Teenagers convicted of killing elderly dog walker

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.

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.