Yousef Makki inquest: Acquitted teen accused of lying 'to save own skin'

Yousef Makki, 17, was a pupil at Manchester Grammar School

An ex-public schoolboy cleared of murder has been accused at the inquest of the teenager he stabbed of lying to save his "own skin".

Yousef Makki, 17, was stabbed by his friend Joshua Molnar during a fight in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, in March 2019.

Molnar, then also 17, was later cleared of murder and manslaughter by a jury at Manchester Crown Court in July 2019.

He claimed he had acted in self-defence after Yousef pulled a knife on him.

The inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard that on the night of his death Yousef had been with his friends Adam Chowdhary and Molnar, before a row developed and Yousef was stabbed.

Peter Weatherby QC, representing Yousef's family, said to Mr Molnar: "From the crime scene until today, you have been prepared to say things that will save your own skin, rather than the truth?"

Molnar replied: "No. I did not do that at all."

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He told the inquest Yousef was accidentally stabbed in the heart.

Body-worn footage from police officers scrambled to the scene of the stabbing was played to the court

Molnar said: "At some point Yousef moved towards me and I don't know in what way, I reacted at that by almost putting my hands up in a pushing away sense.

"After that I walked away and had not really registered what had happened.

"I heard Yousef say something along the lines of 'you stabbed me' or 'he's stabbed me'. I was quite panicked."

The inquest heard that Molnar claimed Yousef was "hot tempered" and could be aggressive.

Mr Weatherby added: "You were painting a picture of him to save your own skin, weren't you?"

Molnar replied: "Er, no."

Molnar was jailed for 16 months for possessing a knife and perverting the course of justice by initially lying to police at the scene about what had happened.

Chowdhary was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife but cleared of perverting the course of justice.

The inquest continues.