BIKERS and footballers made sure Ryan Passey was remembered at the weekend on the fifth anniversary of his tragic death.
Ryan, aged 24, died on August 6, 2017, after being stabbed in the chest in the old Chicago’s nightspot in Stourbridge.
A shrine remembering the popular footballer has stood outside the former bar in The Ryemarket ever since the tragedy and a series of memorial events have taken place to keep Ryan in people’s thoughts as his family continues to fight for justice for him.
Among the events that have become a tradition is the Ride for Ryan - a summer charity motorcycle ride from The Widders pub, Cradley, to Quatt Bike Café in Bridgnorth and back.
Due to the pandemic it has not been held since 2019 but this year it returned in spectacular style.
Around 300 bikers turned out for the event which saw riders descend on Stourbridge ring road and the High Street for a ride past Ryan’s memorial where his mum and stepdad Gillian and Phil Taylor stopped to lay flowers.
The couple, along with Ryan’s dad Ade, all took part in the ride – organised by family friend John Hill, of The Widders Pub, which also hosted a fun day featuring a DJ, stalls, bouncy castle and live music which raised £2,060.
Family friend Jason Connon, spokesperson for the Justice for Ryan campaign, said: “We’re really grateful to John Hill for arranging these events.
“It was a really emotional day.
“It was wonderful to see the amount of people that turned up. We were overwhelmed.
“Hopefully it gave Ade, Gill and Phil a little bit of comfort knowing people are still behind us and supporting our fight for justice.”
He said a host of football clubs across the Dudley borough, including Stourbridge FC where Ryan played as a youth and his old team Wren’s Nest FC, remembered Ryan with a minute’s applause before their first games of the season on Saturday.
Stourbridge Athletic FC the team Ryan started with his best Friend Jordan Poole and his Dad Mark remembering Ryan on the 5th anniversary
— Justice For Ryan (@JusticeFor_Ryan) August 8, 2022
We will never give up fighting for #JusticeForRyan
💙💙💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/JGpXP5vrlO
Thank you @PuresportFC for your amazing support and love remembering Ryan on our 5th anniversary.
— Justice For Ryan (@JusticeFor_Ryan) August 8, 2022
We will keep fighting until #JusticeForRyan is done!
💙💙💙💙💙 https://t.co/fIQ0Ael1xA
Mr Connon said it had been an “amazing” day of keeping Ryan’s memory alive and raising awareness of the family’s ongoing fight for justice for Ryan whose killer was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in February 2018 after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in which he admitted having “stabbed out” during a fight.
The family has since brought a civil case against Dudley man Kobe Murray who claimed he’d acted in self-defence.
After making a successful application under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, which offers the right to seek damages for a death caused by a wrongful act, neglect or default, they were awarded £10,000 in damages and Murray, now known as Kareem Gayle, was hit with a £12,000 bill for court costs.
The family said they recently instructed bailiffs to collect the funds – although they’ve insisted the fight has never been about money but justice.
The development follows a visit to Parliament in July where the Justice for Ryan team met with Minister for Justice Tom Pursglove MP to highlight their campaign for legal changes and justice for families of heinous crimes.
They also briefly met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson just minutes before his cabinet started to crumble – signalling the end of his premiership. Meanwhile, West Yorkshire Police has been carrying out a review into Ryan’s case and an update is expected next month.
Video footage courtesy of Andrew Shergold at B.O.B - Bunch of Bikers
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