fairness in this? I will do everything I can to help secure justice so the family can finally grieve in peace."
The family have been supported since 2019 by former Stourbridge MP, Suzanne Webb, who added: “For nine years, Ryan’s family has endured unimaginable grief in their relentless fight for justice.
"Significant new evidence and serious concerns identified by an independent police review raise legitimate questions about the DPP’s decision and whether the Criminal Justice Act 2003 was properly applied in this case.
"The Act allows the Court of Appeal, in exceptional circumstances involving new and compelling evidence, to quash an acquittal and order a retrial. The police presented new and compelling evidence.
""This is no longer just about justice for Ryan. It is about public confidence in our criminal justice system and whether the safeguards Parliament introduced are working as intended.
"My thoughts remain firmly with Ryan’s family. They have my unwavering support, and I will continue to stand alongside them in their fight for justice and hope for the right outcome from today."
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