Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Tuesday 8th April 2025 at 14:00hrs
Two teenagers have been found guilty of manslaughter following the death of 80-year-old Bhim Kohli, who was attacked while walking his dog in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, last September.
The verdicts were delivered today (Tuesday, April 8th) at Leicester Crown Court after a six-week trial.
Mr. Kohli was walking his dog, Rocky, in the park at around 6:18 PM on Sunday, September 1st of last year. Just three minutes later, a group of five teenagers, including the two defendants, entered the park.
The court heard that within minutes, a 15-year-old boy approached Mr. Kohli. It was claimed the boy had been told Mr. Kohli was the person who had previously hit another teenager with a stick, an allegation that was never proven.
CCTV footage showed the boy shouting and being verbally aggressive towards Mr. Kohli. Three of the teenagers in the group ran away at this point, but a 13-year-old girl remained with the boy.
By 6:25 PM, the 15-year-old had put on a balaclava and proceeded to physically attack Mr. Kohli.
The 13-year-old girl filmed parts of the assault on her mobile phone, including footage of the boy slapping Mr. Kohli, who was on his knees, and another clip showing the elderly man lying on the grass.
The two teenagers then left Mr. Kohli on the ground and were seen on CCTV running out of the park at 6:28 PM.
Mr. Kohli’s grandson found him shortly after in considerable pain. Emergency services attended, and Mr. Kohli reported being attacked by a boy who punched and kicked him and made a racist remark.
Mr. Kohli was taken to hospital but tragically died the following day due to a neck injury that caused trauma to his spinal cord. A post-mortem examination also revealed he had suffered fractures to three ribs.
Following Mr. Kohli’s death, a police investigation was launched. Initially, all five teenagers who were in the park were arrested.
The 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was arrested after evading police. He was later charged with murder. The three other teenagers were released with no further action.
The 13-year-old girl, who was 12 at the time, was initially released but was later charged with manslaughter in December after further investigation revealed she had encouraged the attack by pointing out Mr. Kohli to the boy, filming the incident, and laughing.
During the trial, the 15-year-old boy admitted to attacking Mr. Kohli but claimed he acted in self-defence after Mr. Kohli went to hit him. He also claimed Mr. Kohli had gone to hit the girl, causing him to push the elderly man to the ground and fall on top of him.
The girl told police the boy had pushed Mr. Kohli, causing him to fall, and initially did not disclose that she had filmed the incident.
The jury rejected their accounts and found the 15-year-old boy guilty of manslaughter, but not guilty of murder. The 13-year-old girl was also found guilty of manslaughter for encouraging the attack.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Murder Investigation Team, described the circumstances as “truly tragic and heartbreaking.” He emphasized that Mr. Kohli was simply going about his daily routine when he was confronted and attacked.
Due to the age of the defendants, they cannot be legally named. They are due to be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court in May.
A mandatory referral regarding prior police contact with Mr. Kohli was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who decided the investigation should be carried out locally by the force.
The investigation report has been submitted to the IOPC for review.
Following the two teenagers being convicted of manslaughter, Susan Kohli, the daughter of Bhim Kohli, has released the following statement on behalf of the family:
“My dad Bhim Kohli was brutally and cruelly taken away from us when he was out walking our dog Rocky in the park close to our home.
“Dad was 80 years old. He was a devoted life partner to my mother for 55 years. He was a loving dad, grandad, brother, uncle, a retired businessman and a close friend to many, including people who lived in our local community.
“He was an amazing man who loved life. He never took himself seriously, he was good fun to be around and very chatty. Despite his age and how frail he looked, he was healthy and very active. He had three allotment plots where he grew lots of fruit and vegetables and would share them with the family, friends and neighbours. He was the person who knitted our family together and we miss him every second of every day.
“Our house feels so empty without him and will never be the same. The area we have loved for so many years and called ‘home’ feels so different now and we will never feel safe. Having happened only a minute’s walk of where we live is something we cannot get away from and it is a constant reminder. Every time my mum opens the front door she thinks about what happened to her husband.
“Dad knew so many people in the community and he would always have a chat and a joke with them. The community have been nothing but a fantastic support to us and we will be forever grateful to them for their love and generosity. We have taken solace in listening to people talking fondly to us about their dog walking stories with dad.
“On Sunday 1 September we were alerted to what had happened and went to the park to help dad. He was screaming out; he was in that much pain – it was horrendous, we have never seen him like that before. We all thought he would go to hospital to be treated and he would then be fine. We never imagined he wouldn’t return home. My dad passed away before our eyes, surrounded by his family. We were all in floods of tears and in disbelief that an investigation had commenced.
“After my dad’s passing the community held a vigil. I didn’t initially want to go as it felt too much and too soon. I changed my mind at the last minute and attended with a close friend and our family liaison officers. It was very difficult and overwhelming, but the number of flowers and beautiful messages took our breath away. It was very touching, and it felt like the whole community had come together to show strength and unity. It also left us with a feeling of total shock and sadness that something so terrifying had happened in our little park which is used by so many people.
“My mum and I felt that we needed to attend the trial each day to understand the evidence fully. Our family have tried to remain strong, but the truth is inside we feel broken, and it has been so stressful.
“Listening to the enormity of what dad was subjected to will never leave us. We feel anger and disgust towards the teenagers who took dad away from us. They humiliated an 80-year-old man, assaulted him, filmed it and laughed at him. The boy, who told witnesses he had anger problems and couldn’t stop, used violence so severe that he broke three of dad’s ribs and neck which caused trauma to his spinal column. Videos of the incident were filmed and shockingly found on the girl’s phone. Dad did not deserve this, and we wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone else.
“One of the videos showed dad on his knees being hit over the head with the boy’s slider. A loud horrible slapping sound is heard when the boy struck dad. Hearing the girl laugh at this assault on dad is utterly disgusting. This sound plays over and over in our heads.
“Also captured on video is dad’s attempt to call for help as he shouted out for his grandson. We didn’t hear his call for help and this upsets us deeply.
“Losing dad in these cruel, violent, and deeply shocking circumstances feels like our hearts have been pulled apart. We can’t put into words the pain we feel every day, and this has magnified during the trial.
“Rocky, our dog, returned home alone on that day and has been lost without dad. He had 15 years with my dad, and it is clear he misses him deeply.”
Susan added: “On behalf of myself and my family I would like to express thanks to all the witnesses and experts who provided statements that helped the police piece together what happened to dad. We want to especially highlight the children who gave evidence. They were so brave under difficult circumstances, and we will be forever grateful to them and their parents.
“We would also like to extend our thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get justice for dad. From the police investigation team – including the senior investigating officers, the officer in the case and the family liaison officers who have been with us every step of the way. Also, to the CPS and the prosecution team, particularly Mr Sandhu KC, for not leaving any stone unturned when presenting the case.”
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