A Sister's Fight for Justice
The sister of Yousef Makki, a promising public schoolboy stabbed to death by his friend in 2019, has delivered a powerful plea for fundamental changes to Britain's criminal justice system. Jade Akoum described how her 17-year-old brother's background from a Manchester council estate, his musical tastes and passion for boxing were deliberately 'weaponised' during the trial to portray him as the aggressor.
The Fatal Confrontation and Controversial Acquittal
On March 2, 2019, in the affluent area of Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, Yousef Makki was fatally stabbed during a confrontation with Joshua Molnar, also 17 at the time. Molnar, who came from a wealthy family, was subsequently cleared of both murder and manslaughter after claiming self-defence. Despite his acquittal on the more serious charges, Molnar was jailed for 16 months after admitting to lying to police and possessing a knife in public.
Ms Akoum, speaking during a discussion about inequalities in the criminal justice system at Manchester University, revealed how the experience shattered her family's faith in British justice. "Before 2019, our family had never set foot inside a criminal court nor had any involvement with the police at all," she said. "We had been raised to trust the system and we had full confidence in the British justice system and that it would deliver and hold accountability."
The 'Character Assassination' in Court
The grieving sister detailed how her family was systematically marginalised throughout the legal process. Her late mother Debbie, who suffered from crippling arthritis, and Yousef's father Ghaleb, who used crutches, were forced to watch proceedings from an upstairs gallery behind a glass screen. From this position, they struggled to hear what was happening and had no privacy.
Ms Akoum described the ordeal of witnessing what she called a 'character assassination' of her brother, with no opportunity to present positive evidence about his achievements. A request for the headteacher at the prestigious Manchester Grammar School - where Yousef was a scholarship pupil achieving top grades with ambitions to become a heart surgeon - to give a character statement was ignored.
"They had painted a picture of him that was so far from the truth, as if his background made him unworthy of protection," Ms Akoum stated. "His passion was boxing. This was used to portray him as the aggressor." She emphasised that his achievements in coming from the Burnage council estate and winning a scholarship to attend a prestigious school "were not celebrated but weaponised at the trial."
The Long Road to Truth
The family's ordeal continued long after the criminal trial. They faced an "exhausting and humiliating" battle to raise funds for representation at a later inquest in 2021, as they had no right to legal aid. The initial inquest recorded a narrative verdict, finding "insufficient evidence" to determine whether Yousef's death was accidental or an unlawful killing.
Undeterred, the family took their case to the High Court, which quashed the verdict and ordered a second inquest. Finally, in November 2023, the new coroner found that Yousef had been unlawfully killed by Molnar, who had inflicted a six-inch wound through his victim's heart. The coroner specifically found there was no evidence to support claims that Yousef had been armed with a weapon - a key assertion by Molnar's expensive defence team during the criminal trial.
The coroner also criticised fellow Manchester Grammar School pupil Adam Chowdhary, who was present during the stabbing, describing him as an "unimpressive witness" who appeared "somewhat afraid" of Molnar. Chowdhary, from a wealthy Hale Barns family, was jailed for four months for possessing a knife.
The Human Cost and Call for Change
The emotional and physical toll on the Makki family has been devastating. Yousef's mother Debbie died of sepsis just 14 months after her son's death, while Ms Akoum herself suffered a stroke. "We were pulled into a world of procedure and questions when our hearts were already so heavy," Ms Akoum reflected. "No family should have to balance their pain with the weight of fighting to be heard."
Although the second inquest delivered what she described as an "amazing and wonderful" verdict, Ms Akoum stressed that "it's not justice, really. The defendant couldn't be tried again, we had answers but no accountability."
She posed fundamental questions about the justice system: "Why are some victims portrayed more sympathetically than others? Why are certain backgrounds, certain accents, certain postcodes, treated with suspicion and bias? And why in a system meant to deliver justice do so many families walk away feeling betrayed?"
Pete Weatherby of Garden Court Chambers, who represented Yousef's family at both inquests, suggested that the answer to what went wrong could be summarised in "three short words: race and class." He described Yousef as "a high-achieving young man who was destined for great things" whose life was "tragically cut short by a boy from an extremely privileged family."
The Ministry of Justice acknowledged the family's ordeal, stating that their "thoughts are with Jade Akoum following the devastating loss of her brother" and promising to consult on an improved Victims' Code. The Crown Prosecution Service maintained that they "challenged the defence's efforts to introduce bad character evidence about Yousef Makki" and are working to improve how they engage with bereaved families.
Ms Akoum's powerful conclusion serves as both a tribute to her brother and a call to action: "Yousef's story is not just about one life lost, it's about what happens when accountability falters, when justice bends for some but not for others. We owe it not just to Yousef but to every person who believes in fairness to demand better from our justice system."
