My brother was stabbed through the heart and died alone – I won’t stop until I get justice

STORED in the loft of her Manchester home, Jade Akoum keeps a suitcase containing the blood-splattered trainers and knife-slashed jacket worn by her dead brother.

It has been three years since 17-year-old Yousef Makkiwas was stabbed in the heart during a roadside fracas with two pupils from his £13,000-a-year private school — and his sister refuses to let go of the horrific memory.

PA

It has been three years since 17-year-old Yousef Makkiwas was stabbed in the heart during a roadside fracas with two pupils from his £13,000-a-year private school[/caption]

PA:Press Association

Joshua Molnar, who admitted possessing the knife, was cleared of Yousef’s murder, citing self defence[/caption]

Channel 4 / Kenny Brown

Stored in the loft of her Manchester home, Jade Akoum keeps a suitcase containing the blood-splattered trainers and knife-slashed jacket worn by her dead brother[/caption]

Joshua Molnar, who admitted possessing the knife, was cleared of Yousef’s murder, citing self defence.

But he later changed his story in an inquest that cast doubt on which of the boys had pulled a blade first. 

Yousef’s mum Debbie died age 55 in May 2020, less than a year after the death of her son — leaving Jade to continue battling for the justice that she feels her family deserves.

Jade said: “Mum died of a broken heart because of everything that had happened to her. 

“She was kind of frail anyway. But she would probably be happy that she was passing away — so she could be with Yousef.

“In one of the last conversations I had with my mum, she made me promise her that whatever happened to her, we would carry on.

“I’ve kept that promise. I’ve tried my best with everything in my power to do what I could to find for justice for Yousef.”

Jade’s mission features in new Channel 4 documentary Killed By A Rich Kid, which includes police camera footage from the scene of the attack in upmarket Hale Barns, Cheshire, on March 2, 2019.

In the cops’ video, shot from the moment they arrived, Joshua claims he had no idea what happened to Yousef.

But he later changed his story when the case went to court in 2019, saying he had acted in self defence when Yousef pulled a knife on him. 

Then, when an inquest was held in November of last year, he said he was no longer sure who pulled a blade on who.

The coroner did not record a verdict of unlawful killing — a blow which came after police admitted they had not uncovered the full truth in their original investigation.

Initially it was thought the attack happened after the lads, who both attended the posh Manchester Grammar School, bungled a robbery of a drug dealer.

But it was later claimed that Adam Choudhary, who was with them at the time, had organised for some other men to give Joshua a revenge beating.

This appears to have happened on a nearby bridge. And when Choudhary subsequently argued in the street with Molnar, it was Yousef who tried to come between them — only to end up with a knife in his chest.

Yousef’s father Ghaleb Makki recalls the moment he saw his son’s lifeless body: “I said: ‘Come on Yousef’ because I didn’t want to believe standing in front of me was my son’s dead body.

“No, no, no — this is not real. He should not be dead.”

I felt like I was hit by lightning. I wanted to go through that glass to them. I said: ‘To hell with this justice system — this is a mockery of justice.

Yousef’s father Ghaleb Makki

The doc also shows little-seen CCTV footage of Josh and Adam apparently arguing and Yousef rushing to intervene — which seems to back up the chain of events put forward later in the inquest. 

Now Jade is calling for a second inquest and a judicial review of the original court case in 2019, which resulted in Joshua serving just eight months of a 16-month sentence after pleading guilting to carrying a knife and perverting the course of justice.

Adam pleaded guilty to having a knife but was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice and conspiracy to rob. He was sentenced to four months in a youth detention centre.

When the verdicts were read out in court, Yousef’s father Ghaleb yelled “there’s no justice for my son” and collapsed. His anger has never dissipated.

He recalls: “I felt like I was hit by lightning. I wanted to go through that glass to them. I said: ‘To hell with this justice system — this is a mockery of justice.’”

Now Jade is struggling to cope with losing her brother and mother along with a sense of guilt.

She said: “We just don’t feel believed — nobody in the system is on our side. 

I’m trying to be strong, but he was my brother, and all these details of how he died — I’ll never forgive myself that I couldn’t be there. 

“He died on his own, miles away from where he comes from. And we were thinking he was safe.”

The area where the fracas happened is one of the wealthiest in the country and is not known for being a haven of drugs and knife crime.

But due to talk of cannabis and weapons, the public jumped to conclusions about all three boys. It was only later, during the inquest, that these presumptions were brought into question.

Jade said: “It feels like the whole case from start to finish was based on a lie. And even the public perception because they imagine they were trying to rob a drug dealer.”

Although they came from good backgrounds, the documentary shows how Joshua in particular seemed obsessed with gangster culture and was even seen laughing in phone video footage waving blades around with friends

Ordering knives online

Privately educated, he had left multiple schools under a cloud and by the time of the incident had no school at all. Friends in the documentary recall him making other videos where he wore balaclavas and smoked weed.

During the trial, it emerged Adam also seemed intrigued by the same culture and was purchasing weapons off the internet.

Jade said: “Adam was one of his closest friends. Yousef thought a lot of him. He was from a good family.

“He was respectful. He was a ‘Manchester Grammar School boy’ — and they’ve got a reputation for being really respectful.

“You never in a million years imagined he was ordering knives online. It really shocked us the things that came out.”

At the heart of the tragic story was the disparity in wealth between Yousef, and Joshua and Adam.

Bright Yousef came from Burnage, south Manchester and went to the private school on a bursary, whereas his fellow students were there partly because their parents could afford the fees.

The doc reveals that some of the pupils, whose families pay thousands of pounds a year, were so rich they would arrive at the school prom in helicopters.

Their giant houses and grounds sprawled across neighbourhoods where businessmen had premiership footballers as neighbours.

But it was a different world to that experienced by Yousef’s family. And nothing highlighted this more than during the court case.

Joshua had a QC representing him during the initial hearing, and managed to get bail — which was unusual for such a serious offence. And when he had to give evidence in the inquest there was another array of formidable lawyers.

But after the court case, police visited his mum Debbie and told her she could not afford to pursue it any further.

In footage shot before she died, Debbie revealed: “The police said, ‘We’ve done everything. Just give up and get on with your life — there’s nothing you can do.

“It’s going to cost too much money and you can’t afford it.”

Yet she refused to give up. Debbie said: “It’s my child – and you don’t give up for your child no matter what it takes.”

• Killed by A Rich Kid is on Channel 4 on Monday at 9pm.

Tony Spencer

Yousef’s mum Debbie, above, died age 55 in May 2020, less than a year after the death of her son — leaving Jade to continue battling for the justice[/caption]

Channel 4 / Kenny Brown

Flowers at the scene of where the schoolboy was stabbed[/caption]