Teresa Ryan, from Birmingham, is campaigning for bail law reform after the man convicted of killing her son fled to Pakistan before his trial and has never served a day of his sentence. Rashad Ali, 30, from Slough, was found guilty in his absence of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to five years in prison, but had already escaped the country.
Fatal Crash on Battersea Bridge
Jack Ryan, 29, was struck by a Range Rover driven by Rashad Ali near Battersea Bridge in west London on 13 January 2021. The marketing executive, who was out for a jog, suffered catastrophic injuries and died. Ali had been travelling at nearly double the 20mph speed limit at the time of the collision. Jack was expecting to become a father before his death.
Conviction in Absence
Rashad Ali was convicted in his absence following a trial at the Old Bailey. He was sentenced to five years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. However, he had already fled to Pakistan before the trial could take place. Ali is believed to have married and has been spotted travelling overseas, including to Dubai.
Family's Campaign for Justice
Jack's family have launched a campaign calling for defendants charged with "serious offences" to be made to hand over their passports as a condition of bail. The passport campaign was spearheaded by Jack's sister Ciara. His mother Teresa told BirminghamLive that her family 'would have been able to move on' had justice been properly served.
"I would have been happy if he had served his sentence," she said. "We've said all along that Ali didn't go out that morning to deliberately kill Jack. He made a couple of very bad choices in his driving which caused the accident. If he stood in court, acknowledged his mistakes, and taken the sentence, that would have been almost acceptable for us. We would have been able to move on if he had taken his sentence. Because that hasn't happened, you just think this is so unfair that he is living a life. We think Mr Ali married in Pakistan and is making a new life for himself. We have no faith he will ever return to this country, voluntarily."
Petition for Bail Law Change
Teresa expressed gratitude to journalist Rob McGibbon for his assistance in bringing Jack's story to Channel 4's Dispatches programme. With the petition now standing at 2,019 signatures, Teresa believes a change in legislation would deliver 'some sort of message from Jack that something good has come out of this'. She explained: "The bail law is fundamentally flawed. People need to be aware that, just because someone is meant to appear in court, it doesn't mean they will. People should not be able to go to another country and walk away from their responsibilities. The law would bring me some sort of message from Jack that something good has come out of this which will help other people. It's an empty situation when you go to court and you know the person isn't going to pay the price because he's not there. I wouldn't want anyone to go through this."
The petition will stay open until December 22, 2026.
