Second probe into police after man, 80, killed

A police force's response to tackling anti-social behaviour before an elderly man was fatally attacked is under review for a second time.

Bhim Kohli, 80, died after he was punched and kicked by a 14-year-old boy while a girl, 12, filmed the attack in September 2024 - two weeks after he had witnessed another Asian man being racially abused and assaulted by two other boys nearby.

After his death, Leicestershire Police conducted an investigation - checked by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) - into the case and the force's previous contact with Bhim.

No "misconduct or missed opportunities" were identified, but a new probe is under way after a complaint from his daughter Susan Kohli.

Bhim died the day after he was subjected to the "intense attack" in Franklin Park, Braunstone Town near Leicester, while walking his dog - for which the boy and girl were convicted of manslaughter.

The boy was sentenced to seven years in custody, while the girl was given a youth rehabilitation order of three years and a six-month curfew.

Susan told the BBC she complained to Leicestershire Police in November 2025 to ensure they "take accountability for their errors and their mistakes".

"All the way through, the police have said it is the responsibility of the community to report these incidents," she said.

"But, what's the point of the community reporting it, if the police sit on it and not do anything?

"I'm going through what I'm going through because of what happened to dad.

"I don't want this to happen to someone else's dad, mother, brother.

"Until Leicestershire Police take accountability, how are they going to learn?"

Warning: This article contains racially-offensive language

In August last year, Susan told the BBC she believes her father "would still be here" had police acted sooner over the previous attack, which happened on 17 August 2024 near Franklin Park - about two weeks before Bhim's death following the assault at the same park.

The victim of the earlier attack was walking to the park when he was targeted by two white boys, 12 and 13, who threw a rock at him yards from Bhim's house.

The pair, who were not involved in Bhim's death - spat at the man, repeatedly threw stones at him, taunted him and shouted at him to "go back to your village".

In footage of the assault, filmed by Susan, one of the boys can be heard using a four-letter racial slur and telling the man his dad is a "curry muncher".

Susan, her father and others intervened in the unprovoked attack on the man after the boys picked up a large log from the park.

Police were called and Bhim told officers he had witnessed the assault.

A report given to Susan after her father's death showed police knew the identity of the boys involved in the earlier assault days after it happened, but did not arrest them until 5 September, three days after Bhim died.

At the time, Susan called for the IOPC to review the investigation again and said police "sat on" the information for two weeks.

During the trial of Bhim's killers, the court was told about an occasion "a week or two" before his death when the convicted girl was present while other children threw apples at him.

And the BBC was previously told it was reported to police that in July 2024, Bhim had stones thrown at him, was spat at and had been racially abused by a group of children after he told them to get off his neighbour's garage roof.

A report detailing Leicestershire Police's initial review - seen by the BBC - revealed a further eight reports of similar incidents between June and August 2024 were made to the police after Bhim's death.

At the time, the force said it had identified "organisational learning" for logging anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, the IOPC - the police watchdog - said it agreed with the learning identified and 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 over its response to tackling anti-social behaviour in the Franklin Park area before Bhim's death.

The watchdog determined an investigation should be taken by officers working in the force's professional standards department.

A spokesperson for the IOPC said: "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 added: "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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