Ryan Passey: Police probe of Stourbridge killing under review

Ryan Passey died in hospital after he was stabbed at a Stourbridge nightclub

West Midlands Police's handling of a case in which a man was killed in a nightclub is to be reviewed by another force.

The review will focus on the efforts to find those responsible for the stabbing of Ryan Passey in Stourbridge in 2017.

A year later, a man was tried and found not guilty of Mr Passey's murder, and was also cleared of manslaughter.

Mr Passey's family had raised concerns over the police investigation.

They had also called for a change in the law to allow more grounds to appeal against acquittals in criminal cases.

The review of the West Midlands force's work will examine "additional lines of inquiry potentially missed during the initial police investigation".

The plans were revealed in a letter between West Midlands Police assistant chief constable Vanessa Jardine and Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb.

Family spokesperson Jason Connon said the announcement was a "positive move forward in the fight to finally achieve justice for Ryan".

Mr Passey, 24, from Brierley Hill, was stabbed in the heart

The force's communication with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will also be examined, along with the "sustainment of investigative effort throughout the process," the letter said.

In the correspondence, Ms Jardine added: "I remain confident all appropriate avenues were explored in the investigation of Ryan Passey's death and the evidence presented to the CPS was strong enough to secure a conviction.

"I would like to reiterate the disappointment we feel in relation to the acquittal."

Mr Passey was fatally wounded in Chicago's nightclub in Stourbridge in August 2017. The 24-year-old was stabbed in the heart.

Ms Webb, Conservative, who first called for a review in early 2020, said the news was "better late than never," criticising the force for taking nearly a month to officially announce the review "after telling myself and the family it would do so" - a delay for which Ms Jardine apologised in the letter.

A separate civil case, in which the family is seeking a verdict of unlawful killing, is due to conclude in November.