Mum of schoolboy stabbing victim Yousef Makki, 17, dies aged 54 as family say she ‘died with a broken heart’
THE mum of stabbed schoolboy Yousef Makki died today "with a broken heart", his family said today.
Debbie Makki, 54, died just a year after her son Yousef, 17, was knifed to death on a street in Hale Barns, a leafy village south of Manchester popular with top footballers and celebrities.
His family was left reeling as the teen charged over his death were cleared of murder and manslaughter last year.
And Yousef's family today revealed they had been dealt another tragic blow as Debbie passed away in the early hours of this morning.
In a statement on Facebook, his family said the 54-year-old had died at 4am - saying "at least you are with Yousef now".
They said: "We love you so so much, I didn't think my heart could take any more pain and loss and grief.
"Please say a prayer for her soul today & pray for my little brother who has lost 2 of the closest people to him in the space of a year & all of us that have been left behind.
"Mum died with a broken heart & we knew she wanted justice for Yousef & I promise you mum we won't give up until we get it for you."
Yousef's sister Jade Akoum added: "My mum’s mental and physically health had deteriorated dramatically over the past year and she hadn’t been the same since Yousef.
"Her heart was broken and the spark in her eyes had gone.
"The toll of losing Yousef was colossal."
Yousef was tragically stabbed on March 2 last year but no one was ever found guilty of his murder.
'HEARTBROKEN'
Joshua Molnar, 18, was cleared of murder and manslaughter following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July last year, telling the jury he acted in self-defence after Yousef pulled a blade on him.
Mum Debbie had previously been campaigning for justice for her son - admitting in an interview in October last year she did not think the family would ever be able to put their lives back together.
Speaking at an anti-knife rally, the mum had spoken of her devastation at the death of her teen son.
Recounting the moment she had rushed to the hospital, she said: "As I reached the hospital the surgeon stood in front of me and shook his head.
"I knew then it was too late and my boy had gone.
"He'd been found dying in the road, alone. No one to help him, or cuddle or speak to him, in his final moments.
"The reality of knife crime is, unless you have lost a loved one, especially a child, knowing you can't touch your child because he is now a piece of forensic evidence.
"My boy, who I have protected for 17 years and watched him grow into a loving, beautiful and intelligent young man was never going to walk into my room again."
Ms Makki and the family have been calling for a full inquest into Yousef's death, and at a pre-inquest hearing in February their legal representative Matthew Stanbury said matters surrounding the teenager's death "have not been sufficiently aired".
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Molnar admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice by initially lying to police about what had happened, and was given 16 months in custody.
The teen was arrested alongside Adam Chowdhary, 18, who bought the flick knife that killed Yousef online.
Cowdhary, then 17, was later acquitted of perverting the course of justice. He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife.
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