Three years have passed since 17-year-old Yousef Makki was killed on a suburban Manchester street, but for his sister Jade Akoum, he remains a constant presence. At her home in Burnage, a portrait of Yousef has pride of place on the living room wall; her youngest son, now 18 months old, was named after him. On the last anniversary of his death, the family set up a foundation in Yousef’s name, to provide financial support for other local working-class boys with dreams like his.
And thoughts of her brother consume Akoum’s every waking hour. A lengthy murder trial has already come and gone, but, like the inquest that followed, Akoum believes it raised more questions than it answered.
