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Yousef Makki’s family win appeal for second inquest into his death

Yousef Makki, 17, was stabbed to death in Hale Barns on 2 March 2019.

Emily Sergeant - 20th January 2023

The family of Yousef Makki have won their appeal to the High Court for a fresh inquest into the teenager’s death.

After months of waiting for a verdict, the Makki family were today told that judges have quashed the judgement, and that their campaign for a fresh inquest has succeeded – with Lady Justice Macur and Mr Justice Fordham having handed down their ruling at the High Court in Manchester.

The judges have now ordered a new inquest before a different coroner.

The verdict comes after 17-year-old Yousef Makki, who was a scholarship student at Manchester Grammar School, was tragically stabbed to death by Joshua Molnar with a flick knife – which the coroner said was purchased online with ease “during break time at school” – during a row they had in the Hale Barns area of Trafford back on the evening of 2 March 2019.

Molnar claimed self-defence and was cleared by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of murder and manslaughter.

He was jailed for 16 months for the possession of a knife in a public place and for perverting the course of justice by lying to police at the scene.

After a week-long inquest took place back in November 2021, Senior Coroner Alison Mutch said she could not safely conclude whether the death was either unlawful or accidental as she was not able to be sure of the “precise sequence of events” on the night.

But Makki’s family has consistently described this previous conclusion as “disgusting”.

Back in May 2022, a judge granted permission for a full judicial review into the inquest, and then in early November last year, the teenager’s family asked the High Court for a fresh inquest into his death, arguing that because the standard of proof in a criminal trial is “beyond reasonable doubt”, they believe that “on the balance of probabilities”, the coroner could conclude Makki was unlawfully killed.

Peter Weatherby KC, who was representing the family at a judicial review hearing at the High Court in Manchester back in November, also questioned the “fanciful” version of events that were presented as having happened on the night.

Mr Weatherby said there were “discrepancies” between evidence heard at the trial and the inquest.

He raised the point that during inquest, Molnar said he was not sure who produced the knife first, but had told the jury in his trial that Makki took his knife out first and he claimed self-defence – which also led Mr Weatherby to questioning the version of events directly after the stabbing.

Read more:

• Family of Yousef Makki asks High Court for fresh inquest into his death
• Coroner who investigated the killing of Yousef Makki calls for action on youth knife culture
• Yousef Makki’s family launch foundation in his name three years after his death

“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,” Mr Weatherby said.

Featured Image – Greater Manchester Police