Court hears that pensioner was "slapped with shoe" by "masked child"

A pensioner who died after an alleged attack in a park was "slapped" in the face with a shoe by a balaclava-clad boy in an act of "pure violence", while a girl filmed the incident and laughed, a court has heard.

Jurors were told that two children, a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, killed Bhim Kohli, 80, yards from his home after using racist taunts towards him while he was walking his dog.

Both youths, who cannot be named because of their ages, deny their part in fatally injuring the pensioner in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year.

The boy is charged with Mr Kohli's murder and manslaughter, while the girl is charged with his manslaughter.

Opening the Crown's case at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said: "On September 1 last year, 2024, an 80-year-old man called Bhim Kohli did what he did each day.

"He left his home on Bramble Way in Leicester. Having left his home, he walked a few yards to the entrance of Franklin Park, where he was going to take his dog for a walk.

"On September 1, however, Mr Kohli would not get the opportunity to walk his dog for long and never would he return home. That is because in Franklin Park, Mr Kohli had the misfortune to encounter these two defendants.

"(The boy and girl) used racist taunts against Mr Kohli, (the boy) used violence against Mr Kohli, (the girl) encouraged (the boy) to use violence against Mr Kohli.

"The prosecution say that as a result of causing those injuries, (the boy) is guilty of murdering Bhim Kohli and that (the girl) who encouraged the causing of those injuries is guilty of manslaughter."

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 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".

The jury were told that Mr Kohli died later from his injuries in hospital.

The trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, continues.

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