Two teenagers guilty of manslaughter of 80-year-old man in Leicestershire park

Two teenagers have been found guilty at Leicester crown court of the manslaughter of Bhim Kohli after the 80-year-old was attacked in a park near Leicester in September.

- Mark Brown Hannah Al-Othman

A 15-year-old boy, who kicked, punched and racially abused Kohli while he was walking his dog in a park, has been found guilty of manslaughter.

A court heard that while Kohli was on his knees, the boy took off one of his slider shoes and slapped the elderly man in the face.

The incident was filmed by a 13-year-old girl, then 12, who could be heard laughing and was said to be encouraging the attack. A jury also found her guilty of manslaughter.

Jurors deliberated for six hours and 46 minutes before unanimously convicting the pair of manslaughter. The boy had also been charged with an alternative count of murder, but was found not guilty by the jury.

The teenagers, who were in the dock for the first time since their trial began, sat as the foreman of the jury returned the verdicts.

Leicester crown court heard that Kohli suffered a broken neck and three broken ribs in the assault that happened on his daily dog walk, metres from his home in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire. He died in hospital the following day.