Teenager's sentence for killing 80-year-old grandfather Bhim Kohli in 'brutal' attack to be reviewed
4 July 2025, 17:53
The sentence given to a teenager - convicted of killing a grandfather in a "brutal and cruel" attack while he was walking his dog - will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Bhim Kohli, 80, died from serious injuries he suffered while walking his dog Rocky in Franklin Park, seconds away from his home in Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, in September last year.
Last month, Mr Justice Turner sentenced a boy, aged 15, who punched and kicked Mr Kohli, to seven years in custody, and a 13-year-old girl, who encouraged the attack by filming parts of it while laughing, to a three-year youth rehabilitation order.
Both teenagers, who cannot be named because of their age, denied their crimes but were convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court.
At the time the verdicts were given, Mr Kohli’s daughter, Susan Kohli, said her father was “humiliated” in a “brutal and cruel” attack, with the pensioner being slapped in the face with a shoe and racially abused.
Read more: Man jailed for life after raping schoolgirl and attempting to rape woman in London parks
Read more: Two murder probes launched in Cornwall after body found in woods during unrelated search
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said the case will be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
"The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli’s friends and family at this difficult time.
"After undertaking a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old boy could be referred to the Court of Appeal.
"The court will determine if the sentence is increased or not."
Mid Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford and the MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, wrote to the AGO last month asking for the sentences to be reviewed.
It is understood the sentence of the 13-year-old girl will not be referred to the Court of Appeal as the threshold had not been met.
A six-week trial heard that 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.
