CUDDLING her son’s favourite football shirt, Kim Morgan’s heart breaks all over again.
The mum had endured five long and lonely years without her son Ryan-Liam Morgan after a long and painful custody battle. And when she finally received news that he may be coming home, he was brutally killed by his own father.
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Ryan was only 14 years old when his father, Daniel Burba, 32, crashed a van whilst high on drugs and killed him.
Tragically in the moments before his death, Ryan tried to grab the wheel and take control, whilst his father had a cocaine-induced seizure.
Burba was jailed for 10 years earlier this month but Kim was horrified to learn he could be eligible for release in 6 and a half years and may be allowed to drive again in the future.
Kim is now campaigning for Ryan’s Law which would prevent killer drivers from ever being allowed to drive again.
Mum of three Kim, 38, from Kendal, Cumbria, says: “Ryan was a lovely boy, he was my eldest child, my only son, and he had dreams of becoming a policeman.
“Daniel had no driving licence, no insurance, he was high on drugs and yet he drove on the motorway with my son. Ryan must have been so scared, trying to save their lives.
“Nothing will bring him back but I want the law to change to protect others. I recently applied for permission to appeal the sentence, but that was turned down.
“It beggars belief that six years in prison and a driving test is an appropriate punishment.
“Nothing will bring my son back, but I hope I can save other lives in his memory.”
‘He spent all his money on drugs’
Kim and Burba met in 2009 at a party in Lancaster.
She says: “He seemed nice at first and we hadn’t been together long when I fell pregnant.
“It was a big surprise but I was over the moon. Daniel seemed happy but after Ryan was born, he changed his mind and didn’t want the responsibility.
“We didn’t live together and Daniel saw Ryan once or twice a month, usually at his mum’s house.”
By the time Ryan was four, Kim and Burba had split for good.
She says: “It seemed to me that he had no interest in being a dad.
“His mum was always very supportive to us, but Daniel just didn’t seem to care.
“He didn’t help me financially and instead spent his money on partying. I knew he was using drugs, and I didn’t want him around Ryan so I ended it.”
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Kim went to have two more children, Summer, now 13, and Primrose, now 10.
She says: “Ryan was a typical little boy, he loved football and was a big Liverpool FC fan.
“He liked cars, his favourites were BMWs. He was a great dancer, he won competitions for street dance.
“He was very affectionate, he loved cuddles and was protective and gentle with his little sisters.
“He saw his dad on and off because we stayed in touch with Daniel’s mum and other family members, who always made a fuss of Ryan and welcomed us.”
Early in 2020, Burba invited Ryan to spend the weekend with him.
Kim says: “I was wary but never thought Daniel would do anything to put his son at risk.
“By now, he’d married and settled down, and I thought he would be mature, and it might be good for Ryan to get to know him.”
A few weeks later, Ryan was with his father when the Covid lockdown began.
Kim says: “Daniel told me I wasn’t allowed to pick him up because of the lockdown. I sent some money, and I spoke to Ryan on Daniel’s phone.
“The lockdown dragged on and Daniel started saying I wasn’t allowed to talk to Ryan, he didn’t want to see me, and I should leave them alone.
I used to walk around the town centre, hoping to see him. It was very hard
Kim Morgan
“I was frantic. There was nothing I could do until after lockdown and then I made an application through the courts which took ages because of the backlog.
“By the time my case was heard Ryan had been with Daniel over a year and had apparently told social workers he wanted to stay there. I was distraught.
“I didn’t think Daniel was the right person to bring him up. Ryan was 10 years old, very impressionable, and I worried Daniel was manipulating him and lying to him.”
For the next four years, Kim was in and out of court, trying to persuade Burba to let her see her son.
She says: “I was heartbroken, I missed him so much, and his sisters missed him too. I didn’t even know where they lived, they moved around a lot and Ryan was always moving schools.
“I got a report from a school in Blackpool, and I didn’t even know he was living there. Daniel didn’t allow Ryan on social media and wouldn’t let me have his mobile number so I had no direct contact.
“I kept sending money and cards, but I don’t know if he ever got them. I used to walk around the town centre, hoping to see him. It was very hard.”
‘Died in terror’
Early in 2025, Kim heard from a relative that Ryan was making plans to return home to her.
She says: “That really gave me hope. He was 14 and maybe starting to question some of the things Daniel was telling him.
“Before Easter, I contacted Daniel and asked for an address to send some money to Ryan. I felt more positive than I had for ages.”
But on Easter Sunday afternoon, Kim got the news that the unthinkable had happened.
She says: “I had seen a news update that there was a serious accident on the motorway.
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“Two police officers came to say Ryan had been killed on the M6 when the van he was in left the road and hit a tree. I was shell-shocked, I just couldn’t take it in.
“I was pleading to see him but had to wait days because of the investigation.
“I was told Daniel had been driving and he was in hospital but at that point, I thought it was an accident.”
Three days later, Kim says she received a call from Burba in which he insisted the collision was not his fault.
He was arrested later that day and appeared before Preston Crown Court earlier this month charged with causing death by dangerous driving, death by driving a vehicle while unlicensed, death by driving a vehicle whilst uninsured and drug driving.
The court heard that weeks before the fatal collision Burba had been told he was not allowed to drive because of epilepsy. The condition was made worse by his use of illegal drugs.
The court heard he was four times over the limit for cocaine and its derivative benzoylecgonine. He was also found to amphetamine in his system. He had no driving licence or insurance.
Burba had suffered an epileptic fit moments before the collision, aggravated by his use of cocaine.
I’d like Ryan to be remembered with love, and if we can change the law in his name, I think he’d be proud
Kim Morgan
The court was told Ryan had ‘died in terror’ as he tried to take the wheel in the final moments of his life.
Burba was jailed for 10 years and banned from driving for 14 years and five months. He was told he must take an extended re-test if he ever wants to get behind the wheel again.
Jailing Burba, Preston Crown Court Judge Robert Altham told him he had made a “deliberate decision” to drive and “disregarded the lives of others”.
Kim says: “There were so many reasons he should not have been driving that day, but he ignored them all.
“It breaks my heart to think how frightened Ryan must have been in the crash. I wish so much I could have told him I loved him; I hope he knew how much I missed him every day.
“Daniel lied and manipulated to keep us apart in those final few years and now we will be apart forever. As Ryan’ dad, he should have looked after him, and instead, he took his life. I can never forgive that.”
Kim is now campaigning for Ryan’s Law which would ensure killer drivers are never allowed behind the wheel of a car again.
She says: “I’d like Ryan to be remembered with love, and if we can change the law in his name, I think he’d be proud.”
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