The family of public schoolboy Yousef Makki have today vowed to pursue a civil case after his killer was released after less than seven months in prison.
Privately-educated Joshua Molnar, 18, admitted to stabbing his friend in the chest in Greater Manchester on March 2, 2019, but argued in court that he acted in self-defence.
He was cleared of murder and manslaughter but was given a 16-month detention order after he admitting possessing an offensive weapon and perverting the course of justice by lying to police.
The victim’s father, Ghaleb Makki, was told last week Molnar had been released less than halfway through his term, in a move he described as ‘the third knife in Yousef’s heart’.
Jade Akoum, pictured, sister of murdered Yousef Makki, was joined by her husband Mazen at a press conference on the anniversary of the teenager’s death
His relatives spoke at a press conference today, marking a year on since the 17-year-old’s death in affluent Hale Barns.
Yousef’s sister, Jade Akoum, and her husband Mazen, read out a statement and took questions from the media at the event at Old Trafford cricket ground in the city, while Yousef’s mother Debbie declined to attend.
Jade and Mazen also called for Adam Chowdhary, the third teenager involved in the case who was recently named after a court ruling was lifted, to get in touch with his account of what happened to ‘give the family some closure’.
Yousef’s sister also told the conference she had heard rumours Molnar had a welcome party at home last week, and that Adam Chowdhary might be sent to start a new life in Dubai.
The family are still hoping for a retrial, but if this fails, plan to launch a civil case.
Jade, who previously described the early release of Molnar a ‘living hell’ said: ‘[The early release is] really insensitive – the victims aren’t listened to, it’s always the perpetrators.
Yousef Makki, left, was stabbed by his friend Joshua Molnar, right, on March 2, 2019
‘Police told us on the morning of the release – we were getting mentally prepared for his release later on in March.
‘Losing Yousef the way we lost him and seeing how money has made such a difference in the case, and the lack of remorse [from Molnar].
‘Mum isn’t good, the early release has knocked her.
‘We are feeling really anxious because we didn’t know if Molnar was on a curfew, and we are worried we’re in danger.
‘We did want to just hide away but today is the perfect time to tell everyone we’re not going to give up.
‘We want a retrial because a lot of the evidence was not put forward in the right way.
‘If we can’t have a retrial, we will be launching a civil case against Molnar to get the answers we didn’t hear from him and Chowdhary.
‘We want to know what Yousef was doing in his last moments to give us closure.
‘As we still don’t truly understand events leading up to death, it is incredibly difficult to focus on what’s next.
Yousef’s sister told reporters in Manchester today she would pursue a civil prosecution case after her brother’s killer, 18-year-old Joshua Molnar, was released after just seven months
‘They get to start over – their backgrounds permit them to disappear from public eye.
‘We hear rumours all the time that Adam might be sent to start a new life in Dubai and apparently Joshua had a welcome party at home when he was released.’
Mazen added: ‘This was really shocking. We only knew on the morning of him being released – the time is literally less than a week before his first memorial.
‘With the release, it’s a third knife in our heart – the first knife was in Yousef and the second was the jury’s decision.’
Jade said she is still hoping there is a retrial of Yousef’s case but if this fails the family still plan to take the case to civil prosecution.
The family also thanked strangers for their support of the Justice for Yousef campaign and said Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had also offered his backing.
They are also advising Greater Manchester Police on knife crime and have plans to launch boxing fundraisers in sport-loving Yousef’s honour.
Devastated father Ghaleb Makki recently described the release of his son’s killer as ‘the third knife in Yousef’s heart’
Jade said: ‘We are hoping now that with Andy Burnham behind us we can get tougher knife crime sentences – we don’t want another family to go through the process we have.
‘There are ongoing investigations and we can’t go into detail about why want to go ahead with a retrial.
‘We are unhappy with the investigations from the police but can’t be clear on what we’re unhappy with yet.
‘He was portrayed as ‘middle class gangster’ in court not as straight-A student who worked very hard for his place in Manchester Grammar School and was a keen boxer.
‘Our son and brother Yousef knew that carrying a knife was not big or clever.
‘We knew his opinions on knifes and he said “I would never carry a knife because I know how to carry myself in a boxing ring”.
Greater Manchester Police have an ongoing investigation into the murder of Yousef, pictured as a young boy, which could potentially lead to another inquest if new evidence emerges
‘There was no evidence confirming Yousef touched the knives at the scene and the court didn’t permit character references to be made.
‘The defendants had top QCs and the jury had a different idea of them – the QCs told them to sit up straight and dress smart.
‘The QCs portrayed them as boys making silly mistakes – if they were from Moss Side they would be portrayed in a completely different way.’
Greater Manchester Police have an ongoing investigation into the teen’s murder, which could potentially lead to another inquest if new evidence emerges.
But for now, the family are looking at a civil case against Molnar to get the answers they want – and are also calling for Chowdhary to come forward and help them.
Jade added: ‘We remain hopeful Adam Chowdhary will keep in touch – we believe his side of the story will help and we are ready to speak to Adam whenever he is ready to talk.
‘We want to hear what it’s been like and just want him to come forward now and get closure.’