John Ryan

John is a specialist criminal barrister with 28 years' experience.  He is an excellent tactician and a robust, charismatic, and persuasive jury advocate. His commitment to clients has consistently produced excellent results.  He is respected for his thorough preparation and meticulous approach to cases. He has extensive experience of criminal cases ranging from homicide, rape (including significant experience of defending and prosecuting historic sex allegations), kidnapping, blackmail, drugs conspiracies, to fraud and money laundering offences. His practice is evenly balanced between defence and prosecution, and John has been a Grade 4 prosecutor since 2008, and is a rape panel advocate on the Wales and Western Circuits.

​John has been instructed in an extensive number of rape cases, many involving historic complaints and children. Other cases have included kidnapping and rape, gang rape, male rape, indecent assaults on adults and children, bestiality, and indecent images of children.   He has also undertaken a vast number of cases involving serious violence, including: murder, attempted murder, serious GBH, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and large scale violent disorder.   Drug offences have included conspiracies to import and to supply Class A and B drugs involving undercover and anonymous witnesses, and John has defended in numerous cases following police operations involving organised crime groups, and recently in a case concerning over 150 kg of diamorphine and cocaine.

Called to the Bar 1997

Member of Gray’s Inn

Assistant Coroner for Coventry and Warwickshire from 2008 - 2019

CPS Grade 4 Prosecutor since 2008, and appointed to the Rape Panels for the Wales and Western Circuits

Member of the Criminal Bar Association