The Mancunian Way: ‘I’ve kept my promise’
26.10.2023 - 13:29
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
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Hello,
This moving image of Jade Akoum receiving a hug says more than words ever could. The relief on her face is palpable.
She has spent years fighting to find out exactly how and why her brother Yousef Makki died. The 17-year-old was fatally stabbed by his school friend Joshua Molnar, in Hale Barnes, on March 2, 2019.
Since then, Jade’s mother Debbie has also died, her family say 'of a broken heart' after losing Yousef. But before she passed away, she made Jade promise she would never give up on seeking answers.
“I feel like today I’ve kept my promise to her. We’ve fulfilled that and achieved something today,” Jade told reporters this afternoon following the conclusion of a fresh inquest into her brother’s death.
A previous inquest held in 2021 was quashed by the courts following a legal challenge by Yousef's family. Prior to that, Molnar was acquitted of murder and manslaughter during a criminal trial.
But following the second inquest last week - which Yousef's family battled to secure - Coroner Geraint Williams today concluded that Yousef was unlawfully killed by Molnar, whose actions he said amounted to manslaughter.
‘Now we can move on’
Reporter Stephen Topping, who was at Stockport Coroners’ Court to hear the conclusion today, says Mr Williams’ words prompted ‘gasps’ from the family's supporters.
Jade says her family now has 'justice' four and a half years after her brother’s death and can try to 'move on’ with their lives.
"I once thought that justice meant Joshua Molnar being in prison for the rest of his