Yousef Makki inquest set to be re-examined by judges

The family of a teenager stabbed to death in Hale Barns has won the right to have a judicial review into his inquest.

17-year-old Yousef Makki was stabbed with a flick knife on the evening of March 2nd 2019.

Joshua Molnar, who was also 17 at the time, was cleared of his murder and manslaughter following a trial at Manchester Crown Court four months later.

He claimed self-defence and told the jury that knives were produced after they argued and there was a "coming together".

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

Lawyers for the Makki family at the inquest into Yousef's death argued that because the standard of proof in a criminal trial is "beyond reasonable doubt" while the standard during inquests is lower, being "on the balance of probabilities", the coroner could conclude Yousef was unlawfully killed.

Alistair Webster QC, representing Molnar at the inquest, in final legal submissions to the coroner, said Yousef's death was simply a "terrible accident."

Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Greater Manchester South, following a week of evidence last November, concluded she could not be sure of the "precise sequence of events" and ruled out both unlawful killing and accidental death as a conclusion.

'Coroner failed to consider central matters to the case'

Today, Matthew Stanbury, representing the Makki family at a hearing at the High Court in Manchester claimed the coroner's ruling, that what happened could not be known, was "inevitable" due to the failure to analyse and "grapple" with central issues in the case.

He asked for permission for a judicial review in the hope of holding a fresh inquest in due course before the chief coroner or a judge.

Mrs Justice Heather Williams granted permission for the judicial review. After she left the courtroom a round of applause broke out from the Makki family and supporters.

Yousef's father, Ghaleb Makki, said: "There's still a long way to go but it's a small step in the right direction."

Mr Stanbury said: "Today is a significant step forward and we are optimistic about getting a fresh inquest."

A date and venue for the judicial review has yet to be determined.

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