JACK Ryan’s sister went to court for every one of the nine days that the speeding driver who killed her brother was meant to be on trial – and every day she faced an empty dock.
Ciara Ryan, 34, along with the rest of her family listened as Rashid Ali’s barrister offered various excuses for why he could not attend from “stress” to visa issues.
Jack Ryan was out for a run when he was hit by Rashid Ali Credit: The Chelsea Citizen
The Ryan family are campaigning for a change in bail law Credit: RyanFamily:TheChelseaCitizen
On September 13, 2024, Ali was sentenced in his absence to five years for causing death by dangerous driving.
He is still to serve any of his sentence after he absconded to Pakistan before his trial, leaving Jack’s family without justice for his death.
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The judge said he would be jailed should he return to the UK – but he never has, and has instead been living a globe-trotting life.
Heartbroken Ciara told The Jattvibe she is “taunted” by Ali appearing to show off his “luxurious life” on social media.
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Rashid Ali absconded to Pakistan and has been posting about his life on social media Credit: Facebook:TheChelseaCitizen
Jack’s partner Liz Austin (left) with Jack and Ciara Ryan Credit: The Chelsea Citizen
Jack was hit by Ali’s Range Rover which was driving at twice the speed limit Credit: RyanFamily:TheChelseaCitizen
Jack and Liz were booked in for an embryo transfer appointment the week after he died Credit: RyanFamily:TheChelseaCitizen
And this includes trips to Dubai where he stayed in a hotel in the Burj Khalifa – all while claiming he is terminally ill and can’t return to the UK.
Jack’s family are now calling for a change in law which would make handing over your passport mandatory in a campaign called Justice for Jack Ryan.
Ali has previously insisted he would return to the UK – and said he could return in 2027, shamelessly adding he felt “sorry” for the family when confronted over a phone call.
Ciara told The Jattvibe: ” In an ideal world, justice would be Mr Ali doing the moral thing and coming back and and serving time for his sentence, failing that, it would look like the measures being taken to extradite him and to bring him to the UK to to face his sentence.”
Jack was out for a run near his home in London at around 6pm on January 13, 2021.
While crossing the road by Battersea Bridge he was hit by Ali’s Range Rover and thrown into the air before landing in front of the car.
Ali called the emergency services but despite best efforts, Jack could not be saved and was declared dead at the scene at 6.36pm.
Ali – aged 26 at the time – and in the UK on a student visa – had driven through the traffic lights at 42mph while they were amber, despite them changing when he was 50 metres from the junction.
This was twice the area’s 20mph speed limit – and Ali originally told cops he was doing 30mph and had passed the light when it was green.
It took more than a year for Ali to be charged over Jack’s death Ciara said and due to delays from the pandemic, the trial at the Old Bailey did not begin in his absence until July 30, 2024.
Two days before the trial opened, Ciara said the police called her family with “good news and bad news” – telling them the while the trial was going ahead, Ali was not in the UK.
One of his reasons was said to be “stress”.
Ciara said: “It felt, pretty unbelievable that that was the reason.
“And look, I can also appreciate the amount of stress that he would have been under, and I also wanna say I know that he didn’t go out that day with the intention of killing somebody, and I’ve always said that.
“But I think there’s a selfishness that he has approached this with, which is thinking about himself and not thinking about us in any way, because, whatever stress he feels is nothing compared to what we’ve been through.”
What followed was a “farce” Ciara said, as the trial continued with no defendant and the jury could not be told the reason for his absence.
Jack’s family were left watching Ali’s movements on social media Credit: C4
The judge sentences Ali to five years for causing death by dangerous driving Credit: RyanFamily:TheChelseaCitizen
She said: “It feels again out of balance and that it’s almost balanced in the defendant’s favour, because the real reason that he’s not there is that he was too cowardly to attend his trial, but if you’re a jury and you don’t know that.”
Ciara said the delays gave Ali “confidence” and “gave him a period of time to live freely and to obviously think about what it would be like to continue living like that.”
She added: “I think the moment I knew that he wasn’t coming to court, that he wouldn’t be coming back at all.”
After the court proceedings, the Crown Prosecution Service barrister wished the family good luck with getting Ali back to the UK.
Ciara said “I had assumed that they would be helping us, so that made us feel very on our own.”
The constant updates and support stopped Ciara said and her family were left to navigate an “absolute minefield”.
“We have no real insight into what’s happening, no real sense of progress” she added.
Instead Jack’s family were left watching Ali’s movements on social media and reading his comments on news about the case in what feels like “a slap in the face”.
Ciara said she has even shown some of the posts to the CPS – in bid to spark them into action.
According to Ali’s social media has has gotten married since returning to Pakistan Credit: Facebook:TheChelseaCitizen
Ciara Ryan on Dispatches earlier this year Credit: Supplied
A Channel 4 Dispatches documentary broadcast in June found Ali had since travelled from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, got married and even allegedly returned to the UK since being charged.
When the programme’s host Matt Shea managed to speak to Ali on the phone he claimed he was terminally ill with “tuberculosis and some other health issues.”
This, Ciara said she “found hard to believe” having seen “the social media of him living a very free and luxurious life.”
Ali said he had travelled to Saudi Arabia to complete the Islamic pilgrimage Umrah.
He told the programme that he “feels sorry” for Jack’s family and has informed the authorities he will “definitely” return in 2027.
While the family wanted to give the CPS and the police time to bring Ali back, after two years, Ciara said “that’s not happening, hence the need for us to try and take matters into our own hands.”
She added: “If his conscience is not weighing on him, then, nothing else is putting pressure on him at the moment.”
“The more that has been revealed around like Mr Ali and the life that he’s like living quite freely, the more I feel that sense of I need to do something because it just feels so unfair and so unjust.”
Jack’s family went to court every day and faced an empty defendant’s dock Credit: RyanFamily:TheChelseaCitizen
Rashid Ali told Dispatches he is terminally ill but would return to face justice next year Credit: The Chelsea Citizen
Ciara added that the current justice system is not working for victims and their families.
She said: “I’m frustrated by the fact that as loudly as I shout, no, no one is able to help.”
Having never interacted with the justice system before, Ciara trusted it would have all the correct measures in place but her experience has left her feeling failed.
Jack’s family are now campaigning for a change in law which would make handing over your passport mandatory.
The petition was launched alongside The Chelsea Citizen, after editor Rob McGibbon witnessed the aftermath of the collision, and calls for passport surrender to be an automatic bail condition.
The amendments have since gained support from Lord Michael Howard, who was home secretary when the 1993 Bail Act was passed.
In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, he asked: “The loophole is obviously something I should have thought of when I took the 1994 (sic) legislation through Parliament and much regret that I didn’t. Can you remedy my oversight.”
Gemma Davies Associate Professor in Criminal Law at Durham University said Pakistan can feel like a “safe haven” as there is no extradition treaty with the UK.
She added that “the more serious the offence the more likely someone would consider absconding to avoid a prison sentence”.
To prevent this “prosecutors need to ensure they have the right information about the Defendant” when bail conditions are set.
Jack, who now would be 34, and his partner Liz Austin were just one week from their first embryo transfer appointment when he was killed.
Liz gave birth to a daughter using embryos from before Jack’s death, in December 2021.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “The death of Jack Ryan was a wholly avoidable tragedy, and we ensured Rashid Ali was convicted in his absence for causing death by dangerous driving.
“The basis for applying for particular bail conditions is set out in the Bail Act which we considered carefully – this included taking into account Ali’s attendance at his previous court hearings – but final decisions about bail are ultimately a matter for the court.
“Our thoughts remain with Jack Ryan’s friends and family for their loss.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Jack’s family who are understandably still coming to terms with their loss. A specialist officer remains in place to provide them with support, as well as any relevant investigative updates.
“We understand the frustration when a defendant flees the country while on bail, and the distressing impact on the victim’s family.
“We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“We cannot comment on extradition proceedings.”
The Jattvibe reached out to the solicitor who represented Ali during the trial – and attempted to contact him via friends on social media, with his personal accounts now hidden.
The Jattvibe has also reached out to Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior for comment.
