killed by rich channel 4© Photo: Channel 4

Killed by a Rich Kid: what happened and why was it so controversial?

The Channel 4 documentary analyses the case

TV and film writer
March 21, 2022

Channel 4's harrowing new documentary, Killed by a Rich Kid, tells the story of 17-year-old Manchester schoolboy Yousef Makki, who was fatally stabbed by his classmate, Joshua Molnar, in March 2019. 

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The programme promises to take "a forensic look" at the teenager's death and the subsequent trial and inquest, featuring evidence from the case. Read on to find out more about what exactly happened and why the case is so controversial.

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What happened to Yousef Makki?

Yousef was stabbed in the heart with a flick knife by his friend, Joshua, on March 2, 2019. The stabbing occurred during a row in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester. 

Joshua, who was also 17 years old at the time, claimed self-defense and was cleared of manslaughter and murder by a jury at Manchester Crown Court four months later. However, he was jailed for 16 months for possession of a knife in a public place and perverting the course of justice by lying to police at the scene.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Joshua without a shirt on. He was using it to apply pressure to his friend's wound. When asked by the police how it happened, he said: "I don't know."

© Photo: Channel 4

The Channel 4 documentary explores the case

Adam Chowdhary, another friend of Yousef's, was also at the scene and had called 999 just minutes earlier. Despite being keen to leave, the police told Adam that he needed to answer some questions. Adam also told the police that he didn't know what had happened. 

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Four months later, Adam was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice after his lawyers told the court that he was looking at his phone and had not seen the stabbing. Like Joshua, he pleaded guilty to possessing a knife but was sentenced to just four months in a youth detention centre, not 16. 

Yousef's family were left shocked by the outcome and three years on, still have questions about how and why he died.

Why is the case so controversial? 

The case has managed to retain the media's attention not just because of the verdicts at Joshua's trial but also because of the outcome of a recent inquest. The senior coroner for Greater Manchester south, Alison Mutch, said in November last year that she could not make rulings of either unlawful killing or accidental death.

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