A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in custody after killing an 80-year-old man during a violent attack in a park. The victim, Bhim Kohli, was out walking his dog in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, when he was assaulted in what prosecutors described as a “gratuitous” and senseless act of violence.
The tragic incident occurred on 1 September of last year. Mr. Kohli, a grandfather known for his quiet routine, was targeted just yards from his home. He was attacked after a 12-year-old girl at the time identified him to the boy, who was then 14. The court heard that the boy proceeded to brutally assault the elderly man, who was completely defenceless.
Witnesses described how Mr. Kohli was slapped in the face with a slider shoe and subjected to racial abuse. He was then punched and kicked repeatedly while on the ground. The assault left him with a broken neck and fractured ribs. He was found lying unconscious by his daughter and passed away the following evening from a spinal cord injury.
Although the girl never physically attacked Mr. Kohli, she was convicted of manslaughter. She had taken a photo of him in the same park just a week before the incident. On the day of the assault, she filmed the attack, encouraged the boy, and laughed as the violence unfolded. Her actions were described as instrumental in enabling the incident to occur.
In court, the teenage boy claimed he approached Mr. Kohli wearing a balaclava because the girl had told him the man “carries a knife.” However, the court rejected this explanation, instead concluding that the attack was unprovoked and driven by a desire to humiliate and hurt a vulnerable man.
Mr. Kohli’s daughter, Susan, expressed heartbreak and frustration at the senseless killing of her father. She described her inability to forgive those responsible, citing the deliberate and calculated nature of their actions.
“Why should they be given grace for what they have done?” she asked. “They chose to attack a defenceless pensioner and for that I cannot give them any of my sympathy.”
She recalled finding her father lying motionless in the park, his dog still by his side. His frail appearance and gentle nature made the attack even harder to comprehend.
“You can see from his physique that he’s a very gentle, frail man. What was going through their heads?” she said. “That’s what I cannot get my head around.”
Susan Kohli also pointed to a broader social issue: the influence of social media and the glorification of violence among youth. She expressed concern that digital platforms may play a role in desensitising children to real-world consequences.
“There is a wider problem,” she said. “Children are seeing violence online, they’re filming attacks for entertainment, and we as a society are failing to hold them accountable.”
She also highlighted the role of parents, urging greater responsibility in monitoring children’s online activity and behaviour. She believes that the environment young people are raised in plays a significant role in shaping their values and actions.
The sentencing of the teenage boy brings some legal closure, but the pain for the Kohli family remains. For them, justice may have been served in court, but the emotional loss and lingering questions remain unanswered.
