A fresh inquest into the death of a 17-year-old who was stabbed in Hale Barns has found that he WAS unlawfully killed.
Former Manchester Grammar School pupil Yousef Makki died after suffering a stab wound to the heart on Gorse Bank Road in March 2019.
High Court judges had quashed the conclusions of a first inquest in 2021, two years after Joshua Molnar was cleared of Yousef's murder and manslaughter.
But now, Coroner Geraint Williams at South Manchester Coroner's Court has ruled that Yousef was unlawfully killed.
Molnar, who gave evidence during the inquest, had claimed he acted in self-defence when he stabbed Yousef after an argument.
The pair had spent the day with another friend, Adam Chowdhary, with CCTV footage showing they had been riding around Hale Barns and smoking cannabis before the killing.
During the trial that followed, Molnar was controversially cleared of murder and manslaughter, with his defence team successfully arguing that the then 17-year-old had acted in self-defence.
Molnar did admit to the lesser charges of perverting the course of justice, and he and Chowdhary also pleaded guilty to possessing flick knives.
Molnar was sentenced to a 16-month detention training order – 12 months for perverting the course of justice, and four months for possession of the knife, while Chowdhary received a detention and training order for four months for possession of a knife.
The original coroner’s inquest then found that Yousef’s death was not an “unlawful killing” and recorded a narrative conclusion.
But judges at the High Court in Manchester quashed that conclusion and ordered a fresh inquest with a different coroner.
That second inquest, which began last week, heard many "discrepancies" in how the stabbing happened over four days of evidence.
Coroner Mr Williams concluded that Yousef did not have a knife at the time of his death as claimed, and Molnar had not acted in self-defence and did not believe he needed to use a knife to defend himself.
He said: "I find as a fact Yousef Makki did not use a knife to threaten or attack Joshua Molnar.
"I also find use of a knife unnecessary, disproportionate and unreasonable. I conclude he did not act in lawful self-defence.
"Therefore, I conclude that Mr Makki was unlawfully killed is fully made out by the evidence."
Speaking after the ruling, Yousef's sister Jade Akoum said she was delighted by the ruling.
"I once thought that justice meant Joshua Molnar being imprisoned for the rest of his life," she said.
"I now believe justice is what we have received here today and for him to have to live his life knowing forever that his actions took Yousef away from us from this world.
"We are pleased that the coroner recognised that Adam told lies and that he saw what happened.
"We just hope one day he will be brave enough to tell us what happened."
She added it was now "a matter for the police to decide if they do anything further".
