Bhim Kohli's grandson ‘haunted' by thought he could have saved grandfather

Independent

7 days ago

A grandson who rushed to help his 80-year-old grandad after he was fatally injured in an attack by teenagers as he walked his dog has said he is 'haunted' by the thought he could have saved him.
A 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named, are being sentenced on Thursday at Leicester Crown Court for the manslaughter of dog-walker Bhim Kohli, who was slapped in the face with a slider shoe and kicked and punched by the balaclava-clad male, while the female filmed and laughed.
Mr Kohli had been racially abused, laughed at by the girl and left on the ground before his family found him severely injured in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on the evening of September 1 last year.
He died in hospital the next day having suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs.
In a statement read out by prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC during the sentencing hearing, Mr Kohli's grandson Simranjit Kohli said he had been left wondering if his grandfather may have survived if he had got there sooner after he cried out for help.
He said: 'My grandad was one of the most important factors of my life.
'He's the main reason I am who I am. My story revolves around him and with him being taken away, it's as though the author won't be able to read his own book.
'It's painful for me and my family that we will never get to see if he is proud. We won't get to see the smile on his face when his grandkids get a house, get a car, then get married and have kids of their own.
'I was the first one out of my family at the scene. Not a day goes by when I think if I were minutes earlier I could have stopped what happened.
'There is, of course, sadness and sorrow, there's also hate, anger and rage. Everywhere I go I'm haunted by the thought I could be with him if things had happened differently that day.'
Reading her own statement to the packed courtroom, 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.'
The teenagers are due to be sentenced by High Court judge Mr Justice Turner on Thursday afternoon.