Where’s the justice for my son?
Heartbroken father collapses in court after jury clears teen of killing his 17-year-old public schoolboy son in drugs feud
A FATHER collapsed in court yesterday after a teenager was cleared of murdering his public schoolboy son.
After the jury returned its verdict, Ghaleb Makki swore and shouted from the public gallery: ‘Where’s the justice, there’s no justice for my son.’
He then fainted and needed medical treatment. The judge, Mr Justice Bryan, was forced to pause proceedings at Manchester Crown Court to restore calm.
Yousef Makki, 17, was stabbed to death in Hale Barns, a Cheshire village popular with wealthy footballers and celebrities.
Jurors took six hours to clear a 17-year-old, known as Boy A, of both the murder and manslaughter of the Manchester Grammar School pupil who wanted to be a heart surgeon.
Boy A and co-defendant Boy B, also 17, were found not guilty of conspiracy to rob. Neither can be named because of their age.
Yousef became friends with the defendants, both from wealthy families, through his private school connections.
The prosecution had claimed the fight in which Yousef was stabbed – with a serrated 5in flick knife – followed an attempt to rob a drug dealer which was unsuccessful and ended up with Boy A being beaten up.
Boy A claimed he stabbed Yousef because Yousef pulled a knife on him in the incident on March 2. Nicholas Johnson, prosecuting, said Boy A’s actions, which left Yousef with a wound through his heart, were the ‘ petulant, malicious response of a wannabe hard man who had lost face’.
The QC added: ‘ Stabbing in the chest went way beyond anything which was reasonable or justified. It suits both defendants to say that Yousef had a knife – someone who cannot speak for himself.’
The court was shown social media pictures and videos of Boy A brandishing knives at other youngsters. He told jurors he smoked cannabis and carried a knife because it was ‘cool’. But Alastair Webster QC, defending Boy A, showed a video of Yousef talking in gangster slang making references to knives and threatening to stab Boy B in a previous argument.
Mr Webster also played CCTV showing Yousef shadow boxing with the two defendants.
He said the ‘silliness’ shown in the social media videos showed the stabbing was an ‘accident waiting to happen’.
He added: ‘Juvenile gangsters playing around with knives. What’s going on with a whole generation of children with the advantage of good families and good education?
‘They appear to have led douhim. Father: Ghaleb Makki ble lives, living out idiotic fantasies. Talking in stupid jive talk. Idiotic, juvenile, pathetic, but not sinister – stupid.’
Calling each other ‘Bro’ and ‘Fam’, the defendants smoked cannabis, listened to rap or drill music and Boy A posted videos on social media posing with his ‘shanks’ (knives).
Yousef ’ s anguished family criticised the court process saying his character was unfairly blackened and they were denied a chance to give character evidence on his behalf.
There were only three knives at the scene of Yousef’s death, one of which was Boy A’s. The other two weapons, identical flick knives, were purchased illegally online and brought along by Boy B, one of which was given to Boy A.
Yousef’s mother Debbie said: ‘We have had to listen to these claims but we have not been able to speak up for Yousef. We have not been able to defend It seems completely wrong and has been hard to bear. Boy B was able to have character evidence read about him, so why not Yousef? The jury also wasn’t told about Boy A being expelled from school aged five. He was expelled from three or four schools.
‘Yousef went to the boxing gym but the shadow boxing, that was play fighting. The only evidence about Yousef having a knife is from the defendants.
‘It was drummed into Yousef’s head not to do knives.
‘He used to say “I do boxing. I can handle myself, I don’t need to carry knives”.’
Mrs Makki, a drug and alcohol counsellor from Burnage in south Manchester, added: ‘He has been unfairly portrayed. His sixth-form tutor said she would gladly stand up in court and tell everyone how wonderful he was.
‘Dr Martin Boulton, the high master at Manchester Grammar School, wanted to give a character statement but was told it wasn’t needed.
‘Yousef was so well respected that 3,500 people went to his funeral and Manchester Grammar School have planted a tree with a plaque in his memory.
‘They have only ever done that once before, for a well-respected teacher. Why would they do that if he was a bad lad?’
Yousef scored straight A* grades in GCSEs at his £12,000-a-year private school and was preparing to apply to Oxford University.
In a statement, the parents of Boy A said: ‘The jury came to proper conclusions based on the evidence. There are, however, no winners in this case.
‘Yousef’s death was a tragedy and our son will have to live with the responsibility of his role for the rest of his life.’
Police say character evidence about Yousef was not used because he was not on trial.
Boy B was found not guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice – a charge that Boy A admitted. Both admitted possessing knives. They will be sentenced on July 25.
‘Petulant and malicious’ ‘No winners in this case’