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Yousef Makki’s family win appeal for fresh inquest
His family are one step closer to justice.
The family of fatally stabbed teenager from Burnage, Yousef Makki, have won an appeal for a fresh inquest.
Manchester Grammar School pupil Maki, 17, was stabbed by his friend Joshua Molnar, who was also 17 at the time, after a row in Hale Barns in 2019.
In the trial, Molnar was cleared of manslaughter and murder. He was handed a 16-month detention and training order after admitting possessing the knife which inflicted the fatal injury and for lying to police at the scene.
Last year, Yousef’s family were granted a judicial review which has now quashed the original findings.
Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Greater Manchester South, had concluded she could not be sure of the “precise sequence of events” leading to Yousef’s death. But the High Court, sitting in Manchester, has rejected that conclusion.
Yousef’s mum Debbie died in 2020 of ‘a broken heart’. His family, who have continued to fight for justice since 2019, were granted permission for a judicial review last year.
They challenged Ms Mutch’s assertion that there was insufficient evidence on the “central issue” of whether Yousef’s killing had been unlawful.
Peter Weatherby KC, representing the family of Yousef, also questioned the ‘fanciful’ version of events presented as having happened on the night, saying there were ‘discrepancies’ between evidence heard at the trial and the inquest.
He said during the inquest Molnar said he was not sure who produced the knife first, but had told the jury in his trial Yousef took his knife out first, and claimed self-defence. He also questioned the version of events about what happened directly after the stabbing.
Outside court following news that the fresh inquest had been granted, Yousef’s sister Jade Akoum said she was ‘overwhelmed’ since she had been expecting bad news, adding: “They have given us another opportunity and hope, to shine a light on what happened.
“We have been failed by two courts now – the criminal court and the inquest. Finally for two senior judges to give us another chance… it’s amazing.”
She added: “Yousef deserves this – we will carry on.”
Barrister Matt Stanbury who represents the family said: “We hope… there will be a very thorough examination of the evidence; the difficult questions will be allowed to be asked.
“We will be arguing again for an unlawful killing but first and foremost it is about a fair process.”