Review of Police Response Following Fatal Attack on Elderly Man
Leicestershire Police's handling of anti-social behaviour incidents prior to the fatal assault of an 80-year-old man is undergoing a second review.
Bhim Kohli died after being punched and kicked by a 14-year-old boy while a 12-year-old girl recorded the attack in September 2024. This occurred two weeks after Bhim had witnessed a separate racial abuse and assault incident involving another Asian man nearby.
Following Bhim's death, Leicestershire Police conducted an investigation, which was reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), focusing on the case and the force's prior interactions with Bhim. No evidence of misconduct or missed opportunities was found initially. However, a new investigation has commenced after a public complaint was lodged.
Bhim died the day after the "intense attack" in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, while walking his dog Rocky. The boy and girl involved were convicted of manslaughter. The boy received a seven-year custodial sentence, and the girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order with a six-month curfew.
Family Concerns Over Police Action Before Death
In August 2024, Bhim's daughter, Susan Kohli, told the BBC she believes her father "would still be here" if police had acted more promptly regarding the earlier attack on 17 August 2024 near Franklin Park, about two weeks before Bhim's fatal assault at the same location.
The earlier victim was walking to the park when two white boys, aged 12 and 13, threw a rock at him just yards from Bhim's home. The boys, who were not involved in Bhim's death, spat at the man, repeatedly threw stones, taunted him, and shouted racial insults including "go back to your village."
Susan filmed the assault, during which one of the boys used a four-letter racial slur and called the man's father a "curry muncher." Bhim, Susan, and others intervened after the boys picked up a large log from the park.
Police were called, and Bhim reported witnessing the assault. A report provided to Susan after Bhim's death showed police identified the boys involved in the earlier incident days after it occurred but did not arrest them until 5 September, three days after Bhim died.
At the time, Susan urged the IOPC to review the investigation again, stating police "sat on" the information for two weeks.
Additional Incidents and Police Investigations
During the trial of Bhim's killers, the court heard that "a week or two" before his death, the convicted girl was present when other children threw apples at Bhim.
Previously, it was reported to police that in July 2024, Bhim had stones thrown at him, was spat on, and racially abused by a group of children after asking them to get off a neighbour's garage roof.
A report of Leicestershire Police's initial review, seen by the BBC, revealed eight further reports of similar incidents between June and August 2024, made after Bhim's death. The force acknowledged "organisational learning" regarding the logging of anti-social behaviour.
The IOPC agreed with the identified learning and stated that "officers did proactively investigate matters reported to them." However, Leicestershire Police referred itself back to the IOPC on 11 January following a public complaint about its response to anti-social behaviour in Franklin Park before Bhim's death.
Current Investigation and Official Statements
The IOPC decided an investigation was necessary and appropriate to be conducted locally by Leicestershire Police's professional standards department. The watchdog will maintain independent oversight and the complainant has the right to request a review if dissatisfied with the outcome.
"After carefully assessing the information provided by the force, we decided an investigation was required and that it was appropriate to be carried out locally by Leicestershire Police. To provide reassurance and transparency in this process, we will retain a level of independent oversight as the complainant will be provided with a right of review to the IOPC, should they be dissatisfied with the outcome."
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said:
"At the heart of this is a family who have tragically lost a loved one and Leicestershire Police continue to extend its sympathies to Mr Kohli's family, his friends and the local community who were impacted by these tragic events."
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Warning: This article contains racially offensive language.
