A 14-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of the murder of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli, who died following an assault while out walking his dog in a park near Leicester, remains in police custody for questioning on Wednesday.
Leicestershire Police said a girl aged 14 and a boy and two girls aged 12, also arrested on suspicion of murder, have now been released with no further action.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Kohli after he died in hospital on Monday night confirmed the cause of death was a neck injury, with further tests pending.
His daughter told the Leicester Mercury that the children kicked him in the neck and spine.
“He had been taking the dog for a walk. They pushed him, they kicked in the neck, kicked in the spine,” she said.
“He had been taking the dog for a walk. He was about 30 seconds away from getting home when he was attacked. He was lying under the tree, and at first he was complaining about his neck,”she was quoted by Leicestershire Live as saying.
“He’s always been very active – he has three allotments. We’ve lived here for 40 years, and just recently, there’s been a lot of anti-social behaviour, which has been reported to the police,” she said.
Kohli was walking his dog at Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, when he was attacked on Sunday and died in hospital a day later. The police force admitted “prior police contact with the victim”, which initially led to a voluntary referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) and has been escalated to mandatory referral after further contact with the authority.
“We can confirm that we have received a referral from Leicestershire Police in relation to this matter. We will carry out an assessment to decide what further action may be required from us,” an IOPC spokesperson said.
In July, an incident was reported to police after Kohli was allegedly verbally abused by a group of young people near his home, according to the ‘Guardian’ newspaper.
Dressed in a black sweater and grey jogging bottoms, Kohli was walking his family dog on Sunday evening when he was “seriously assaulted by a group of young people”. They are said to have fled the scene prior to emergency services arriving.
Described by friends and neighbours as a retired fit and active man, Kohli is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. The police cordon for “scene preservation” in the park has since been lifted. St Crispin’s Church near the scene of the assault is offering the community a space to light a candle in memory of the elderly victim.
Kohli, described by friends and neighbours as a retired, fit and active man, is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
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