Bhim Kohli, 80, died after being assaulted in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year as two young people face trial for murder and manslaughter
The final movements of two teens on trial for the murder and manslaughter of a pensioner have been revealed after they killed an 80-year-old man just yards from his home last year. The two children, a 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, allegedly hurled racist taunts towards Bhim Kohli while he was walking his dog, before the attack took place.
The teens, who cannot be named due to their ages, deny their involvement in the attack in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year.
Opening the Crown’s case at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday [February 25], prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu told the court that the boy and girl had spent that afternoon together at Braunstone Park in Leicester before going to the boy’s home where he changed his clothes and put on black sliders, which the barrister said were used in the attack.
He told the court that CCTV shows Mr Kohli walking to Franklin Park at 6.18pm that evening, followed by the defendants, who were accompanied by three other children, three minutes later. The prosecutor told the court that the male defendant was carrying a balaclava as the group of five walked to the park, but “it would not be long” before he put it on.
The girl first spotted Mr Kohli, the court heard, and told the group that he had tried to hit one of the boy defendant’s friends with a stick. The court heard that the boy then walked up to Mr Kohli, followed by the girl, but the other three children did not approach the pensioner and two of them left the park.
Jurors were told that one of the friends who ran away told police they did so because they thought the boy defendant was “either going to start on him or be mean”. Mr Sandhu said: “(The girl) remained with (the boy). She remained with him in order to support him in what was about to happen.
“Within four minutes and 40 seconds, he had put his balaclava on. He had put his balaclava on in preparation for the violence he was going to use against Mr Kohli.”
Mr Sandhu told the court that Mr Kohli was “on his knees” when the boy slapped him round the face with the slider shoe, an incident the girl filmed as she laughed. The footage of the assault was shown to the jury.
Mr Sandhu said: “You heard that slap, you heard the slider making contact with Mr Kohli’s face. There was nothing for (the boy) to fear from an 80-year-old man who was on his knees. It was pure violence used by (the boy), pure violence encouraged by (the girl). (The girl) made a noise. That noise was her laughing. She laughed as (the boy) assaulted Mr Kohli.”
The boy has been charged with Mr Kohli’s murder and manslaughter, while the girl has been charged with manslaughter. Both teens, who cannot be named due to their ages, deny their involvement in fatally injuring the pensioner.
The trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, continues.
