Latest news with #BhimKohli
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Bhim Kohli: MPs demand sentence review for killers of man, 80
Two MPs have called for a review into "unduly lenient" sentences given to two teenagers convicted of killing an 80-year-old man at a Kohli died in hospital a day after being attacked while walking his dog at Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, in September.A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to seven years in custody for manslaughter at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday while a 13-year-old girl was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and made subject to a six-month Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, have written to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) calling for the sentences to be looked at. The AGO told the BBC it had received several requests to review the sentences given to the pair, who cannot be named due to their the Attorney General and Solicitor General agree the sentence appears unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence. 'Shocked and appalled' During the hearing on Thursday, prosecutor Harpreet Sandu KC said Mr Kohli was subjected to a "seven-and-a-half minute period of continuing aggression" at the boy racially abused Mr Kohli, attacked him and slapped him in the face with a slider shoe while the girl encouraged the assault and laughed as she filmed it on her attack left Mr Kohli with three broken ribs and other fractures, but Mr Sandhu KC said the fatal injury was to his spinal cord, caused by a spine sentencing, the victim's daughter Susan Kohli said she felt angry and disappointed the punishments did not match the severity of the he had written to the AGO, Bedford said: "I am shocked and appalled at the leniency of these sentences."These two young people will soon be able to move forward with their lives, while the family of Mr Kohli serve a life sentence of pain and grief."The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Our politicians are the least serious in history – and that includes you, Nigel
This week an appalling case reminded us just how broken Britain is. We learnt that a 15-year-old boy killed elderly dogwalker Bhim Kohli while a female friend, aged 12, filmed it on her mobile phone. Both were laughing as the beloved grandfather lay dying in the street. How on earth can it have come to this? The case is emblematic of everything that has gone wrong – and continues to go wrong – in our fragmented, seemingly lawless society. We are led by complete incompetents: from police administering two-tier justice right the way up to our Prime Minister. It is little wonder there is a university course running in France on why the UK is such a failure. And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's answer to our capital's woes, despite knife and other crimes soaring? Decriminalising cannabis. We knew Labour were not fit for purpose before they even took office, but this latest example of idiocy from City Hall really does sum up the problem with having hapless, careerist socialists anywhere near the levers of power. And now Reform UK appears to have imploded. Having abandoned the Conservative Party after an inept 14 years of governance, which left us with higher bills, higher taxes, higher NHS waiting lists and higher immigration, voters had hoped that Nigel Farage and his motley crew might bring the salvation Britain so desperately needs. Reform was meant to represent the alternative to 'uniparty' politics by ripping up the political rule book and restoring good old fashioned common sense. What we have learnt in the past 24 hours, however, is that the one thing uniting all four major parties in the UK (and I'm including the ludicrous Liberal Democrats in this, with their clown of a leader Sir Ed Davey) is just how thoroughly unserious they all are. Westminster currently resembles a cross-party circus act; what has the electorate done to deserve this? Let's take them one by one. We currently cannot believe a word slippery Starmer says after a string of Labour lies on tax, winter fuel, defence spending, relations with the EU, the Chagos Islands, immigration – you name it. They promised 6,500 more teachers with their vindictive VAT raid on private school fees and this week it was revealed teacher numbers are actually down since they took office. Millionaires are leaving, businesses are folding, more tax rises are on the way. We've got an Attorney General who wants to defend terrorists like Osama bin Laden's right-hand man while the justice system imprisons mothers like Lucy Connolly for 'hurty words' on the internet. The Left accuses Reform of being amateurs – and then run the country as if it's a university student union staffed by drop-outs. Yet the Right-wing opposition appears equally as childish. This week, we have had the shadow chancellor Mel Stride denouncing Liz Truss's premiership with some weasel words about the Tories 'never again undermining fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford'. The former prime minister – once famously compared to a lettuce – hit back with an excoriating statement on the political playground that is X, accusing Sir Mel of being a 'creature of the system' by siding with 'failed Treasury orthodoxy'. In what world does this blue-on-blue infighting help Kemi Badenoch as she struggles to cut through? Equally infantile was the typically boyish intervention of her former leadership rival Sir James Cleverly with a demand that the Conservatives stick to net zero – despite it being among the main reasons the party is now facing its own climate emergency. He's been invisible for months and then emerges with this sort of unhelpful Ed Milibandesque claptrap? Read the room, for pity's sake. All credit to Robert Jenrick for trying to find some grown-up solutions to some of the country's problems – like fare dodging, notwithstanding the self-serving nature of his attention-grabbing social media endeavours. Badenoch is trying her best to be a serious politician, with thoughtful rather than knee-jerk interventions on issues like our membership of the ECHR – only to have MPs in her ranks like Kit Malthouse spreading anti-Israel slanders like his declaration this week that Gaza is 'an abattoir where starving people are lured out through combat zones to be shot at'. Along with other Tories, he's also been calling for the Prime Minister to recognise a Palestinian state. Harebrained student politics are clearly not just confined to the Labour Party. We had hoped Reform, led by streetwise Nigel Farage, a man of political wisdom and experience, might rise above all this. But even he has been dogged by infantilism. If Rupert Lowe's 'more people watch my X videos than Nigel's' bravado wasn't bad enough, Reform now has been badly damaged by the similarly petulant flouncing out of party chairman Zia Yusuf. I like Zia and think he deserves credit for all the hard work he has put into professionalising the party over the past 11 months. But what on earth was there to be gained from such a public tantrum? Just leave quietly, don't blow the whole thing up with spiteful talk of working to get the party elected 'no longer being a good use of my time'. Similarly juvenile was the language he used to describe Reform MP Sarah Pochin's Commons call to ban the burka (which provoked laughter from the front bench: that's the state of public discourse in this country, folks). Responding to Katie Hopkins, of all people, on X, he wrote: 'Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question nor that it wasn't policy. Busy with other stuff. I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' At the age of 38 and having worked at Goldman Sachs and established his own hugely successful business, he should know this is not the way to behave in the public eye. Reform remains a party that cannot even govern itself, let alone the country. This simply isn't good enough. The Government is useless, the Tories are a busted flush; if Reform seriously wants to break the doom loom of despair then it cannot be part of the problem. The party must get its act together – and fast. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Teen killers' parents should face court too: 80-year-old victim's daughter says police should 'hold parents accountable' after boy, 15, and girl, 13, were sentenced for fatal attack
The heartbroken daughter of a pensioner who died after being brutally attacked by two children has said the teenage killers' parents should be dragged into court and held accountable for their kids' actions. Bhim Kohli, 80, was out walking his dog just yards from his home in Braunstone Town, near Leicester, when he was set upon by a balaclava-wearing boy, 15, while a 13-year-old girl filmed the shocking assault. The innocent grandfather was kicked and punched to the ground, racially abused and mocked by the girl - who recorded him as he lay on his knees. Moments later, the frail pensioner was left crumpled and alone in the park. His own children discovered him with horrific injuries later that day. He died in hospital the following evening, having suffered a broken neck and fractured ribs. Yesterday the 15-year-old boy was ordered to serve just seven years in a young offenders' detention centre and a 13-year-old girl was spared being jailed and instead handed a three-year youth rehabilitation order. Now, in the wake of their sentencing, Mr Kohli's devastated daughter has issued a powerful call for justice - Susan Kohli said the teenagers' parents should also face legal consequences. 'The parents have a part to play in it because from what we heard in court, (the children) were out at crazy times. They were on the phones at gone midnight. These are children of the age of 12 and 14 (at the time of the killing),' she said. 'How can a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old do something like this to an old-age pensioner? Do they not think what if this happened to their parents, their grandparents? '(It's) adults taking responsibility. Hold the parents accountable. Then bring them to court as well.' During the harrowing trial at Leicester Crown Court, Mr Justice Turner told the pair - referred to only as D1 and D2 due to their ages - that the attack was 'cowardly' and 'wicked.' Turning to the boy, he said: 'I am sure, D1, from the start you wanted to confront Mr Kohli, mainly because you were showing off to D2 — you knew she was watching and was likely to take films on her mobile phone.' 'I am sure you knocked Mr Kohli to the ground and hit him with your sliders. I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked. 'You made a cowardly and violent attack on an elderly man.' It was also revealed that Mr Kohli told his daughter he had been called a 'P***' during the attack. The judge acknowledged this but added that mobile phone evidence didn't show the teens held 'general racist views,' calling it instead 'a lazy but very hurtful insult.' The court heard chilling details about the girl's role: she filmed the boy slapping Mr Kohli with a slider shoe and recorded footage of him lying motionless on the ground. Shockingly, she also had a photo of the elderly man on her phone taken eight days before the attack. The boy had originally been charged with murder but was found guilty of manslaughter. In a letter written two months later, he claimed to be suffering flashbacks and wrote: 'I feel like my case is evil. I accept I did it and I am doing time. I kinda just needed anger etc releasing.' Despite the horrifying nature of the crime, Susan Kohli says the young killers were treated with kid gloves by the justice system. 'I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence… does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed,' she said after the hearing. The court made deliberate efforts to make the proceedings less intimidating for the children — lawyers did not wear wigs or gowns, and the defendants were allowed to avoid sitting in the dock. Ms Kohli said there had been 'under-reporting' of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the months leading up to the attack on her father and that the Government needs to do more to ensure police have the resources they need to safeguard communities. Reading her own statement to the packed courtroom yesterday, 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 Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Teenagers' sentences ‘do not reflect severity of crime', say Bhim Kohli's family
The daughter of a pensioner who was racially abused, hit with a shoe and filmed being attacked when he was killed by two teenagers said she was 'angry and disappointed', saying the sentences did not reflect the crime. A 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named because of their ages, were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday for the manslaughter of Bhim Kohli, aged 80, who was the victim of a 'wicked' attack near his home in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester, on September 1 last year. Both children had denied their part in killing the elderly dog walker, who died in hospital the day after the incident, but were convicted by a jury of manslaughter in April, while the boy was cleared of murder. High Court judge Mr Justice Turner handed the boy, who was aged 14 at the time of the killing, seven years' detention, and the girl, who was aged 12, a three-year youth rehabilitation order. The court heard that Mr Kohli was racially abused when the boy pushed, kicked and punched him, while the girl encouraged him by recording parts of the attack while laughing. Sentencing the pair, the judge said: 'I am sure Mr Kohli did nothing at all to deserve what you did. What you did was wicked.' Speaking outside court after sentencing, Mr Kohli's daughter Susan said her family's 'lives had been changed forever' because of the teenagers' attack. Ms Kohli said: 'The death of my dad has left a hole in our family, a hole that can never be filled because of the actions of two teenagers on that Sunday evening last September. 'I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing. 'I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence they have both received today does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed. 'However, I understand the judge has guidelines, but they have taken a life, and, as a result, our lives have been changed forever. 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.' Ms Kohli added that 'more could have been done' to prevent her father's death. She said: 'If police were able to have more visible patrols in the area following the previous reports of anti-social behaviour, then dad could still be alive today. 'We don't want any other family to endure the pain and heartbreak that we have of losing someone this way.' Ms Kohli said her father and some other neighbours had previously been subjected to assaults and racial abuse, and had reported two incidents to police. She said she thought her father would 'still be here' if there had been more of a police presence in the area. A Leicestershire Police investigation found there was 'no misconduct or missed opportunities which could have prevented' Mr Kohli's death. The force said in a statement: 'Organisational learning was identified in relation to logging and tagging incidents of anti-social behaviour. As part of our continual improvements in this area, discussion began at the start of 2024, leading to a new system which is now in place. 'We would always encourage you, our communities, to report anti-social behaviour incidents and concerns to the police or to your local council as soon as possible.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Girl who filmed killing of pensioner is spared jail
The family of an 80-year-old dog walker has said the sentences handed to his teenage killers 'do not reflect the severity of the crime', after a 13-year-old girl convicted of the attack walked free from court. Bhim Kohli was fatally attacked by a 15-year-old boy as racist abuse was shouted at him, while the girl filmed the killing on her mobile phone. At Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, the boy was ordered to serve seven years in prison while the girl was handed a three-month rehabilitation order. The sentences stand in contrast to that of Lucy Connolly, a childminder married to a Conservative councillor, who received a 31-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to inciting racial hatred with a tweet posted in the wake of the Southport murders. The girl had filmed a series of video clips in which Mr Kohli was slapped with the shoe by the masked boy and another where the pensioner lay motionless on the ground, the court previously heard. Mr Justice Turner said it had been a 'cowardly and violent attack' on an elderly man, who did ' nothing to deserve ' what happened to him. Mr Kohli's daughter, Susan, called for the parents of the killers to face court themselves after the sentences were handed down. She said: 'The parents have a part to play in it because, from what we heard in court, the children were out at crazy times. They were on the phones at gone midnight. These are children of the age of 12 and 14 [at the time of the killing]. 'How can a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old do something like this to an old-age pensioner? Do they not think, what if this happened to their parents, their grandparents? It is adults taking responsibility. Hold the parents accountable. Then bring them to court as well.' A six-week trial heard that Mr Kohli called out for help while walking his dog Rocky when he was assaulted by the balaclava-clad boy, while the girl laughed and filmed at Franklin Park, Braunstone Town, near Leicester on Sept 1 last year. Both children denied their part in the grandfather's death but were convicted of manslaughter by a jury at the same court in April. The boy was cleared of Mr Kohli's murder. The public gallery was packed with members of Mr Kohli's family for the day-long sentencing hearing. Prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said there was 'deliberate humiliation' of Mr Kohli during the attack, which came against a backdrop of 'bullying and antagonising' of the pensioner by other local youths. Mr Kohli's children found him lying on the ground in agony when he told his daughter that he had been called a 'P---' during the attack. In a victim impact statement, Mr Kohli's daughter, said: 'He was in so much pain, he was screaming out. It was horrendous and we have never seen him like this.' She said the family had been left 'broken' by what had happened to her father, adding: 'They left my dad on his own, helpless and in pain.' 'Haunted' relatives Simranjit Kohli, Mr Kohli's grandson, said in a statement read by Mr Sandhu that he was 'haunted' by his grandfather's death. '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.' Mr Justice Turner said the attack had been 'wicked', and that evidence that suggested Mr Kohli told his daughter he was called a 'P---' during the attack was right, but that evidence from their mobile phones did not show they held 'general racist views'. He said: 'It was a lazy but very hurtful insult.' Addressing the boy, who was 14 at the time of the attack, the judge added: 'I'm sure you regret that he died because of what you did to Mr Kohli, but you still say it wasn't your fault. 'It was your fault and the sooner you realise this, the better.' Reasons for sentences He accepted that while the girl, who was 12 at the time of the attack, had encouraged the boy's behaviour, she did not know he would use 'anything like the level of violence he did'. Giving his reasons for the sentences, the judge said the girl had not played a 'leading role' in the killing, and did 'not hurt Kohli directly'. He said there were a number of mitigating factors, including no previous convictions and a troubled upbringing, and that a short custodial sentence would do more harm than good. Alongside the youth rehabilitation order, she will also be under an electronically monitored curfew for six months. The judge told the boy he did not find he attacked Mr Kohli due to his race, even though the court heard he used racist language. 'You made a cowardly attack on an elderly man,' he said. Ms Kohli, speaking after the sentencing of her father's teenage killers, said she is 'angry and disappointed' that their sentence does not reflect the severity of the crime. Ms Kohli said: 'I believe on that day the two teenagers made a choice. The teenage boy chose to attack my dad and the girl chose to film him being attacked. They knew what they were doing. 'I feel angry and disappointed that the sentence they have both received today does not, I believe, reflect the severity of the crime they committed. 'However, I understand the judge has guidelines, but they have taken a life, and, as a result, our lives have been changed forever. 'When they are released, they still have their full lives ahead of them. They can rebuild their lives. We can't.'
