Latest news with #SusanKohli
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Telegraph
Boy's sentence for killing 80-year-old dog walker to be reviewed
The sentence handed to a teenage boy convicted of killing an 80-year-old man as he walked his dog will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal. Bhim Sen Kohli called out for help as he was attacked, slapped in the face with a shoe and racially abused in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on Sept 1 last year. He died the next day with a spinal cord injury and fractured ribs. Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy aged 15, who had punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Both children, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court. A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said the case would be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The spokesman said: 'The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli's friends and family at this difficult time. 'After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal. The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not.' Mr Kohli's daughter Susan spoke of feeling 'angry and disappointed', adding that she believed the sentences did not 'reflect the severity of the crime they committed'.
BBC News
21-06-2025
- BBC News
Bhim Kohli death: 'Dad's killing won't drive us from our home'
"Why should we be pushed out? Why should we allow these two children to push us out of where my dad once loved, where we love?"The words of Susan Kohli, whose 80-year-old father Bhim Kohli died after being racially abused and brutally attacked at a park just yards from the family home in Braunstone, Leicestershire.A 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl were both found guilty of Mr Kohli's manslaughter and were sentenced earlier this to the BBC, Mrs Kohli admitted she had discussed with her mother the idea of moving away from the area - but questioned why it should be them that has to leave their community. The boy was sentenced to seven years in custody while the girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month curfew, which Mrs Kohli said was "unanswerable"."In the last nine months, there has been a lot of talk between me and my mum because the incident happened literally on our doorstep," she said."So whenever you walk out the door, it's a constant reminder of what happened to dad."We've had these discussions about do we stay? Do we go?"The attack on Mr Kohli happened as he walked his dog, Rocky, in Franklin Park on 1 September last year. He died a day later in boy racially abused Mr Kohli before slapping him in the face with a slider shoe, while the girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her can be named because of their ages. Mrs Kohli said her neighbours had been "amazing" and "so supportive" in the difficult months since."And that's where we feel, will we get the same neighbours when you move away?" she said."It's the people that's keeping us there. It's the people and it's the memories."It is just the fact that all of my dad's memories are there."They will always be in our heart." Despite this, Mrs Kohli feels there are questions to be answered in their community following her father's this month it was revealed that Mr Kohli had spoken to police just two weeks before his death after seeing another Asian man being assaulted by two white boys, who threw a large rock at Kohli added: "We need to call out whenever these issues are happening. We need to face it. And if we don't, it is just going to continue."Leicestershire Police said "organisational learning" to improve logging anti-social behaviour had been force added it had undertaken an investigation, reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which did not identify any "misconduct or missed opportunities which could have prevented Mr Kohli's death".
News.com.au
21-06-2025
- News.com.au
Grandfather's eerie last moments before horror murder caught on CCTV
It's the most disturbing crime I've seen since 1993 when two 11-year-olds abducted, tortured and killed toddler James Bulger – with sickening similarities. In April, a 14-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl were convicted of manslaughter. Earlier this month, they were given sentences so paltry, I felt my blood boil. The boy beat to death a retired factory worker and granddad, Bhim Kohli, 80, in an unprovoked attack, hurling racist abuse at him as he did. The girl filmed the assault, cheered him on and laughed in the dying pensioner's face. Later, both bragged about it. He received seven years in jail. She wasn't jailed at all – for fear it'd impact her 'education and mental health.' She received a three-year rehabilitation order, a six-month curfew, and community service. They remain anonymous. A judge ruled last month their welfare outweighed the public interest in open justice and unrestricted reporting. Outside court late last week, Bhim's daughter Susan Kohli choked back tears as she read the family's statement. 'We feel anger and disgust towards the teenagers who took dad away from us. They humiliated him, an 80 year-old-man, assaulted him, filmed it and laughed at him.' Referring to their sentences and anonymity, she said: 'They have taken a life – and as a result our lives have been changed forever. When they're released they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' How on earth could this happen? When I read the details, a chill ran through me. Then I saw where it happened: Leicester. I lived and worked there as a council-funded youth worker. I know one of the key ways in which this horror might've been prevented. Multiple grim factors coalesced to cause this: toxic teen phone culture, a desire for online 'fame', male violence, government cuts, policing failures and a breakdown of a famous multicultural society which recent politicians have savaged as 'woke,' leading to the normalisation of disgusting racist attacks. Trigger warning: the details I'll share now are distressing. But they're important to understand how a once-great multicultural society, in a city I was proud to call home, can break down to the point something unthinkable like this occurs. A 'very mild, gentle man' who loved his family and dog Bhim Kohli loved gardening in his small allotment. His neighbour, Marie Chatterton, described him as 'very mild and gentle.' His grandson, Simranjit Kohli, said 'My granddad is the main reason I am who I am. Now we'll never get to see if he is proud.' He was metres from his home, walking his beloved dog, Rocky, in a nearby park. The last words he heard as he cowered on his knees and his distraught dog watched helplessly were those of vile racist taunts, abuse, and laughter. When his daughter found him lying on the ground in agony, he told her his attackers had called him a 'P***' (a hateful racist slur) during the attack. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski called the case one of the most shocking of his career. The boy, he said, had a thirst for social media notoriety. Two weeks earlier, Bhim had intervened when two white boys aged 12 and 13 racially abused a man of colour near the same park. They threw a rock and a fence post at him and shouted 'go back to your village.' Bhim, his daughter, and a neighbour reported it. That man, who remains anonymous, last week said: 'If police had increased patrols after that, maybe Bhim would still be alive.' Bhim's daughter Susan echoed these sentiments. He added that he was shocked by 'this level of anger and vitriol … the racist language, the violence … from such a young age group'. But police deterring the act is a Band-Aid – we need to address the root cause. We need to look at a deeper rot in a city that once rightly boasted itself as Britain's most successful multicultural city. Elderly man suffers broken neck, three broken ribs In court, we learned the boy, who 'revelled in his hard, violent reputation' didn't know Bhim. He 'wanted to impress' his friend. She'd pointed Bhim out, encouraged the attack, and filmed it. In the weeks previously, she'd bullied and harassed Bhim; she'd thrown apples at him. She also filmed another Asian man being racially abused and mocked. She had a 'grudge' against Bhim because of an earlier verbal altercation involving a friend. He'd told them to get off his neighbour's garage roof. In response, stones were thrown at him, he was spat at and was racially abused by the children. Her phone contained a photo of Bhim taken a week before the attack. She'd deliberately arrived at the park at the time she knew he walked his dog. 'This girl was obsessed with violence – she filmed and encouraged it,' said DCI Sinski. 'Her actions were cynical and calculated.' When arrested, she was 'not in any way intimidated by the gravity of the charge.' He added: 'She was very sure of herself … and unnecessarily cocky and confident during her evidence.' The boy wore a balaclava and knocked Bhim to the ground then hit him with his shoe as he was trying to get up. The judge said he was 'showing off' as he knew he was being filmed. He slapped him and called him a racial slur so hateful, British newspapers won't print it. He stomped on Bhim so forcefully, it broke his neck. As the 80-year-old lay on the ground defenceless and in agony, then motionless, the teen repeatedly kicked him so hard, he broke three of his ribs as the girl filmed, laughed and later bragged. When police reviewed her phone, they found numerous clips of her filming and encouraging attacks. Bhim's daughter described finding her father. 'He screamed, 'My neck, my neck.' I'd never heard him in that kind of pain before.' He died the following day in hospital. 'Lock up the council workers who let this happen' One reader commented: 'Also lock up the police and council who failed to deal with the anti-social behaviour going on for ages.' I previously worked for Leicestershire County Council as a youth worker, helping kids just like Bhim's attackers. I loved Leicester, Britain's first city where white people were a minority. It's home to a large Indian and Pakistani community. We celebrated Diwali, revelled in the delicious food, and proved multiculturalism worked. We ran programs for disadvantaged kids to keep them out of trouble and off the streets – including those expelled, or at risk of arrest. It was a haven for self-expression, but we also taught them respect. My male manager and I were particularly keen to act as positive role models for the boys who came from complex backgrounds. That centre was demolished in 2012 due to Tory austerity. Between 2010 and 2023, the Conservatives closed over 1,200 youth centres and more than a third of children's centres. Meanwhile, figures like Nigel Farage – Britain's Pauline Hanson – have become alarming political icons for Britain's youth. Farage has 1.3 million TikTok followers, more than all other MPs combined. He spews anti-Immigration rhetoric. The death of 80-year-old Bhim Kohli in Leicestershire only makes three of today’s front pages. As we reported yesterday, the Telegraph writes that Mr Kohli had previously complained to police about anti-social behaviour by young kids where he lived. — Darshna Soni (@darshnasoni) September 4, 2024 Bhim was killed just a month after the UK race riots. Misinformation claimed the Southport stabbing suspect was an immigrant. He wasn't. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson led the lie – and shortly afterwards, asylum hotels were set on fire. My old youth centre promoted harmony and diversity. Many like it are gone – bulldozed, not just closed. Adolescence The chilling parallels to Netflix's Adolescence are undeniable. The show prompted UK PM Keir Starmer to meet its creators. Writer Jack Thorne called for smartphone bans in schools and a digital age of consent, naming Australia's world-leading example as one the UK should follow. In the show, 13-year-old Jamie kills a girl after being radicalised online. He lies, denies responsibility, then shows threadbare remorse. So did this boy. He falsely claimed Bhim had a knife. Then said the pensioner just 'fell.' Eventually, he admitted to the killing, saying he 'just needed to get his anger out.' The judge called his remorse 'diluted,' adding: 'You say it wasn't your fault. The sooner you realise otherwise, the better.' In leaked Snapchats after the attack, he wrote: 'Feds know it's me,' with a laughing emoji. He bragged about his 'punching power.' How this could've been avoided Could a youth centre have kept this violent boy off the streets and out of trouble? Maybe not. Could a youth phone ban have stopped the desire for viral infamy? Maybe not. Could more visible policing following reports of racist hate incidents have made a difference? Maybe not. Could braver political leadership on multiculturalism have countered anti-immigration propaganda? Maybe not. But if all of these things had been in place, as was perfectly possible? A beloved, hardworking granddad might still be alive today. He might not have spent his final moments in agony, being ridiculed and facing the ugliest collapse of the society he loved – at the hands of children.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- BBC News
'Boy's sentence for killing my dad is unanswerable'
The daughter of an 80-year-old man who died after being attacked in a park has called for tougher sentences for young Kohli died in hospital a day after being assaulted while walking his dog at Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, in September.A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to seven years in custody for manslaughter on 5 June, while a 13-year-old girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month curfew for the same to BBC Breakfast, Susan Kohli called for guidelines on sentencing for young offenders to be changed. Ms Kohli said: "We are having so many incidents and crime reports that involve youngsters and they know that because they're youngsters, they're not going to serve the full weight of the law, because it's half an adult sentence."But you choose to do an adult crime, so why not be punished accordingly? Yes, the boy has been sentenced to seven years, on good behaviour three and a half years - he's served nine months of that already."He's going to be out in two years and nine months for taking my dad's life - it's just unanswerable."It needs to change, and I'm hoping we're able to try and get that change to hold the young offenders accountable for what they do." Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, wrote to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) calling for the sentences to be AGO previously told the BBC it had received several requests to review the sentences given to the pair, who cannot be named due to their ages. If the Attorney General and Solicitor General agree the sentence appears unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence. The AGO said it is still within the statutory 28-day period for referrals to the Court of Appeal. During the sentencing hearing on 5 June, prosecutor Harpreet Sandu KC said Mr Kohli was subjected to a "seven-and-a-half minute period of continuing aggression" at the boy racially abused Mr Kohli, attacked him and slapped him in the face with a slider shoe, while the girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her phone. Both were convicted of manslaughter.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Teen killers' parents should face court too: 80-year-old victim's daughter says police should 'hold parents accountable' after boy, 15, and girl, 13, were sentenced for fatal attack
The heartbroken daughter of a pensioner who died after being brutally attacked by two children has said the teenage killers' parents should be dragged into court and held accountable for their kids' actions. Bhim Kohli, 80, was out walking his dog just yards from his home in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, when he was set upon by a balaclava-wearing boy, 15, while a 13-year-old girl filmed the shocking assault. The innocent grandfather was kicked and punched to the ground, racially abused and mocked by the girl - who recorded him as he lay on his knees. Moments later, the frail pensioner was left crumpled and alone in the park. His own children discovered him with horrific injuries later that day. He died in hospital the following evening, having suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs. Yesterday the 15-year-old boy was ordered to serve just seven years in a young offenders' detention centre and a 13-year-old girl was spared being jailed and instead handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Now, in the wake of their sentencing, Mr Kohli's devastated daughter has issued a powerful call for justice - Susan Kohli said the teenagers' parents should also face legal consequences. 'The parents have a part to play in it because from what we heard in court, (the children) were out at crazy times. They were on the phones at gone midnight. These are children of the age of 12 and 14 (at the time of the killing),' she said. 'How can a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old do something like this to an old-age pensioner? Do they not think what if this happened to their parents, their grandparents? '(It's) adults taking responsibility. Hold the parents accountable. Then bring them to court as well.' During the harrowing trial at Leicester Crown Court, Mr Justice Turner told the pair - referred to only as D1 and D2 due to their ages - that the attack was 'cowardly' and 'wicked.' Turning to the boy, he said: 'I am sure, D1, from the start you wanted to confront Mr Kohli, mainly because you were showing off to D2 — you knew she was watching and was likely to take films on her mobile phone.' 'I am sure you knocked Mr Kohli to the ground and hit him with your sliders. I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.' It was also revealed that Mr Kohli told his daughter he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The judge acknowledged this but added that mobile phone evidence didn't show the teens held 'general racist views,' calling it instead 'a lazy but very hurtful insult.' The court heard chilling details about the girl's role: she filmed the boy slapping Mr Kohli with a slider shoe and recorded footage of him lying motionless on the ground. Shockingly, she also had a photo of the elderly man on her phone taken eight days before the attack. The boy had originally been charged with murder but was found guilty of manslaughter. In a letter written two months later, he claimed to be suffering flashbacks and wrote: 'I feel like my case is evil. I accept I did it and I am doing time. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' Despite the horrifying nature of the crime, Susan Kohli says the young killers were treated with kid gloves by the justice system. 'I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence… does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed,' she said after the hearing. The court made deliberate efforts to make the proceedings less intimidating for the children — lawyers did not wear wigs or gowns, and the defendants were allowed to avoid sitting in the dock. Ms Kohli said there had been 'under-reporting' of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the months leading up to the attack on her father and that the Government needs to do more to ensure police have the resources they need to safeguard communities. Reading her own statement to the packed courtroom yesterday, Mr Kohli's daughter Susan Kohli said her family are surrounded by 'consistent sadness' since he died. She said: 'They left my dad on his own, helpless and in pain. 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 - we have never felt hurt and sadness like this. 'My mum, a gentle human being, has found herself saying she would like the children subjected to the same treatment they gave her husband to see how they feel.' She added: 'My mum and I felt we needed to attend the trial each day to understand the evidence fully. 'We tried to remain strong but, the truth is, inside we feel broken and it has been stressful listening to the enormity of what happened and what he was subjected to.' Describing the moments she found her father injured on the ground in the park just yards from the family home, Ms Kohli said: 'He was in so much pain, he was screaming out. It was horrendous and we have never seen him like this. 'We knew he was very poorly and in severe pain, but we thought he would go to Leicester Royal Infirmary and be fine. 'We never imagined he would never return home. We were later told the shocking news he was no longer able to take the medication that was keeping him alive. 'He passed away before our eyes, surrounded by his family who were in floods of tears and disbelief. 'Due to him being killed in these circumstances and being involved in a criminal investigation, dad was unable to donate his organs which were always his wishes. It pains me we were unable to meet his wishes.'
