Mother dies a year after son’s fatal stabbing
Family heartbroken at losing mother who ‘never got over’ 17-year-old son being killed in knife attack
THE mother of a promising school pupil, who was stabbed to death in an affluent Cheshire village last year, has died after struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, her family have confirmed.
Yousef Makki, 17, a scholarship student at Manchester Grammar School, who dreamed of becoming a surgeon, was stabbed in the heart by his friend Joshua Molnar, 18, during a fight in Hale Barns on March 2 last year.
The death of Debbie Makki, at the age of 55, was confirmed yesterday. In a statement, her family said she had been unable to deal with the grief and trauma of losing her son in violent circumstances.
They said she had also struggled to deal with the isolation of life under lockdown.
Her family said: “It is with a broken heart that we have to share this devastating news: our beloved mum and nana died in the early hours of this morning. She was rushed to hospital via ambulance two days ago after strug- gling at home. The doctors told us she was critical. She was not strong enough to fight.
“Lockdown isolated my mum from her grandchildren who kept her going, and she had too much time to think about the loss of Yousef – and the stark injustice and inhumane treatment of our family that followed.”
Molnar was cleared of Yousef ’s mur- der and manslaughter following a trial last July when he claimed he acted in self-defence. He admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice and was given 16 months in custody. Adam Chowdhary, 18, was convicted of possession of a knife and given a four-month detention order. He was cleared of perverting the course of justice, and along with Molnar was found not guilty of a single charge of conspiracy to robbery.
Mrs Makki’s family said she had been left wondering why Molnar and Chowdhary had never contacted her after the killing.
They said: “It kept her awake most nights – she literally never slept. We were unable to be with her in her last moments, just as we were unable to be with Yousef. But they are together now which brings us some comfort. Our world has fallen apart all over again and we are all in complete shock.”
Jade Aksum, Yousef ’s sister, said her mother’s mental and physical health had “deteriorated dramatically” over the past year and she “hadn’t been the same” since Yousef died.
“Her heart was broken and the spark in her eyes had gone. The toll of losing
Yousef was colossal, but the injustice and the constant uphill battle we had to fight meant she never found peace,” she said. “My mum was the strongest, bravest lady I have ever met and we will miss her dearly.”
Ms Makki and the family have been calling for a full inquest into Yousef’s death, and at a pre-inquest hearing in February, Matthew Stanbury, their legal representative, said matters surrounding the teenager’s death “have not been sufficiently aired”.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, wrote on Twitter: “So, so sorry to hear this news. Debbie was such a lovely person and deserved so much more.”