An 80-year-old dog walker who died after a group of children allegedly attacked him in a park in Leicestershire has been named as Bhim Kohli.
Five children – three aged 12, the others 14 – were arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday evening. Four have since been released with no further action while the 14-year-old remains in police custody.
Mr Kohli was walking his dog near an entrance to Franklin Park on Bramble Way, in Braunstone Town, when he suffered a ‘serious’ assault at around 6.30pm, and later died from his injuries in hospital.
Residents say Mr Kohli had been targeted by teenage yobs before, which included having ‘stones thrown’ at him.
One resident said: ‘I think he had been harassed before by teenagers.
‘I don’t know him really, but I saw him around.
‘That afternoon I did see three lads and two teenage girls walking around laughing.
‘I know someone said kids had been throwing stones at him.’
Frank, 50, a neighbour who lives on the same street as Mr Kohli, said: ‘Everyone is lovely around here, it’s lovely and quiet.
‘The police have been here since Monday morning and the park entrance has been shut.
‘I’d just seen him [Mr Kohli] around. He lives with his family, it’s really scary.’
Another neighbour said she spoke to Mr Kohli days before the murder.
She said: ‘He was nice, he’s been there for a long time. I think 35 years he’s been living there.
‘He had a big dog. His name was Rocky.
‘He lived with his family.
‘We all know him, we’re all nice here. He was very nice to everyone.
‘He was lovely. Last Wednesday I talked to him, and he was in good spirits. He was talking about his allotments.’
Neighbours described Mr Kohli as a ‘kind and caring” man who enjoyed growing vegetables on his allotments.
One said: ‘It’s just a horrible, horrible thing to happen to such a kind and caring man.
‘Bhim was such a lovely man and he was known around here. I would see him walking his dogs twice a day and he would always say hello and chat.’
A ‘group of young people’ is believed to have attacked at the entrance of the park, which is just yards away from his front door on Bramble Way.
The suspects fled the scene, but officers were able to track down a boy and a girl, aged 14, and one boy and three girls, aged 12, who have now been arrested.
Mr Kohli’s daughter said her father had been just ‘seconds’ away from home when he died.
‘He had been taking the dog for a walk,’ she told LeicestershireLive. ‘He was about 30 seconds away from getting home when he was attacked. He way lying under the tree and at first he was complaining about his neck and now he’s not able to move his legs.
‘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.’
Another neighbour, who knew Mr Kohli for about 25 years, said she feared some of the recent crime was racially-motivated.
She told the publication: ‘I heard a commotion outside and he was lying in the park, screaming in pain. He said he was violently pushed over.
‘This is a wonderful neighbourhood but I’ve noticed in the past couple of months more crime – lads jumping onto the roof of a bungalow, people being harassed while out walking. There was another Asian man who was recently verbally attacked and pushed.’
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