Family and friends of Ryan Passey who was stabbed to death at Chicago's to campaign for Ryan's Law

Those close to the former Stourbridge FC youth player, who died after being stabbed in the chest at the former town nightspot last August, were left in disbelief back in February when Dudley teenager Kobe Murray, who admitted stabbing Ryan, walked free after a jury at Birmingham Crown Court decided he was not guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Since then friends and family have done their utmost to ensure the young entrepreneur (pictured below), who ran his own window cleaning business, is never forgotten.

Together with Ryan's relatives - Jason Connon, who started the Respect for Ryan Campaign on Facebook, has been speaking to police, the CPS, lawyers and MPs about how they may be able to overturn what’s been called a ‘perverse verdict’.

But they are also calling for a change in the law to give families of the victims of serious crime the chance to appeal in cases of so-called 'perverse verdicts' where jurors have, contrary to evidence in presented in court, acquitted the defendant.

Mr Connon said: "At present the prosecution and the victim’s family has no right of appeal against a perverse acquittal by a jury.

"It is currently not a fair or equal judicial system when a judge and jury can be held to be wrong when the accused has been convicted, but are infallible when the accused has been acquitted.

"A Court of Appeal can allow an appeal against conviction if they think the conviction is potentially unsafe. Yet there is no current appeal process that allows an appeal if they think the acquittal is unsafe."

He said it is hoped a Private Members' Bill will be presented to Parliament - calling for the creation of what Ryan's loved ones would like to see named Ryan's Law.

Mr Connon added: "We'll also be launching an online petition via change.org asking for the public to get behind us in support of our campaign to get the law changed."

Meanwhile - Ryan's heartbroken parents Adrian Passey and Gillian Taylor were joined by more than 200 people at a service at St James’s Church in Wollaston, on Sunday, followed by a get-together with live music at The Raven, Caledonia, to mark what would have been Ryan's 25th birthday.

Friends and family also took a trip to Dublin to kick-start their tribute to Ryan from Quarry Bank.

Jason told the News: “Thirty plus of us went out to Dublin to start his birthday celebrations. That was one place he always wanted to go. It was a great weekend, we had a fantastic time."

Ryan's dad Adrian Passey (pictured below) added: "He wanted to do that for his birthday. He always talked about it. It went down really well. We had to celebrate his 25th birthday."

A bench remembering Ryan has also been installed in the grounds of St James’s Church, Wollaston, where the much-loved footballer's funeral was held in September.

Anyone able to help the campaign for justice for Ryan can email getjustice4ryan@gmail.com.