A 12-year-old girl has been charged with the manslaughter of pensioner Bhim Kohli, who died after an alleged attack while walking his dog in a park near his home.
The 80-year-old died in hospital on Sept. 2, a day after being seriously injured in Franklin Park in Braunstone Town, just outside Leicester in the East Midlands.
Cause of Death
An inquest which opened and adjourned last month was told the preliminary cause of death had been given as a neck injury, pending further tests.Leicestershire Police said in a statement on Monday: “A 12-year-old girl has been charged following the death of Bhim Kohli in September.
“The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with manslaughter and is due to appear at Leicester Youth Court sitting at Leicester Magistrates’ Court today.”
A trial in the case is listed to start in February next year, the opening of the inquest heard.
Kohli died at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham on the evening following the incident which took place on a Sunday at around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.
In a statement released shortly after his death, Kholi’s family described him as “such a loving, caring person whose life was centred around his family.”
“He has always been a very hardworking man and even at the age of 80 he was still very active. One of his great passions was his allotment, he would go everyday to tend to his plots and was so proud of them. He also enjoyed walking the family dog Rocky on the park many times a day.
‘Happy and Talkative’
“Bhim loved to laugh. He was always very happy and talkative, the joker of the family and always loved to outsmart us with a smile. Our family have lived in the same house in Braunstone for 40 years, so he was very well known in the community – we have been overwhelmed by the messages and support from many who knew him.“Our hearts have been completely broken. We are now pulling together as a family to try and support each other through the most difficult time imaginable and would ask for privacy while we do this,” the statement added.
During the course of the investigation, officers said previously they had arrested a boy and a girl aged 14 and one boy and two girls aged 12, who had been released without charge, before the latest announcement of the 12-year-old girl being charged with manslaughter.
The Crown Prosecution Service previously released a statement urging people not to speculate on social media about the names of the youngsters allegedly present in the park at the time of the incident, warning that they could prejudice a criminal trial in doing so.
