The trial of a Dudley man accused of murdering 24-year-old footballer Ryan Passey at a Stourbridge nightspot begins today.

19 year-old Kobe Murray, of The Broadway, pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before Birmingham Crown Court on September 5.

Ryan, of Stockwell Avenue, Quarry Bank, died in hospital after he was stabbed in Chicago’s in The Ryemarket on August 6 last year.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.