Two teenagers have been found guilty of the manslaughter of an 80-year-old man who was attacked while walking his dog.
Bhim Kohli died following an incident in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town in Leicestershire, during the early evening of Sunday 1 September last year.
He was taken to hospital but died as a result of his injuries the next day (Monday 2 September).
Today (Tuesday 8 April) following a lengthy and complex trial lasting six weeks at Leicester Crown Court, the two teenagers charged in connection with his death were found guilty of manslaughter.
A 15-year-old boy was convicted for attacking and injuring Mr Kohli. He was found not guilty of murder.
A 13-year-old girl was convicted after she was found to have encouraged the incident by pointing out the victim, filming it on her mobile phone and laughing.
Due to the age of the defendants, they cannot legally be named.
They are due to be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court in May.
The attack on Mr Kohli
It was at 6.18pm on 1 September that Mr Kohli took his dog Rocky for a walk in Franklin Park.
CCTV footage showed them walking just a few yards from the home address in Bramble Way to the entrance of the park.
Footage showed Mr Kohli walking to the park before the incident
Three minutes later, at 6.21pm, the two youths and three friends also walked into the park via the same entrance.
Within minutes the 15-year-old had approached Mr Kohli after it was claimed he was told the elderly dog walker was the man who had previously hit another teenager with a stick. This has never been proven to have occurred.
As the boy got closer, he started shouting and being verbally aggressive towards Mr Kohli. At this point the three friends ran away from the area. The 13-year-old girl remained, walking closely behind the boy.
By 6.25pm, the 15-year-old defendant had put on the balaclava he was carrying in his pocket ahead of the physical violence he was about to use against Mr Kohli.
Parts of the attack were filmed by the girl on her mobile phone, including footage of the boy slapping Mr Kohli across the face with a slider while he was on his knees. Another clip also showed Mr Kohli lying on his lefthand side on the grass.
The two teenagers left Mr Kohli lying on the floor and at 6.28pm they were captured on CCTV again – running out of the park and back along Bramble Way. The boy was also seen on the footage removing his balaclava as he left the park.
Footage showed the boy and girl running from the park
Footage of the boy and girl running following the incident
Footage of the boy in Braunstone Close
Shortly after, Mr Kohli’s grandson arrived at the park to find him still on the ground and in considerable pain. They were also joined a short time later by Mr Kohli’s daughter and other family members.
Emergency services – police and paramedics – attended the scene and an account was given to them by Mr Kohli in which he said he was attacked by a boy and had been punched and kicked. He also mentioned the boy had made a racist remark towards him.
Mr Kohli was taken to hospital but died the following day from a neck injury that caused trauma to his spinal cord. He was also found to have suffered fractures to three of his ribs. It was found these injuries had been caused by the teenage boy during the attack.
Police investigation
By the time Mr Kohli was pronounced dead on the evening of Monday 2 September, detectives had already begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Following a number of enquiries in the area, including the review of CCTV footage, police initially arrested all five of the teenagers who were originally in the park.
The 15-year-old defendant, who was 14 at the time, was the last to be arrested after evading police and threatening to go on the run.
He was charged the day after his arrest.
The three friends were subsequently released with no further action after enquires showed they were not present when the attack occurred.
Initially the 13-year-old girl, who was 12 at the time, was also released.
But following further investigation she was charged with manslaughter in December.
During the police investigation several people were spoken to who had seen the youths after the incident. One of which told police he heard a boy say ‘he has beaten up a guy in Franklin Park and there was a dead guy on the floor.’ Two others claimed the boy was bragging about what he had done.
Examination of the 15-year-old’s phone also highlighted Snapchat messages he had sent to friends in which he admitted attacking Mr Kohli but claimed he had done it after seeing him pull a knife out on a girl and hitting her – none of which was true.
Throughout the trial, the boy maintained that he had only hit Mr Kohli with his slider after Mr Kohli had gone to hit him first. He also claimed Mr Kohli had gone to hit the girl, so he had pushed him to the ground, then fell on top of him – causing the fatal neck and spine injuries.
In a statement to police, the girl said her fellow defendant had pushed Mr Kohli out of the way which led to him being on the floor. She never told police she had filmed any of the incident – this was only mentioned once police disclosed they had discovered the material on her phone.
The jury found their versions of events to be untrue and both defendants were found guilty.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Murder Investigation Team, said: “The circumstances surrounding this incident are truly tragic and heartbreaking.
“Bhim Kohli was simply doing what he did every day, walking his dog on the park that was just yards from his own front door. But instead of being able to enjoy an evening stroll with Rocky on a warm summer’s day, he was confronted by a teenage boy, who was encouraged by a teenage girl, attacked him and left him in agony on the floor. Sadly, the resultant injuries were fatal and Mr Kohli’s death has left not only a family grieving the loss of a beloved husband, father and grandfather but the wider community too.
“The age of the defendants in the case has added to the devastating circumstances surrounding this incident and complexities in the case. They will have to deal with the enormity that their actions resulted in a man losing his life and the consequences this now brings.”
Due to prior police contact with Mr Kohli, the force made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC decided this investigation should be carried out locally by the force. The investigation report has been submitted to the IOPC for them to review.
Following 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.
Bhim Kohli
“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.”
