Legal challenge launched against Director of Public Prosecutions

For almost nine years, our family has lived with the unimaginable pain of losing Ryan. What has compounded that grief is the continued failure of our criminal justice system to fully confront the truth of how and why our son died. The whole point of a criminal justice system is to bring criminals to justice — the guilty should be convicted.

We have now been informed in writing that new evidence, uncovered by West Midlands Police during their reinvestigation into Ryan’s murder, is accepted as both real and reliable. Despite this, the DPP has declined to grant consent for an application to the Court of Appeal. While we respect the office of the DPP and the gravity of such decisions, we cannot accept the reasoning behind this outcome.

We want to place on record our sincere thanks to the Director of Public Prosecutions for meeting with us face-to-face on Monday, 31 March. We recognise and appreciate the time taken to engage with us directly, and we acknowledge the seriousness with which the DPP approached that meeting — even though we profoundly disagree with the decision made.

We have now taken formal legal steps to challenge this decision. A pre-action protocol letter has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and legal papers outlining our claim have been served on the Administrative Court — a branch of the High Court — seeking permission to challenge the DPP,s decision.

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.

We have always maintained that Kobe Murray, now known as Kareem Gayle gave a false account at trial to secure his acquittal. The acknowledgement that new, credible evidence now exists only deepens our sense of injustice. It strengthens our belief that the full truth surrounding Ryan’s death has never been properly tested in court.

Alongside the emotional toll, we now face the harsh reality that pursuing this judicial review will cost our family tens of thousands of pounds. After years of campaigning, examining evidence, and engaging respectfully with every available process, we are once again being told that access to justice comes at an extraordinary financial price. No family that has lost a loved one in such brutal and harrowing circumstances should be forced into such financial hardship simply to have the lawfulness of official decisions properly examined.

We are not asking for guarantees of a conviction. We are asking for transparency, accountability, and the chance for the full truth to be properly considered.

The emotional impact of this journey cannot be overstated. We have been forced to relive Ryan’s death time and again — through a civil trial where the judge concluded Ryan was unlawfully killed, varying media reports, reviews, meetings, and correspondence — all while managing our grief with restraint. We are limited in what we can disclose publicly to avoid jeopardising any potential future legal proceedings. We are a family, not a case study. Being repeatedly told that the truth exists, but cannot yet be acted upon, is both exhausting and deeply distressing for us all.

We have remained polite and respectful. We have been persistent. We have followed every available process to us. Yet time and again, we are met with explanations that appear to prioritise institutional protection over accountability.

Our fight is not only for Ryan. It is for every family that has been told that a clear injustice must simply be endured. 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.

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