The death of a teenager stabbed to death by his friend was not an 'unlawful killing', a coroner has concluded.
Joshua Molnar stabbed his friend Yousef Makki with a flick knife after a row in the upmarket village of Hale Barns, Cheshire on the early evening of March 2, 2019.
Both aged 17 at the time, Molnar claimed there was a "coming together" after Mr Makki pulled a flick knife out on him first and he took out his own knife, Manchester Evening News reported.
Molnar stabbed Mr Makki in the heart.
He claimed self-defence and was cleared of manslaughter and murder by a jury following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July 2019.
Mr Makki's death has been the subject of an inquest this month.,
On Monday Pete Weatherby QC told Stockport Coroner's Court a verdict of unlawful killing could be safely found at the conclusion of the inquest.
He said while the standard of proof in criminal trials is "beyond reasonable doubt", the standard during inquests is lower, being "on the balance of probabilities".
However, today Senior South Manchester Coroner Alison Mutch recorded a narrative conclusion.
The Makki family had pressed for a verdict of unlawful killing, but Ms Mutch said that standard had not been met.
The coroner said she could not, on the balance of probabilities, conclude the death was an unlawful killing, accidental death, misadventure or even an open verdict.
She recorded a narrative verdict that Yousef died from "complications from a stab wound the precise circumstances of which cannot on the balance of probabilities be ascertained".
Following the conclusion Jade Akoum, Mr Makki's sister, slammed the verdict.
“To say we are disappointed is an understatement," she said. "We are disgusted”.
The court heard how Molnar and another youth involved in the incident, Adam Chowdhary, had led double lives, playing "middle-class gangsters" listening to Drill music, smoking cannabis and carrying knives despite both coming from wealthy Cheshire families and living in a leafy, low-crime area, the trial heard.
Mr Makki, from a single-parent family from south Manchester, won a scholarship to the £12,000-a-year Manchester Grammar School, where Chowdhary was also a pupil.
The court heard Chowdhary had bought two flick knives from an online website, Wish, for himself and Mr Makki, and took them out that day to impress Molnar.
The lead-up to Mr Makki's death has been described as either a drug deal gone wrong or a revenge attack, leading to Molnar being beaten up and his £2,000 bike thrown in a hedge and lost - while Chowdhary fled and Mr Makki stood by.
They then came to blows and the knives were produced, Molnar told the inquest, with Mr Makki being stabbed in the heart.
Molnar was jailed for 16 months for possession of 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.
Giving evidence on Friday, he said he was looking at his phone at the time and did not see the stabbing.
The inquest follows a long legal campaign by the Makki family.
Today Coroner Mutch she has heard evidence that Yousef had a bright future ahead of him, but that ended on March 2, 2019.
"It's difficult to know where his career would have taken him but it's clear from the evidence we heard it was a bright and promising future that ended on March 2, 2019," she said.
Today Ms Mutch explained her reasoning when it came to the verdict.
"Having reflected on and considered all the evidence, I'm not satisfied even on the balance of probabilities that I can be satisfied as to the precise sequence of events so that I can be satisfied that the death was an unlawful killing," she said.
"Therefore that conclusion is not open to me."
Ms Mutch next turned to accidental death as a potential verdict.
She said that 'I can't be satisfied on the balance of probabilities his death was an accidental death so that conclusion is not open to me'.
The coroner turned to 'misadventure' which she explained referred to a death which was the 'unintended consequence of a deliberate act or omission'. She ruled this verdict was 'inappropriate'.
Ms Mutch then turned to considering an open verdict.
She said she found this would be an 'inappropriate verdict', meaning a narrative verdict was 'the only conclusion' which reflected her findings.
Olliers Solicitors, for Joshua Molnar, has issued a statement in the wake of the coroner's conclusion.
It said: "This has been a tragic and unusual case. It has attracted much comment in the press, on social media and even from politicians.
"The evidence has now been tested rigorously, both at trial before a High Court Judge and in an inquest before an experienced, senior coroner. The coroner's decision today is consistent with the evidence and the verdict of the jury.
"It is the right decision. It shows we have a functioning justice system.
"Josh has accepted responsibility for his involvement in Yousef’s death. His remorse is genuine and heartfelt. He will live with this for the rest of his life.
"This was a truly tragic incident between friends and we hope today’s decision will bring an end to any further speculation.
"There are no winners here. A young life has been lost and a family devastated by his death. But to continue to suggest that Josh is guilty is wrong and those who persist in saying that are ignoring the conclusions of both court proceedings.
"Those conclusions ought now to be respected."
