Family of teenager stabbed in fight with his friend win appeal for new inquest into his death
20 January 2023, 15:54
A new inquest has been ordered into the death of a teenager who was stabbed to death after a row with his friend in 2019.
Yousef Makki, 17, was stabbed after a fight with his friend, Joshua Molnar, also 17 at the time, on the evening of March 2, 2019.
Yousef's family have been campaigning for another inquest into his death, and brought a judicial review in 2022, which challenged the coroners original finding that there was an insufficiency of evidence on whether the killing was unlawful.
Molnar, from a wealthy Cheshire family, was cleared of murder and manslaughter by a jury at his trial in 2019.
After a two-week inquest in November 2021, Alison Mutch, senior coroner for south Manchester, ruled out both unlawful killing and accidental death as reasons for Yousef's death.
Ms Mutch said she could not establish the precise sequence of events leading up to the fatal incident.
Following the decision to open a second inquest, Jade Akoum, Yousef's older sister, said outside the court: "We are very grateful to the judges for today recognising that the coroner's conclusion was unlawful, and for the compassion and understanding that they showed us during the judicial review hearing.
"We now look forward to a new inquest before a different coroner, which we hope and pray will establish clearly the facts about how Yousef died."
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Peter Weatherby KC, representing the family of Yousef Makki at the original inquest in November 2021, said there were "discrepancies" between what was said in court during the trial and the version of events given at the inquest.
Mr Wetherby told the judicial review hearing: "This is a death caused by an unlawful weapon brandished in the street by Joshua Molnar and unless there was some terrible accident or unless Yousef Makki put him in fear, this was an unlawful killing and the coroner simply fails to address those issues in her decision."
Molnar had claimed self-defence and told his trial that knives were produced after they argued and there was a "coming together", the court heard.
Molnar, Yousef and another youth, Adam Chowdhary, then 17, had all carried knives that night.
Yousef had become friends with Chowdhary, whose family own property and businesses, while at Manchester Grammar School.
All three acted out the role of "middle class gangsters", Molnar's trial heard.
Chowdhary told police he did not see what had happened between Yousef and Molnar.
Molnar was jailed for 16 months for possession of a knife in a public place and perverting the course of justice by lying to police.
Chowdhary was cleared of perverting the course of justice by the jury at his trial but admitted possession of a flick knife and was given a four-month detention order.
A date for the new inquest has yet to be made.
