A 15-YEAR-OLD boy and a 13-year-old girl were found guilty on Tuesday (8) of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Kohli, who died last year following an attack while walking his dog in a Leicester park.
The teenagers, who cannot be named due to their age, were convicted after a six-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.
Kohli was assaulted in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, on the evening of September 1 last year. He died in hospital the following day from injuries sustained in the attack.
The boy was found not guilty of murder. The girl was convicted for encouraging the incident by pointing out the victim, filming the assault on her phone, and laughing.
The pair are due to be sentenced on May 20. According to evidence presented during the trial, Kohli left his home on Bramble Way at 6.18pm on September 1, 2024, to walk his dog, Rocky.C
CTV footage showed the teenagers and three other youths entering the park three minutes later. Within minutes, the 15-year-old approached Kohli, verbally abused him, and slapped him with a slider. The girl recorded parts of the incident on her phone.
The court heard the boy had been told Kohli had previously hit another teenager with a stick, though this was not confirmed. As the boy shouted at Kohli, the other three teenagers left. The boy put on a balaclava before the physical assault.
After the attack, the pair were seen running out of the park at 6.28pm. Kohli’s grandson found him lying on the ground and in pain. Emergency services arrived soon after.
Kohli told them he had been attacked by a boy who made a racist comment and hit and kicked him.
He was taken to hospital and later died from a neck injury and rib fractures. The injuries were caused during the attack.
Police arrested five teenagers initially. The 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time, was charged a day after being arrested.
The three other friends were released with no further action.The girl, who was 12 at the time, was later charged in December after footage was recovered from her phone.
Detectives also found Snapchat messages where the boy admitted the assault and claimed Kohli had pulled a knife — something the court found was not true.
Detective chief inspector Mark Sinski said: “Bhim Kohli was simply doing what he did every day, walking his dog… attacked by a teenage boy, who was encouraged by a teenage girl.”
Due to prior police contact with Kohli, the case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The investigation is being handled locally and the report has been submitted to the IOPC.
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.