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Background: CCTV footage of victim Bhim Kohli entering the park where he was attacked on Sept. 1, 2024 (Leicestershire Police). Inset: Bhim Kohli (Facebook).
Two teenagers have been found guilty of manslaughter months after they viciously beat an elderly man walking his dog in a part near his home to death.
In a press release posted on April 8, the Leicestershire Police announced the conviction of a United Kingdom 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy in connection to the beating death of 80-year-old Bhim Kohli. Police said that on Sept. 1, 2024, the teens — who were 12 and 14 years old at the time of the attack — approached Kohli and accused him of hitting another teenager with a stick, an incident that was never proven to be true.
What started as a verbal altercation escalated into a physical attack by the boy, who was followed by the girl, who filmed the ensuing incident on her phone. At one point during the attack on Kohli, the boy slapped the older man in the face with his shoe. Kohli was found in the park on the ground “in considerable pain” by his grandson and daughter.
Kohli was taken to a nearby hospital, but died of his injuries.
Police said that before succumbing to his injuries, Kohli told first responders that he had been “punched and kicked” by the boy, who also “made a racist remark” during the fatal attack. Kohli was found to have three fractured ribs and a neck injury that caused damage to his spinal cord.
According to police, the boy responsible for the fatal assault was the last of five teenagers arrested in connection with the attack. The investigation found that the boy was overheard bragging that “he has beaten up a guy in Franklin Park and there was a dead guy on the floor.” The boy’s phone also had Snapchat messages in which he admitted to the attack while falsely claiming that Kohli “pull[ed] a knife on a girl and [hit] her.”
The girl also did not tell police that she filmed the incident, but was confronted with evidence on her phone that police found. The footage from her phone was played for the jury during trial.
Kohli’s daughter Susan Kohli described the “loud, horrible, slapping sound” made when her late father was struck by the boy to the press outside the court after the verdict was delivered. She also recounted, “Hearing the girl laugh at this assault on Dad is utterly disgusting.” She added, “Also captured on video is Dad’s attempt to call for help as he shouted out for his grandson.”
In the press release, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski 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.”
According to the BBC, the girl was released on conditional bail while the boy was remanded into custody. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 20 and May 19, respectively.
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