Teenager who killed elderly dog walker keeps 7 year manslaughter sentence

A teenage boy who beat an elderly dog walker to death won’t have his manslaughter sentence upgraded to murder after a hearing at the Court of Appeal.

Bhim Kohli, 80, suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs after being kicked and punched by the balaclava-clad 15-year-old in Franklin Park, near Leicester, last September.

Some of his last moments were filmed by the boy’s friend, a 13-year-old girl, and show him being slapped with a slider, walking towards the park exit calling for help, and then lying motionless on the ground.

The grandfather died in hospital the following day.

General Lucy Rigby, who referred the sentence of Bhim Kohli’s killer to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, said she respects the court’s decision not to change the sentence.

In a statement after the hearing on Wednesday, she said: ‘Bhim Kohli suffered an entirely unprovoked attack while walking his dog in his local park, the nature of which shocked the country.

‘It was understandable that I received several requests under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to consider his sentence.

‘Following careful consideration, I concluded that the male offender’s sentence should be referred to the Court of Appeal as it appeared unduly lenient.

‘I respect the Court of Appeal’s decision. My thoughts today are with Mr Kohli’s friends and family, and everyone impacted by this horrendous crime.’

After his sentencing, Det Ch Insp Sinski said the boy had Snapchat accounts under two names – one boasting of his punching power and another referring to using a disguise.

‘It was the prosecution case he revelled in his reputation as a hard man and his propensity to violence,’ he said.

‘So yes, social media did feature in this.’

Mr Kohli’s daughter said the teenagers had ‘humiliated’ her father in an ‘utterly disgusting’ attack.

Susan Kohli said: ‘Videos of the incident were filmed and shockingly found on the girl’s phone. Dad did not deserve this, and we wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone else.

‘One of the videos showed dad on his knees being hit over the head with the boy’s slider (shoe). A loud horrible slapping sound is heard when the boy struck dad.

‘Hearing the girl laugh at this assault on dad is utterly disgusting. This sound plays over and over in our heads.

‘Losing dad in these cruel, violent, and deeply shocking circumstances feels like our hearts have been pulled apart. We can’t put into words the pain we feel every day, and this has magnified during the trial.’

Ms Kohli described her father as a ‘loving dad, grandad, brother and uncle’ who was ‘good fun to be around’.

She said: ‘He was the person who knitted our family together and we miss him every second of every day. Our home feels so empty without him and will never be the same.’