Teen jailed for killing OAP with shoe but girl, 12, who filmed attack avoids prison

A boy aged 15 who killed an elderly dog walker after racially abusing, punching and kicking him has been locked up for just seven years – while a 13-year-old girl who egged him on walked free.

The family of Bhim Kohli, 8 – who was also ‘humiliated’ by being slapped in the face with a slider while on his knees – said they were ‘angry and disappointed’ with the sentences.

Speaking outside court, Mr Kohli’s daughter Susan said her family’s ‘lives had been changed forever’ because of the teenagers’ attack.

She added: ‘When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can’t.’

The teens were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday for the manslaughter of Mr Kohli, who was the victim of a ‘wicked’ attack near his home in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year.

Both children had denied their part in his killing but were convicted by a jury of manslaughter in April, while the boy was cleared of murder.

High Court judge Mr Justice Turner handed the boy, who was aged 14 at the time of the killing, seven years’ detention, and the girl, who was aged 12, a three-year youth rehabilitation order.

The court heard that Mr Kohli was racially abused when the boy pushed, kicked and punched him, while the girl encouraged him by recording parts of the attack while laughing.

Sentencing the pair, the judge said: ‘I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked.’

Ms Kohli said: ‘The death of my dad has left a hole in our family, a hole that can never be filled because of the actions of two teenagers on that Sunday evening last September.

‘I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing.

‘I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence they have both received today does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed.

‘However, I understand the judge has guidelines, but they have taken a life, and, as a result, our lives have been changed forever.’

Describing the moments she found her father injured on the ground in the park just yards from the family home in her victim impact statement, Ms Kohli said: ‘He was in so much pain, he was screaming out.

‘It was horrendous and we have never seen him like this.

‘We knew he was very poorly and in severe pain, but we thought he would go to Leicester Royal Infirmary and be fine. We never imagined he would never return home.

‘We were later told the shocking news he was no longer able to take the medication that was keeping him alive.

‘He passed away before our eyes, surrounded by his family who were in floods of tears and disbelief.

‘Due to him being killed in these circumstances and being involved in a criminal investigation, dad was unable to donate his organs which were always his wishes. It pains me we were unable to meet his wishes.’

Mr Kohli’s grandson Simranjit Kohli said he had been left wondering if his grandfather may have survived if he had got there sooner after he cried out for help.

‘I was the first one out of my family at the scene. Not a day goes by when I think if I were minutes earlier I could have stopped what happened,’ he said.

‘There is, of course, sadness and sorrow, there’s also hate, anger and rage.

‘Everywhere I go I’m haunted by the thought I could be with him if things had happened differently that day.’

During the trial, jurors were told the boy wrote a letter to a support worker saying he hated what he had done and adding ‘I feel like my case is evil’.

It read: ‘I f****** hate what I did. I regret it so much. I have flashbacks of that day and it just upsets me.

‘I just want my freedom or even to go back and not do it.

‘I feel like my case is evil. I ain’t that type of person. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.’

The letter went on to address the boy’s view of his own mental health, the court heard, adding: ‘I feel like I have let my mum down so much. I am nervous, well scared and worried.

‘I accept I did it and I am doing time. I am just scared about how long I have to do.

‘I get upset at little things and sometimes little things can affect my mood and my whole day. I actually feel like I f***** up everything by coming here. Life’s f****** hard. I ain’t depressed but I ain’t really happy a lot of the time.

‘I have always got shit on my mind. For now, I’m just f****** stressed and worried about court, like my plea.’

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski said he was in no doubt social media played a role in the attack.

‘The proliferation and use of phones and social media messages features more and more in inquiries and certainly with young people who now live their lives via phones,’ he told the BBC.

‘The three videos on the phone showed this female defendant wanted to film violence and indeed encouraged it.

‘And when we looked at her phone and examined it further, chillingly there were numerous previous incidents where she had filmed violence and was encouraging violence.

‘The prosecution case was that was no coincidence, and that very much mirrored the attack on Mr Kohli.’

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