Makki coroner urged to give unlawful killing ruling
THE family of Yousef Makki have urged a coroner considering his fatal 2019 stabbing to return an unlawful killing verdict.
Yousef, a 17-year-old bursary student at Manchester Grammar School from Burnage, died after being stabbed in the heart by friend Joshua Molnar in Hale Barns, Trafford, on March 2, 2019.
Mr Molnar, also 17 at the time but now 20, from Hale, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Giving evidence on Friday, he insisted he could not recall whether he or Yousef had pulled out a knife first and he described the incident as ‘a really small clash.’
Yesterday his QC insisted the death was a ‘terrible accident.’
At his 2019 trial Mr Molnar admitted possessing the knife which inflicted the fatal injury, as well as lying to police at the scene. He was sentenced to a 16-month detention and training order before being released last February.
His co-defendant Adam Chowdhary, also 17 at the time but now 19, from Hale Barns, was acquitted of perverting the course of justice and told police he did not see what had happened.
He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife.
As the sixth day of the inquest began at Stockport Coroners’ Court, Senior South Manchester Coroner Alison Mutch was urged by the Makki family to return an unlawful killing verdict.
Pete Weatherby QC, for the Makki family, referred the coroner to recent case law which he said changed the burden of proof that had to be applied in two specific verdicts – unlawful killing and suicide – from ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ to the ‘balance of probabilities.’ It ‘definitively’ changed the burden of proof to be applied, he said.
The QC added that the fact Joshua Molnar was acquitted at trial ‘is irrelevant here’ and he noted that an unlawful killing verdict was not ‘framed’ against any named individual in coroners’ courts.
“We say it’s definitively not inconsistent with the criminal verdicts in this case for there to be a finding of unlawful killing verdict,” said Mr Weatherby.
Nicholas Corsellis QC, for Chowdhary, argued any conclusion reached could not be ‘inconsistent’ with verdicts from previous criminal proceedings.
He said the realistic conclusion that can be reached ‘is the question of accident,’ and not lawful or unlawful killing.
Alistair Webster QC, for Molnar, argued the law would be ‘brought into disrepute’ if there was an unlawful killing verdict which, in this case, could only refer to someone who has been previously acquitted, his client.
He said he had told the 2019 jury it
was a ‘terrible accident’ and he said this was the conclusion he invited the coroner to consider.
The inquest resumes tomorrow afternoon when Ms Mutch will deliver her conclusions.